I sat in the dark, unseen, unheard, sitting in the one dusty patch in this majestic building. While no one heard a single breath from me, I heard everything else, staring at the wall that law three feet from my nose, cast by a soft golden glow of the fires that lit up the room, the patterns dancing upon the wall. Sometimes, a flash of the rainbow would fly across it, coming from the light striking a crystal chamber.
I didn't know how long this silence lasted, nor saw what was taking place without a sound. But finally, someone spoke.
"Today," I heard a female voice speak loud and clear, breaking the silence, "we bring together two souls to unite as mates and bonds under the Mark." The crowd murmured, and two shadows crawled up the wall in which I faced. Zhoke and Aurora. I didn't dare try to look – someone might see me.
"Sacred Fire has been cherished by the people ever since the beginning of time, even though it came from a region so far away, we still cherish this holy light," the voice continued with eloquence, riveting the feelings inside of me, "but perhaps there is something just as special as the Sacred Fire, and today we will use that such substance to bond these two pokemon as one, cohesive unit!" I heard some applause, as I held me knees to me. Listening to the ceremony made me anxious – when will the time come? What will Aurora think when she finds out this was all a scam? I held my knees closer to me, binding them to me with my arms, waiting.
"This substance is Cinder!" the lady cried, "Yes, Cinder! But this is no ordinary ash that you find once your fireplace has died – no. Cinder is the ash of wood that has been lit by Sacred Fire. This Cinder, this sacred substance, will permanently mark these two pokemon, recognizing them as mates for as long as they both shall live!" More applause, and I nervously buried my head in my arms, biting my tongue. In the darkness, I saw light, bouncing from a plume of water traced by Aurora's gentle paw. Memories...
"Bring the Sacred Fire!" I heard the woman call, "Let the Burning begin!" There was the sound of crackling wood, as a new, bright light whitened the wall before me, the light intruding my enclosing arms. I raised me head, able to make out the figure of Aurora in the two shadows. Aurora... My heart squeezed painfully, and my breathing tightened. I waited.
I began to hear some whimpering out in the crowd – no doubt the pokemon could feel the fear from the powerful aura Darkrai generated. Even people were murmuring about a strange, cold feeling. I shared their fear, but not because of childhood nightmares. I laid my head on my arms heavily, thinking deeply about Aurora. When this is over, will she forgive me? Will she be glad to see me?
There was a shaft of light that notified me of a peeking hole, where I could get a good view of the crowd and Mandite in the corner. Instead of staring at the wall, I went to look at Mandite, who had closed his eyes so that no one would see the luminescent yellow. When is he going to give the signal? My paws fidgeted.
"Here is the Cinder!" I heard the lady say at last. I could barely see her, but I saw the hand, holding a handful reddish gold dust, sparkling in the light like shattered crystal. It definitely looked sacred for ashes.
"With the application of this Cinder," the lady said, her hand disappearing from view, "the two souls shall swear to oath and be Marked."
"Zhoke, the blaziken, my loyal and trusting pokemon," the voice continued, "do you swear to your Mark, swear to your fire, swear to your heart that you would forever be the mate of this young lucario? Do you swear that this Mark will never be subject to vainity?"
"Do you swear?" There was a moment of silence, as everyone held their breath.
"I solemnly swear," Zhoke's deep voice rumbled out, and the crowd murmured with approval. I narrowed my eyes, biting my tongue.
"Take some Cinder, and Mark your dominant claw," I heard the rustling of feathers as Zhoke did as he was told. My heart pounded, threatening to tear out from my chest – Aurora was next. When is Mandite going to give the signal? I watched him impatiently, but the little warrior seemed to have fallen asleep.
"Aurora, the lucario," the woman turned her attention to the wild, female lucario, "do you swear to your Mark," Visions began to flash before me of our past years together.
"Swear to your aura," I was with the female, dipping our paws together along the smooth surface of the ocean, watching her smile with wonder.
"Swear to your heart that you would forever be the mate of this young blaziken?" I saw the female turn around in my mind's eye, grinning broadly, overcoming her fear of water. We had been laughing, mesmerized by the multitude of flashing marine pokemon, stunned by the ocean's beauty.
"Do you swear that this Mark will never be subject to vainity?" It was sunset within the boundaries of my thought, the sky painted with the many beautiful colors. Picture perfect. The sea crashed upon the shore, as I watched Aurora trace little figures on the surface of the sparkling water.
