Chapter 25: An Aura of Evil and Fulfillment
(Hey guys, I took a vacation from writing after writing this story so much for a year. However, the time I wanted to start writing I got the fucking flu. It sucks. It sucks major fucking ass and I hope it doesn't make this chapter suck as we finally get to see the big bad himself for the first time in a long while. Hope it was worth the wait and if not, sorry I have been gone for so long. The story will pick up with Rui's Point of View next chapter as we head into the Goth Arc.)
{Aura's Point of View}
A few years passed and I finally got the free time I wanted. Rui's graduation is in a few months for his bachelor's. I wish I could be there, but I can't. I'm visiting today to make up for it. I texted him and he acted indifferent... but with how fast he texted back, I knew deep down he's excited. We met at a nearby lounge, just a rundown place people never really visit. Rui likes the peace it provides. When I saw him, he looked a lot more fit like he's been working out or something. He was on his phone, typing a message to send to me. I thought he didn't see me until he looked right at me with a mischievous grin. I heard my phone vibrate and saw his text saying nice to see you. I put my phone away and approached me. He looked at my clothes, "You look great. Must be nice to have made it. How's your mate been?" I flinched, "Mate? Another dumb fucking rumor going around?" Rui shrugged, "You don't have to spare my feelings Aura." He sighed and looked at the pedestrians walking by before whispering, "I don't have many left anyways..." I hugged him tightly, "I don't have a mate. The one I love isn't willing to be with me." Rui shook his head, "Then you are wasting your love on him. Especially when he's nameless. Also, stop sending me pictures." I smirked, leaning in, "Why? Too hot for you?" He looked away, "No." I gently turned his head to look at me, "If they bothered you, you'd have blocked me." Rui opened his mouth to speak. I could tell he was going to say something hurtful. To my surprise he didn't. He stopped and said, "Listen to me. You are stunning. You have a beautiful voice. You're not like the other Gardevians. Maybe there was some chemistry before but-" I whispered in his ear, "I am yours. No one else's. I love you and only you." He pulled away, "Stop it. I'm not special." I remembered the future sight and looked down sadly. I still don't understand how he's supposed to become a monster. Rui frowned and held my hands, "I just want you to be happy..." I kissed his forehead, "You make me happy." I looked at his hands holding mine, "Even when it is only this." Rui softened, "... Ugh. Fine but I'm not going to stop telling you to find someone else." I smiled at him, leaning in to kiss him, "No worries. Just the fact you let me do all these things proves deep down you care about me more than you're willing to admit." Rui pulled back, "No, I'm... just trying to be nice. Since we were childhood friends and... stuff... uh..." I sat up straight, holding my head up high, "Looks like I'm right." Rui flared up, "What? How!?" I grinned and stuck my tongue out at him, "I can tell~" I looked at his arms and asked, "So~ Been working out?" Rui blushed, "No." I teased him a bit, "Have you been trying to look more handsome? If so, it's working." Rui got up, "It was nice seeing you, I'm a head out."
I followed him, "Come on Rui, don't be like that." Rui shook his head, "Stop being flirty then." I groaned, "Fine..." I walked beside him, "So, Rui, have you heard any of my songs?" Rui fake smiled, "Nope." It was his turn to tease me, "I already know how beautiful your voice is." I blushed again and grabbed his hand. He didn't pull away, but I noticed some glares from nearby Pokémon as we walked. I wasn't famous at this point, but I was getting there. I thought they were glaring at us, but it looked like they didn't like Rui. That is until a Lopunny ran up to him. She immediately asked, "Is she your mate?" Rui, taken aback, said, "No. Of course not." I stepped in, "Even so, what business do you have with us? What's your name?" She acted innocent, "Oh, I'm Tulip. I was just trying to make new friends." This smell... I could tell. Hundreds of different scents. Tulip is the epidemy of a Lopunny. I stepped between him and her, "We don't need you as a friend, slut." Tulip smirked, "I'll remember that. See you around." Tulip turned around. Winking at Rui as she walked away. I held Rui's hand more openly the rest of the way.
