Chapter 6: Long Days
(I do hope you all are enjoying the story so far. If there's any feedback or just to let me know you enjoy the pace and story so far, please let me know. Without further ado, let's continue the story!)
{Rui's Point of View}
It's been wonderfully quiet since Silvia's visit. I was expecting Margrev to contact me over it, but that never came. They both finally left me alone for a few weeks. I honestly thought I was sleeping and would have a rude awakening. Aura's spy at work hadn't shown up for the last couple of days. Aura also hasn't messaged me at all. She must have been busy, but the silence has been much appreciated. Plus, telling Silvia has started bothering me a lot. It makes me think of when Silvia announced things. It makes me a toy again. I shook my head trying to get the thoughts away. It also makes me think of Margrev's warning, the blessing is waning... and it's my fault... I shouldn't have let her get as close as she did. As if detecting my thoughts, Aura texted me while I worked.
Hey babe.
What chu up to?
Working.
Working hard?
Hardly Working
Ah
So, I'm going to be on tour for a couple months.
That's cool.
Yeah
You going to be okay?
Of course I'll be fine. I'm not helpless
Don't say that. Bad things always happen when people least expect it.
True
You wanna know what I'm doing?
Not particularly but I'll bite
*Photo of Aura in a warm bath*
Just relaxin. You know how it is~
I didn't reply... but I looked at the photo far longer than I should've. When I noticed my face felt hot and a small smile formed, I put my phone away and composed myself. The rest of the day I could barely keep my head on straight. Luckily, I got through it just fine and decided to get a Gardevian Coffee. I just wanted something strong I told myself... but that wasn't entirely true. I went there to remind myself why I hate them. Aura can't change that. At least... I can't allow it to. Adding more fuel to the fire, if I don't stop this feeling, not only will I be killed much sooner than later, Venge will be hit hard. They'll extract all the info I have and leave a brainless corpse... I ordered my coffee, feeling the many pairs of eyes fixated on me. I glanced at a couple, even going so far as to narrow my eyes. I flexed my fingers on my knife openly, making sure they know I'm not going to back down. Some smiled, others glared. It's always a respect thing with the females. Must come from their advances to gain a mate. Males rarely approach which makes sense in my mind since they're a bunch of bitches most of the time... well... the pure ones are anyways. Pure isn't exactly true. It's more of a mockery in some cases. It solely means your direct parents are both Pokémon compared to having a male human father. Knowing now what the breeding is for, it kind of makes me happy to know I didn't have a kid. If I really did have that gene, I'm happy it's not being passed along. They didn't need easier chances. They don't need to get stronger either. Fucking bastards. One of the Gardevoirs near me began talking loudly, "It was really exciting to visit the farm! The humans there are so quiet and literally do anything you want!" Her friend looked uncomfortable, "I'm honestly not sure that's a good thing... they looked... lifeless." The loud one asked, "You wouldn't want your mate like that? Quiet, no fighting, lets you do anything you want to him~" Her friend looked away, "He already does what I want, and I like talking to him." Loud bitch said, "You're no fun! Think about it, you can buy one of the older ones to take home and have in the basement! Wouldn't that be fun if you need an ex-" I yelled, "Can you please shut the fuck up!? Or at the very least lower your voice? Your friend, a fellow Gardevian is uncomfortable and unhappy with what bullshit you're spouting!"
Loud bitch gestured towards me, "See what I mean? Humans are so vulgar and arrogant. Even your mate is-" Her friend smacked the living shit out of her, "Don't talk about my mate! It was already hard enough to get him to love me without resorting to violence and then YOU had to fucking press your luck with him in front of me!" She smacked some money onto the table, "We're done here. I'm going home to the one I love. You just stay a cold-hearted lonely bitch." I couldn't help but snicker, "Damn. And I thought I was brutal." Loud bitch got up, "Wait! Janice, come on! Is this because your dad is human!?" Janice flipped her off, "Go choke on a Snorlax you stupid cunt." Loud bitch looked at everyone staring at her. She must have felt really stupid as she slowly sat back down and just started crying. What a fucking bitch. Shortly after she left a female human walked into the cafe. She ordered a drink and noticed me sitting alone.