"Do you swear?" I felt warmth against my cheek, as Aurora had kissed me. I was trembling, a tear slipping down my cheek, looking out to Mandite. His eyes were still closed, his body motionless. My heart pounded, my head throbbed. Seconds were slowly ticking by, as the world waited for Aurora to swear.
In the dark corner, two yellow eyes flashed open.
"I..." I heard her gentle voice falter.
"YIPEE-KI-YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I heard Mandite scream on the top of his lungs, causing humans to clasp their hands to their ears.
A split second later, I saw the door burst open, splinters flying out into the crowd as an absol sailed through the opening, landing on the carpet firmly on all fours. Then he ran forth in leaps and prances, growling loudly, baring his teeth and snarling. He tossed his dignified scythed head about, making sure everyone had a good look at him. Dhenalix tore the carpet as he bounded towards the stage, breathing heavily. I stood up, holding my breath tight.
It was Darkrai's turn. Dhenalix ruffled his great, white mane, pawing the ground, and before craning his neck back to call out.
"There is a danger among us, my fellow pokemon and humans," I heard Darkrai call out with a ragged, hoarse, deep tone, like the wind was whistling ghastly through the crevices of the Scarred Lands. It sounded as though no life filled the voice – it was empty and hollow, like a skull, with wispy strands of dust. The voice turned my very insides cold.
"The danger is beneath our very feet!" the voice groaned, like a prisoner wailing out to bystanders, their eyes gaunt, reaching a hand to grab at your throat. I have never seen anything like that before, but the power of Darkrai's aura made that all possible. I shuddered, wishing that this would pass quickly.
"This old building," Darkrai continued to rasp, as Dhenalix acted out, pacing and stomping the ground, "was built on a cemetery, the final resting places of the dead. But they were forgotten, so their tombs have been destroyed and paved over by these cursed stones!" From where I stood, I could see the crowd not moving a muscle, their eyes wide with terror.
"I can hear them, I can hear them!" Darkrai wailed, his voice gasping and choking, "I hear their spirits stirring in the ground – yes this building is cursed with a terrible fate. Cursed I tell you!"
"So many years ago, the spirits rose from their earthen beds, moaning and groaning as they went. There were people in this building, yes." Darkrai paused for a dramatic effect, the fire casting long shadows along the walls. Somehow the other lights went out. Dhenalix stood over a jar of flame, so that light cast upwards on his expressionless, wide-eyed face.
"I saw them, I heard them, their long dead teeth gnashing, and their long dead lungs screaming. I saw their ghostly hands, so long and spidery, grab hold of the living, pulling them down to the ground." the Legendary went on, "Those spirits grabbed them, and pulled them! And slowly and agonizingly, those spidery hands, so long dead, began to tear away at their skins." My stomach churned from those words, with the help of Darkrai's aura envisioning that horrific scene. Then, inside the room, the wood structures began to creak and groan. The wind was blowing hard outside.
"Those spirits tore the flesh apart from their skins, and laid them to dry all over this town, before feasting on the carcasses." Darkrai rasped, his voice devoid of any life, "No one lived – except for me. I got out of the building in time."
"Legends tell that this phenomenon, this mystery happens one the same day every century since the cemetery was built over," the Legendary continued, "I witnessed this in this very same spot a hundred years ago from today." With the looks on the people's faces, I could tell that they knew what the story was coming to. Some looked ready to dash out of their chairs to save themselves.
"I hear them coming! I hear them! I hear them!" Dhenalix raised his head and jumped, swooning from side to side, as the wind shrieked outside, "Run fools! Run my brethren! RUN!!!" But the crowd didn't need anyone telling them to run. All rose, screaming, and heading for any door that lead them out of them building. I decided I would step out from my hiding place to look for Aurora. Amidst the stampede of human and pokemon alike, I saw the lone, female figure, standing wide eyed.
"Aurora!" I heard a male blaziken call out to her. Zhoke's pokemon trainer took out a pokeball, and Zhoke disappeared in red light, before she hurried away, without looking back. A tear slipped down her cheek. She had been forgotten.