After letting Rui go back home, I went to a Gardevian Cafe. I still felt a bit hot after being around him. Something I've learned is how Pokémon females heat up as they're around someone they loved. While there, a Gardevior sat with me. She smiled, "Hey, you're Aura right?" I suddenly remembered who she is, "Monia? It's been so long." She laughed, "Yeah. I was finally able to get a mate... well... capture one." I raised a brow, "Captured one?" She chuckled, "Yeah. The moron didn't like I picked him and ran away. Took about a half hour to find him." I frowned a bit, "Oh... so he hates you." Monia looked confused, "Why question that? It's normal." I looked down at my drink, "I... Is it?" She tilted her head in confusion, "You don't think so?" I gripped my drink tightly, "I think you should have mutual love." Monia smirked, "Ah, makes sense why you're single." I flinched and yelled, "Better than being a mother fucking slave owner!" Monia looked taken aback, "Whoa, chill Aura." I glared at her, "You basically threw my relationship status in my fucking face and now that I bit back, you dare act like you're innocent. That human was right to run. I hope he poisons your food." Monia smirked again, "He wouldn't dream of it." She rubbed her stomach, "The little bitch is only going to have children with me. No matter where he runs, I'll find him. Poison? I can just make sure by reading his mind. It's one sided for a reason." I took a sip, "I love the person I want a family with. I want to make him happy." Monia asked, "Then why did you hurt him?" I flinched again, "I... but I didn't mean to." Monia leaned in, "Yet you did. That is our nature. We hurt our mates because we own them. Love does not matter." I shook my head no, "Stop believing that bullshit. Love is real." Monia looked at me, pity in her gaze, "If love is real... then where's your mate that supposedly loves you?" I couldn't answer her. I just sat there, like a Ralts, with nothing to retort. A human came with her coffee. He stayed quiet and I noticed two of his fingers missing. She took it gracefully and ordered him to sit next to her. After taking a sip, she smiled, "Delicious." She put the cup down and cleared her throat, "For us, a mate is a slave who fulfills our sexual desires. Humans, on the other hand, are just slaves for us. They can't love us like you think they could. That's why we control them through fear and pain." She grabbed his hand and displayed it, "I cut off and ate his fingers. You know why? Dominance. He's mine. Next time I'll fucking skin his entire arm before chopping the damn thing off. Isn't that right?" He nodded despondently. He looked scared but tried his hardest to pretend to be smiling. It hurt my heart. She let go, "See? It's effective. The only person it didn't work on was that one kid. Wasn't he the book reader?" I picked my head up, "Rui?" She nodded, "Yeah. I heard Silvia was just as bad, if not worse, than most Human-Gardevian relationships. But at least now, you understand it's bad to run, right?" The human looked down and muttered, "Yes..." Monia pat his head, "Good boy. One day, when you prove your loyalty, I'll start letting you have things. It's just like the estate. Why do you think we keep these animals in small rooms? It's where they belong. Like a closet for our... toys." I smacked the table, "Humans are not toys!" Monia shot back, "Then why did you mistreat your lover?" I started tearing up, "I didn't..." Monia started laughing, "Oh Arceus! I get it now! You're the one Silvia stole from! That's fucking hilarious!"