"Is this seat taken?" she asked. I looked at her and shook my head. I stayed quiet, looking at the other customers until she asked, "Waiting for your mate?" I looked at her, "Huh? Oh, no. I don't have a mate." She pointed at my arm, "Then why are you wearing that sleeve?" I rubbed my arm, feeling uncomfortable, "I used to, but I'm free now." She smiled at me, "Hey, it's okay. You don't need to be ashamed." She showed a mark on her shoulder. It's in the shape of a heart. How sweet. She said, "I used to be self-conscious about it... but then I realized it was out of love." I scoffed, "Love... funny." She looked slightly offended, "It is love. I'm sure yours is-" I cut her off, "No. It's not." She wanted to continue but instead stopped and focused on her own, "When I first got it, I thought it was horrible too. Over time I realized his feelings and had them deep down too." I shook my head, almost pitying her, "They're a species that excels at reading and imprinting emotions. He made you love him over time. You just accepted it." She frowned, "That's not true. He protected me and I decided to be with him, even though it hurt I chose to do it." I sighed, "Well, I didn't choose to. I was forced to do it. I still relive it in my dreams even though it happened more than a decade ago. She's a psychopath and if you think he didn't influence you at all, then you are delusional." She got a little mad, "What about you? How come you weren't influenced?" I grunted, "I never said I wasn't. It just didn't influence me the way she wanted. In fact, I felt the opposite. I hate her more than anything." She said, "You know that's your fault for resisting right?" I noticed some of the Gardevoirs near us picked up their head in interest.
I glanced at them, seeing their interested gaze and barely hidden smiles, "It's really easy to do that huh? Being such a conceded lapdog for these mother fuckers. Parading your mark like it's a badge of honor, that's bullshit and you know it." One of the Gardevoirs got up to join us, "No, she's not a lapdog. She's one of us. She's also completely right, if you hadn't said no, maybe you'd been treated well." I looked down at my drink, "Blaming the victim who was forced into that situation is a very weak thing to do. Don't you think it'd be better to just love the one you're with rather than hurt them? Wouldn't you want to feel real love?" Surprisingly the Gardevoir listened to my words and surprised me, "Yes..." I looked at her, "That would be better." She took a sip of her drink, "I wanted that. I actually tried that. He still tried to run from me. I've never hurt him, never forced him to do anything. I didn't even mark him." I looked at her, "How about I talk to him." She looked at me, I think she had hope in her eyes, "To help me?" I shrugged, "Not exactly, I want to get his side of the story. If you truly were kind, I'll try to get him to tell me what is wrong. Maybe you can fix that once you know what he wants." She nodded, "That'd be great!" The human girl looked confused, "I don't get it... I thought you were on my side?" The Gardevoir pat her head, "I am but, in our world, there's going to be a battle in everything we do whether it's by fists or speech. His willingness to help shows he's in good faith, not malice. I think he was more worried about you being brainwashed than his own experience." I noticed the other Gardevians murmur to each other, some confused, some agreeing and others denying it. I thought to myself, 'Maybe this is what we need to do... instead of fighting, maybe it is better to start talking.' I looked at my drink, 'Unfortunately, the weak will never be heard without the strong... but...' I gripped the cup, feeling stupid for thinking this, 'Maybe love is a much stronger thing than hate?' The Gardevoir asked, "Could I bring you to him now?" I finished my drink, "Sure, let's go. It's about time I make a positive change. That's all I want. Positive change. That goes for all of you. Instead of being a bunch of assholes like that Bitch from earlier. If you genuinely want love, stop being a crazy monster and start giving what you want in return. It works. Maybe not always but if you do this now there will be change in the coming future that'll allow us to stop hurting one, and instead gain love from both." As they talked to each other, I left with the Gardevoir. I don't know what I should have been feeling... but I want to believe it was hope. Maybe I can make change without hurting anyone.