The room had been vacated in ten seconds. Considering the lack of large doors and the huge population of people forcing themselves through them, that was a mighty impressive record. The only ones left, however, were Dhenalix, Darkrai, Mandite and I. And Aurora, who was knelt on the floor, sobbing. I watched the bent figure shake, feeling guilty – I ruined her special moment. Despite the whole story, and how moving it was, Aurora made no movement to get up. She stayed, kneeling, and crying.
Slowly, I walked towards her, my movements careful. I came upon her back, and she still didn't notice anything else. My paws were shaking from anxiety, wondering what I should do now.
"Aurora?" I found my voice. Her drooping ears pricked up, and the female turned around, her eyes filled with disbelief. I gazed steadily back at her.
"Lucario..." she said, standing up and shaking, "There are spirits... They'll..." But then she noticed Mandite and Dhenalix, standing up on the stage, looking down on the ground – now she understood why I didn't run. Suddenly, her expression hardened, and I began to feel pulses of fury run through me, threatening to knock me over. But I stood, knowing I deserved it.
"Lucario!" she cried angrily, "I can't believe that you... You and the rest of them would do such a thing!" I hung my head, not meeting her eyes.
"Why Lucario, why?!" Aurora shouted, the rage in her emotions becoming so powerful that it shook the loose furniture around us. I stood still, wondering what to say now.
"Even if there was spirits that would eat us alive," I said quietly, as she breathed heavily, "I would make sure you would leave on time... Before me." I felt the anger pulses stop, to my relief. I swear it could have torn me in half and shatter my bones. Aurora stepped closer to me, peering at me with her eyes flickering with lively fire – I looked away from her.
"Why would you say that?" she asked. Not feeling ready, I looked to Mandite.
"Mandite has something to give you from Dialga," I said, and Aurora turned around with a surprised look on her face. The warrior had stepped forth, pulling a scroll of yellowing paper from his backpack. Solemnly, he held it out to the female lucario. Aurora reached out, and took it from him.
"Wherever" your life takes you," Mandite explained, "there will be a time when you must leave, and fulfill your part in this prophecy. Keep it safe, and remember." Aurora blinked, staring at the rolled paper within her paws.
"Thank you," she thanked him quietly, and Mandite nodded. Then, turning to Dhenalix, he said,
"The people will be wondering why aren't the spirits screaming," then, running out of the room with the absol following close behind, "Let's go holler! You too, Anonymous-Dark-Spot-On-The-Floor!" Darkrai moved into the next room, as Mandite began to scream wildly. I watched them go, alone with Aurora. I turned to her.
"Why aren't you going with them?" she asked, holding the prophecy to her body, "You're done here, right?" Did she want me to go? Or was she expecting something else from me? I took my chance.
"Aurora, I have to talk to you," I said, placing my paws on her arms, gazing into her eyes, "and I understand if... I can't explain now, but you'll know what I mean." Aurora's fire dancing eyes, skipping over a bubbling magenta brook, stared at me with solemnity. She bobbed her head. My heart began to pound, knowing that this time the truth will come out from me.
"Couldn't you have talked to me about this earlier?" she asked, and I sighed.
"No, not in front of Zhoke," I told her patiently, and her eyebrows rose "so I'm telling you this right now – it's really important to me that you must know." Aurora blinked, tilting her head to the side.
"Aurora," I began, trying to keep calm like I was in thai chi, "have you ever wondered why I was so grumpy and annoyed when we were younger?" The eyes on the female lit up, and she smiled.
"I remember you used to scold me for everything," she said, giggling a bit, "but yes – why were you always like that?" I breathed deeply, ready for Aurora to break down with my next sentences.
"You were really irritating to me back then – you were always asking this and that, not leaving a moment's peace with me. I was so sick of you by the end of the first day, and I wished that you would just go away." I spoke truthfully, "I didn't understand that there was no one else that had answered these questions for you, so I was annoyed greatly by them."
"I wanted you gone, because you were difficult to handle," I continued, not glancing at Aurora, afraid to see her expression, "You were too wild and playful, and got into so much trouble. I didn't want that extreme responsibility to take care of you. Again, I wished that you would just disappear." I closed my mouth, unable to say more on the subject, waiting for Aurora to break down, or become angry. It was silent, except for our breathing, and Mandite and his crew screaming outside this room. I braced myself for the two options.
Instead, Aurora asked,
"But you changed," I looked up at her, to see that she was looking back at me, her eyes flickering and dancing, bubbling and rippling. Fire and water, together in one being, colored a beautiful hue of various degrees of magenta.