In my rage, I grabbed her neck with psychic and started choking her in the cafe. She didn't react much, she just smiled as the sister looked at us in intrigue. In my mind, she spoke telepathically, [You see what you're doing? That's who we are. All of us. They're all watching you. They're all eagerly awaiting to see if you'll kill me. I won't stop you. Show them your true colors. Deep down, you are just like us. So prove it. Kill me. Even as my life is extinguished, I'll live on in your mind forever. I know you've never killed anyone... so here's your chance to taste it. Taste the sweet nectar from flowers of my corpse. Free yourself of your hesitation and take what you want.] I threw her across the room screaming, "NO!" She got up and grabbed me with psychic now, "I gave you a chance to kill me, now you'll pay for it!" I broke her psychic, my rage building as I used Grass knot to tie her legs down. She tried to free herself but didn't. She used psychic to throw a large table at me. I initially wanted to dodge but quickly noticed her human is in the way of the attack. I pushed him away and ducked under the table. She finally broke free of the vines, "Aw, you saved my property. How sweet." One of the sisters grabbed him and huddled in a corner with light screen barriers to protect themselves from us. I felt my anger start to subside as I noticed the damage we caused so far. She started coming towards me with a barrage of magical leaves. I closed in on her, watching for an attack and sure enough she pulled out a fire punch. I gracefully moved to the right and used Shadow Ball on her hand. She screamed in pain as her fingers are blasted off. She held her hand, collapsing to her knees, "My...! My fingers!" I snickered at her, "Doesn't feel good, does it!?" She looked at me, screaming, "You cunt!" I had enough, I used dazzling gleam and threw her across the room into the light screen. She hit the ground, out cold and the entire place destroyed in the process. The next few hours became a blur. Having to explain what happened. Shelling out money for repairs. My manager bitching about bad press. Sometimes I hate all of this. Sometimes I find myself enjoying the freedom we have to just... fight it out. As I looked at the destruction, I started wondering what Rui would think of this. How he'd feel watching me do things he could only dream of. How dangerous I am... My mind wandered back to that moment in the human part of the estate. My regret for not telling him I loved him at that time is growing by the day. Now he knows and he's rejecting me out of loyalty.
Several months later I found myself missing him again and chose to go to his dorm despite having a concert in a few days. Although, my manager was the one who asked me to get my head back on straight but the only thing on my mind is him. As I walked towards his door, a strange human holding a metal bat stood before it. He looked at me, bandages wrapped around his head to cover his eyes. He smirked, pointing at the door with his thumb, "I take it your home boy lives here?" I raised a brow, 'Who talks like that?' I ignored his initial inquiry and demanded, "Who are you?" He grinned, "Your long-lost daddy. Sorry I've been gone for so long. It was a real killer to find the right brand of moomoo milk." I threw a moonblast at him. He swatted it away with the bat and faced me. He slowly turned away, "I'll kill your boy another time." He started walking away as his words processed in my head. Then I chased after him. He started running much faster than I initially anticipated. Eventually a Hitmonlee and Scizor noticed us coming towards them. I yelled, "He's a thief!" They immediately sprang into action, and the runner yelled, "Oh that's bullshit!" The Hitmonlee tried to kick him across the chest. The kick hit nothing but air as the bastard slid underneath his attack. The Scizor tried to use bullet punch only to be blocked and flipped by the bat. I flew over the Scizor, trying to continue my pursuit. An Ursaring ahead tried to grab him in a hug. The bat smacked him in the family jewels. He collapsed to his knees, eyes empty from pain overload. The culprit smashed the bat across his face, making the Ursaring go through the wall into another university room. He looked at me, "Alright, I'm done with this hallway bullshit." He jumped through a window, landing on the sidewalk and running again.
The growing feeling of annoyance started becoming unbearable as this strange human wreaked havoc on every bystander possible. Just to annoy me it seems as he kept glancing back with each action. Eventually, I chased him all the way up to the rooftop, seeing him eagerly awaiting my arrival. He tapped the tip of his bat on the concrete and grinned, "There you are. Took you long enough. I've been waiting for... like three minutes." I used Magical Leaf, cutting him up with the leaves as he withstood the onslaught. He sighed, "I guess you care about the human deeply. Good. I wanted to bring you here because the boy is needed alive." I flinched, "What do you really mean by that!? What are you plotting to do with my mate you fucking blind piece of shit!?" He snickered darkly, "I wasn't planning on killing him. In fact, the darkness inside of him is growing quite nicely. In