When we arrived at her home, I found her mate in a second bedroom. Immediately upon entering I could tell he didn't want to be anywhere near her. She beckoned me to go see him while she stayed away. When I entered, he looked scared initially but calmed down. He asked, "Are you really human?" I remember asking that exact same thing once, "Yes." I sat on the floor near him, "I have to ask you a few questions, so I'll know how best to help you." I leaned in and whispered, "That means by helping you or helping the situation." He nodded, "O-Okay." I asked, "How did you two meet?" He looked uncomfortable but answered, "I was originally a farm hand... well... you know I mean slave, but they try to act like it's not that... One day she came to our farm, saw me and started returning to talk to me. One day she asked if I wanted her to take me away from here... I accepted but... I'm just a little scared things won't go well..." I asked, "Did your previous owners tell you things to scare you?" He nodded, "They said she wanted my... skin... I didn't know what they meant by that, and it's been giving me nightmares ever since..." I reached over and pat his shoulder, "She's not planning to do that. She likes you a lot." He shook his head, "No she doesn't... I'm just a human..." I got up, "Maybe... but there's a way to know." He looked up at me, "How?" I tried to give him a warm smile, which is much harder when you can't do one genuinely, "I grew up with her kind, they are very good at sharing emotions. All it'll take is holding her hand. I'll be right there, and I'll keep you safe. I promise." He looked unsure ultimately agreeing and followed me to his mate. She looked at me, "How's it going?" I told her, "He wants to know how you feel. I think you should share your emotions with him." She looked at me blushing, "But... that'd make us mates. What if he doesn't want to?" I looked at him, "You were already in that position anyways but it's your choice. Do you want to know?" He looked at me then her before nodding. They sat near each other, and she took his hand gently. He watched as she gently rubbed along the palm of his hand. He blushed a lot before doing the same back. Several minutes went by and she stopped. He gave her a hug and she returned it warmly. She looked at me, "Thank you so much for helping." I shrugged, "I just talked to him. Your feelings were genuine and that's what made this possible." The human asked, "What's your name?" I waved him off, "It's not important. You two enjoy yourselves and don't mess this up."
- Two Days Later -
I spent my days off at home, wondering what I should do. Pretty funny how that works. You lay around at home all day wanting to do something only to just waste the whole day away. Aura hadn't messaged me since her last and no one else bothered me. I thought about getting another drink from the Cafe but... I'm too broke to buy another one. My paycheck is in a couple days though, I'll probably get some groceries. Man, I'm fucking boring! I decided to go for a walk. Sitting on my ass at home is driving me insane. While on my walk I bumped into someone who just so happened to be my neighbor. "Dude, what the fuck? Can't you say excuse me?" He asked. I shrugged, "Sorry didn't see you there." He scratched his chin, looking lost in thought, "Your voice sounds familiar..." Judging by his appearance, he's either human or a perfect hybrid. He snapped his fingers, "You're my neighbor, aren't you!?" I raised a brow, "I've literally never seen you before in my life." He laughed at that, "I guess not. I only know it's you because of your voice. The hell happened the other day?"