"I changed because I loved your eyes," I said, slowly and calmly, "and I began to realize your eyes were beautiful, and you were beautiful. I realized that I had thought wrong about you after so many years." I breathed in.
"Aurora, back then, I wanted you to leave," I said, beginning to loose my strength, "But now, I can't let you go." I looked into her eyes, which were wide with surprise. Shaking, I drew in a breath, summoning the rest of my courage.
"I love you," And I closed my eyes and turned away, shaking. I had done it. It was time to leave. My legs, moving automatically, headed towards the door. I had said it.
But something caught my arm. Slowly opening my eyes, I turned around. Aurora was holding my arm, tears falling from her stunning eyes, the ones that I fell in love with so long ago.
"Lucario, do you honestly mean it?" she asked, her breathing becoming shaky, "Do you really love me?" I blinked, wondering why she was asking this.
"I meant everything I have told you," I said softly, "I would die for you, and I would make sure you would be safe, because I do love you. I honestly love you." The female lucario let go of my arm, and stared at me for a while, tears running down her face.
"You mean that the female you told me about that you loved was me?" she asked, her voice on the verge of breaking into a sob, "Was she really me all along?" Unable to speak anymore, I nodded somberly, gazing at her. She stared back, tears silently trickling down her cheeks, her eyes swirling with mixed emotions. I didn't know what to think now – the many long months in which I held my secret had finally been told. The anxiety was over, the wait was over. It was all over – everything.
At least the secret was over. To my surprise, Aurora rushed up to me, and threw her arms around my neck, crying hard into my fur. Gingerly, I wrapped mine over her body, not knowing if this was really a loving gesture or not.
"I'm sorry Lucario!" Aurora's pained voice was muffled by my fur, "I'm sorry!" She removed her damp face from my chest, her eyes shimmering with her tears. She leaned up, and rubbed her cheek against mine, giving me kisses all the while.
"I love you too," she whispered, holding me tightly, "please forgive me, Lucario. I love you too; I love you." At this point, I couldn't believe that I was actually hearing these words from her. I never expected it, but I embraced it with absolute delight and joy, as I held her full-heartedly, rocking my lover side to side at a gentle rhythm.
"There's nothing to forgive," I murmured, laying my head on hers, brushing the back of it tenderly, "Love is an interesting and complex game – just as long as I'm with you now there is nothing needed to be forgiven." Aurora finally was quieting down, resting her head underneath my jaw. I rubbed my cheek on the top of her head affectionately.
"I'm sorry that it took me this long to realize this," Aurora apologized, "You were the perfect guy, and you had been right under my nose all along. I wished I realized it sooner." I thought for a moment, and then bent my head to kiss her on the cheek.
"But we're together now, and we have all the time we want," I thought some more. How are we going to deal with Zhoke and his trainer now?
"Aurora?"
"Yes?"
"If I found a place where we could live together," I said, fidgeting, "would you come with me?" Aurora lifted her head, her eyes sparkling.
"I would follow you to the ends of this world," she laughed, finding my question silly, "but I would, Lucario – as I have for the last nine years." I smiled warmly, my heart cooing with the delight, finally having the heart of my love tucked gently under its wing. This warm feeling felt so strange, so light that I felt I was floating in mid air. But I relished it. I began to think about what Aurora had said earlier, about wishing she had realized her love for me sooner.
"You said something about wanting to love me sooner, right?" I asked her.
"Mm-hmm... Why?"
"Well, I was kind of glad you didn't," I admitted. Aurora raised an eyebrow.
"Why?" and I blushed.
"Uh... There's -"
"AURORA AND LUCARIO SITTIN' IN A TREE!" A childish voice crowed as the chanter entered the room, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Mandite grinned at us, his backpack on top of his head, perhaps filled with spoils from the buffet table. Dhenalix peered in from behind the whole he had created in the door, smiling as he saw us together. Aurora turned to me.
"There's Mandite?" she asked, finishing my statement.
"Exactly," I said, smiling as I gave her a final kiss on the top of her head before letting go.
"Let's skedaddle guys," Mandite piped up, skipping away down a corridor, "I just about hollered myself hoarse!" Grinning at each other, the two of us – Aurora and I – followed him, breaking into our new future together.
At last.
Three cheers for Lucario... And the sucky author! ^^;