fact, I'd like to thank you. I wouldn't even be here if not for you and the others of your race. However, he's still torn and if you die before he makes up his mind then his sacrifice is guaranteed." The air started getting heavy and light began to fade. The sounds of the city quickly drowned out. Replaced with a faint ring of a bell and low singing from a distant woman. An empty void surrounded us as black shadowy figures with a white aura encircles us. It looked like a dark arena with the singing woman getting louder with male voices singing in an ancient human language. I looked at him in shock, "Are you a hybrid!?" He laughed maniacally. Almost falling over as he did. Then he froze and sneered, "I'm human. Pure. At least... I was. Now... I'm just a Shadow of Regret." The bat disappeared into a black mist as a large heavy looking sword formed in his hand. The singing getting louder as he smirked, swiping the blade effortlessly to the side, "Face me. Here, I can see everything. The light is gone... right and wrong no longer exists... at least... if there ever were such a thing." I asked, "Why are you doing this?" He raised his blade, snickering a bit, "Ah yes. I'm glad you asked that. I really wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan." He suddenly pierced the ground beneath him with his blade. Before I could react i felt something akin to a ghost type attack hit me. Something piercing my very soul. I looked down to see a large red transparent blade protruding from my stomach. With a swift motion, he pulled free his sword and I was forced onto my back by the retreating blade. I curled up, holding my stomach in agony as the area reflected being stabbed by Shadow Claw. Deep bruising with no physical damage but my soul damaged. I rolled to my knees, using my powers to get me up and face him. He scoffed, "That's it? One attack and you're down? The bitch was right about you. You are weak. Is that why you let him be passed around like-" I threw a moonblast as he closed his eyes to laugh. The laugh was short lived as the blasted destroyed most of his body. Unfortunately, he got up. It looked as though the fairy energy from my attack burned him. While missing half his jaw, he said, "I guess I did go a little far. I should have just beat you down more before mocking you. In truth, you disgust me. Not even in my wildest nightmare could I imagine bedding one of you disgusting animals." He looked off into the darkness, "And yet... I must rely on a wretched Pokémon fucker to set me free."
He disappeared into the ground beneath him, I floated up only be tackled by two feet into the ground. I grunted in pain and looked back to see him standing on me, his weapon raised and with a quick swipe my head came off. Then I blinked and I'm standing across from him, holding my breath before collapsing to the ground in horror. He smirked, "Come now, don't tell me you're already giving up? I haven't had a fight in centuries. I'm giving you a handicap. It's like you Pokémon say." He grinned, his body growing in size and bulk. He looked like a demonic Ursaring with horns. He cackled, "Entertain me." I used Magical Leaf, trying to pepper him with cuts only to see them burst in a blaze of black flames. He faced the palm of his left hand towards me and shot a ball of black fire. I shot a moonblast at it, watching in horror as the black flame absorbed it and grew in size. I moved to my left as fast as I could to dodge it. He dipped his left hand into the black liquid floor and suddenly six figures began to emerge from it. All faceless humanoid creatures with sharp claws and a mouth in their chest. The mouth opened to reveal a large purple eye. I looked at them, wondering what they can do as Half of them charged at me on all fours. The others charged up in their eye and shot a beam of black light. I dodged the beams as the three approached me. One wasn't paying attention and got hit by one of the beams to split it in half. Not wanting to waste time, I used Dazzling gleam to blast away the two remaining. See the fairy energy burn them away made me realize they can't take fairy type attacks. It's like him, he seemed weak to it too. The three remaining tried attacking me with the beams only to be hit with my disarming voice. They shrieked in agony and held their heads as their bodies began to blaze in purple flames from the fairy energy. Even he looked annoyed as he stood there. With the minions dead, he charged at me with his sword. I felt like a hero in one of the stories Rui told as a kid. The more my thoughts focused on him, the easier this seemed to be. It was almost as if he was letting me win. He'd slow down his attack as I countered the blow with one of my own. The finishing blow came with a sidestep to one of his overhead slashes. I jumped up and smacked his face with a Moonblast. His head blasted off, the arms flailing as the body fell back and landed with a loud thud. I panted, hunched over slightly as I looked at the defeated monster only to suddenly feel a blade Stab me through my back. I coughed up blood, see the monster disappear and behind me is the dark entity that spent the time toying with me. The blade didn't do any physical damage, but my soul felt like it took a near fatal wound.