I thought to myself, 'He must mean Silvia's visit.' I said, "Someone came to my house unannounced and tried to cause trouble." He appeared to be a Roserade Hybrid. That's actually quite rare. He bowed slightly, "My name is Crimson. As you've probably guessed, I am a Roserade hybrid." He seemed to be the same height as me, nearly six feet tall. His hair is slightly green but turn red as it approaches the tips. His eyes are a light orange, and his skin pigment has a slight taint of green but mostly pale. Seems he has no facial hair at all. There appears to be thorns growing along his wrists and knuckles. They must be uncomfortable, even when sleeping but they could be poisonous too. I asked him, "Are you a perfect hybrid? Those thorns look like they'd be annoying." He shrugged, "Yeah, they are annoying but thankfully I'm a perfect hybrid so they aren't as bad as they could be. Used to be a bit depressed because trimming them just wasn't working when they grew back overnight." I sighed, "Yeah... a lot of things in this life can be depressing. Trust me." He asked me, "What's the most depressing thing that happened to you?" I thought back to just before I made my deal with Margrev, "I actually died once." He looked intrigued, "Really?" I nodded, "I couldn't take what my life became and decided to hang myself." He grimaced at that, "Wait... how'd you survive? Didn't you snap your neck?" I decided to continue, knowing the full picture would better answer his questions, "So I set up the noose, a chair and made sure the door was closed. I knew being found would ruin it and ban me from the storage area. I got up on the chair and looked at the noose in a mixture of hope and fear. I didn't want to burn myself to death at that time. I just wanted to die painlessly. Snapping my neck sounded a lot less painful. I swung the noose on, tightened the knot and just need to follow through on it. I hesitated and, in my stubbornness, I kicked the chair but in fear I didn't fully commit to it. The chair moved but I didn't snap my neck. Instead, I choked myself to death and it felt like it lasted an eternity. I tried to grab the rope and pull up, but my hands kept sliding. Eventually the choking and all noise feel away. I could only stare at the ceiling and the last thing I felt was my arms slumping down and everything fading to black. I don't know how long I was dead... but it was long enough to know what happened afterwards. Nothing. Nothing at all. It was like being surrounded by darkness. As I remained there, I realized our one life. The only life I have, is our one chance at anything. My one chance at anything... and it was stolen. Suddenly a bright light engulfed me, and I thought I was heading to an afterlife only to be met with the sight of the one person who made me do it. My fucking bitch of a mate at the time. It infuriated me to no end to see her. She stopped me from dying. I didn't want to die... especially not after experiencing that. I just wanted freedom, I wanted to be away from her forever."
Crimson listened to the entire rant silently. When I finished, he said, "Wow... That's one hell of a scary ass thought. When we die, that's just it?"
I thought to myself before answering, "For a human, I guess... but as a Pokémon or hybrid maybe there is more thanks to Arceus."
Crimson thought to himself for a moment before realizing something, "I never got your name!" I replied, "It's Rui. I'm a nameless." He smiled at me, "I don't care about that crap. I was about to head out to the bar. You want to come with and crack open some drinks? Maybe see some females?" I shrugged, "You know what? Let's go do that. That sounds like fun!" Crimson cheered and I expected a handshake or something, but he never did. He then said, "Oh, that's right. I am careful not to touch people because the thorns are poisonous. I used to trim them, but it became so annoying as they grow overnight. A lot of annoying nights just because they pricked me." I felt bad for him, "That must suck eggs man." He seemed to be in good spirits, "It's cool. I don't let it hold me down. Come on, let's go drink!" I said, "Hopefully they got good food. I'm fucking starving!" Crimson laughed, "Me too man!"
The two of us went to a bar and had a great time. We had some drinks, ate some food and Crimson got hit on pretty hard by a Salazzle. It didn't take much for her to have him under her spell. I guess her powers work on hybrids too. Hahahahaha. She and him decided to head to her place and I went home alone. Along the way I got a text from Aura.
Hey babe. How are you doing?
Hey, I'm doing great, what about you?
Just got out of practice. You ever think about joining me on tour?
Get to see far away cities, try out different foods and see the skylines. ;)
Sorry, but if I did then I'd get murdered by one of your fans.
Wyh would they do that?
Why*
What male wouldn't do it if it means getting a chance with someone so beautiful and awesome?
Damn... That was sexy~
Maybe one day you'll come though.
Until then, I gotta go my love. Love you~ *heart emoji*
I didn't replay to the last text. I like to think she knows deep down without me ever saying it. On the flip side I need to keep my head in the game. I need this blessing to not only protect me but to give me a chance to help people. Sure, I'm a Gardevian but deep down I'll always be human. When I got home, Cayden is standing on my balcony looking at the city. "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked. He beckoned me over to him.
I stood next to him as he muttered, "Our friend needs you to 'borrow some sunscreen'. In two weeks, you'll go to the beachfront and scope out the scene." I asked, "I understand. Will it be Bikini Pics (Data Retrieval) or sightseeing (Recon)?" Cayden replied, "Bikini Pics." Cayden walked towards my front door, "Get it done man. Good luck."
(That's the end of this chapter! Looks like in the coming weeks Rui is going to be putting his training to good use! Also, do you guys love Aura in this story? She's easily my favorite character so far. Please favorite, follow and/or Review to support the story!)