He kicked me off his blade, watching me curl on the ground in pain. He looked up at the dark void above, "I had a brother once. Kind. Courageous. Flawed. Unlike the others. Unlike our father. He was pure. A beacon of hope. People looked at him and saw... mercy. Then he died. Like all things human. He died, because of you. Because of your kind! And all I had left around me was darkness, death and decay. My people. Slaughtered. Raped. Enslaved. Weak. Without the dark ones, they were finished. No one could stop Arceus. I lived and defeated death earning eternal life." He panted, a sick enjoyment just beaming until he froze. His smile soon dissipated, "It took many years... but eventually I became the end. The Dark. The Destroyer. It was my destiny to ascend to Godhood. Only to be seen as a demon. I am their savior. Yet even now the voices that ring in my Stone Sanctuary cries for freedom while in fear. I gave their souls a place to rest. A place to... end. Something they didn't have prior. Despite that, I do give their souls peace through one act. Vengeance." He grabbed my throat, "You listen to me, my shadow will give you something but know this. I will be freed. It is only a matter of time. When I do, he will be my vessel, and I will kill you first with his face. It'll be slow, painful and I'll show you the horrors your kind inflicted upon me and so many others." Then he softened, fixing a strand of hair and caressing my cheek gently. His face becoming eerily similar to Rui's, even his voice... "You know. You don't have to die. After all, I need your lover to free me. If you want to stop me, you'll have to kill him. If you don't and help get him to free me. I'll spare you and turn you into a demon like the others that crave my influence. Think about it. I'll even be possessing his body, so he'll never truly be dead. If you loved him, wouldn't you want him to live forever with you? I don't want your answer, I want action. It will speak for you. The others made sacrifices, including their own lives to become demons." I looked away, "Does every demon follow you?" He made me look at him, "Of course not. There are those who wish to stay neutral as they pursue their own goals. Then there are the three major demons who follow me. They were there from the beginning and know what your master truly is. A thief. A gluttonous Tepig." He caressed my cheeks more firmly with an eager drooling grin, "Oh, I really wish I could kill you. You'd make a fine addition to my collection. I can see why he likes you so much. You're quite beautiful. I bet you hope he had dirty thoughts about you animal. Heh heh heh heh heh." I yelled, "Who the fuck are you to judge me!?" I stood up on my own two feet, not allowing my damaged soul to stop me. I continued, "What the fuck would an evil piece of shit like you know about love anyways!?" He scoffed, "Love? You think I can't know what that is?" He spat to the side, muttering, "Stupid animals." Then he snickered, "I'll give you a point for the bravery. A moment ago, you were pissing your pants." A much louder bell began to ring from that church in the distance. He sighed in annoyance, "I spent too much time... but I had fun. My shadow will talk to you after you leave here. Remember what I said. Actions. not words will dictate your intentions."
The dark void below me began to swallow me up, no matter how hard I fought back. I gasped in terror as my head finally went until. I woke up on the roof, coughing as if I was drowning. I looked around to see the blind son of a bitch I chased. I blasted the blind bastard with a Moonblast, making him recoil to the edge. He raised his arms up to surrender, "Alright, you got me. Calm down." I threw another moonblast but missed on purpose. He kept his arms raised, "Hm... so... I got an idea. I can tell you how to get to your boyfriend's heart if you listen to me." I raised a brow, listening to him. He noticed, "Let's say there's a way to purify your soul. You'll even understand what it's like to be human... well... at least a little bit. Think about it, you'll finally feel for your dad's species." I didn't say anything, but I kept my guard up. He continued, "There's a pond hidden deep in the ancient lands. A place the Pokémon never found... but we know where it is. I'll tell you it and there you can bathe in the holy waters to purify your soul. Minerva won't even be able to detect you anymore. Your ancestry shackles will be broken." I flinched, "Are you serious?" He nodded, "Do that and eventually you'll break through the curse around your love." I stopped being on guard, "Where is it?" He pulled out a folded piece of paper and fell backwards. I caught the paper and ran to the edge to see he's disappeared.
This place felt strange. The air is heavy. The surroundings were unnaturally silent as if there were no Pokémon life in this area. Skeletal remains littered the forest. An eerie fog and chirping in the distance are my only companions as I walked. I started to feel anxious as I wondered if this place really existed. Then, I saw a rainbow-colored light. I walked through a thick bush, into a clearing with a pond in the middle. The air is warm and tasted like honey. The pool glowed a broad arrangement of colors as if inviting me in. Artorias's spring. A place where he mourned for his dead lover and found power while in the waters. That psycho said this place could purify me... remove Minerva's chain from my neck. It'll make me one step closer to being similar to my one and only. I took off my clothes and slowly got into the water. It wasn't long before I closed my eyes and opened them to find myself staring at a beautiful human with long blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and beautiful pale skin. She smiled at me and said, "Welcome to the spring of eternity child. I am the angel of love and humanity. The mother of Artorias and... creator of humans." I looked at her in awe, 'Wow... she's pretty. No wonder humans are so beautiful or handsome.' She seemed to know what I was thinking and giggled, "Thank you for the compliment I guess." I felt embarrassed, "Sorry for staring like that. I'm just surprised to meet a real Angel. Angels have no meaning in Pokémon language, but humanity runs in my veins too. I want to know more about them. Can you teach me?" She shook her head, "You shouldn't be asking me to teach you that child. That's for you to learn with your loved ones. Like from your father." I looked down sadly, "Right..." She asked, "Do you have trouble taking to him?" I nodded, "Sort of. I feel slightly guilty whenever I see him. He and my mom says they had me out of love but sometimes I wonder if that is true. Sometimes I wonder if I even know what love is." She sighed, "I can't answer those for you. YOU have to know that yourself. It's not entirely your fault anyways. Come. Submerge yourself into the waters and purify your soul. I don't have much time really..." I did as she asked, not wanting to waste this chance. I submerged into the water, worrying I'll start drowning but instead I found myself able to breath. I opened my eyes to see myself sinking into an abyss. Silhouettes of my family. People I've met. Legendaries like Arceus, Dialga and more. My grandmother Minerva. Then I noticed Rui wasn't one of them. I looked around and beneath me I saw him sinking deeper into the abyss. A part of me hoped this meant I could save him from having his positive emotions stolen. I tried to swim down, getting closer and closer until I saw him. He's dragging Rui down, trying to bring him to the dark. To the abyss. That place he brought me to. Is that what the bottom is!? I grabbed his collar, yanking him towards me. The bastard looked at me, mouthing, 'It doesn't matter. It's only a matter of time.' I mouthed back, 'Never. He'll never be like you! He'll never free you! He's my light! He's always been my light!' Suddenly a bright light blinded me, and I passed out.
When I finally woke up, I felt... free. I stood up in the pond, then realized I'm naked and sunk back in quickly to hide it in embarrassment. Then I realized I never felt embarrassed like that before. I think and feel different... Did it work? Or am I overthinking this? The Angel broke me out of my thoughts, "Now that you've been purified, you'll no longer be influenced by him." I raised a brow, "Him? Who's him? Rui?" She shook her head, "No, the one you were warned about. The one who dwells in the darkness of the void. The monster who lives off suffering. We call him Dark, because that is what he is. He is the opposite of every good in the world. Hate, sadness, pain. All of that fuels him. He loves it. In fact, he's been tormenting you for the longest time through his influence. When you found him hanging, he initially had the door closed. Dark cracked it open for you, just a tad because he couldn't do more. Just so you'll see him and suffer as you did. Your urges and the dark idea to turn your lover into a money maker through sex. All of it. Influence is very powerful, especially when no one can notice it." I felt sick, "I'm a terrible person..." She pat my head, "Sh, you're not a terrible person. Think of this as your rebirth. Now, you can finally be the person you always wanted to be. He loves you deep down and you know that." I rubbed my arm sadly, "Will he... forgive me?" She sighed, "It'll be hard... but he will. If you tell him, it'll be easier... but I can see you're too guilty to do it yourself. I just hope things don't turn out badly." I started crying, "I didn't mean to..." She hugged me, rubbing my back soothingly, "Sh... it's okay. You made a mistake. He influenced you, nothing more. Now you can make it up to him. His heart was locked away, but all your hard work has been cracking that door open slowly. No matter how tight the lock, there's always a way to crack it." I cried, "I just wanted to be with him... that's all I fucking wanted!" The Angel consoled me as I cried, and when the time came. She had to leave. I felt sad. I had so many questions I wanted to ask her... but she wouldn't answer them even if I asked. Maybe we'll meet again... But right now, I want to go see Rui.
I took a few days to calm myself and readjust my new way of thinking. Once I felt confident, a quick teleport landed me at his college. I looked for him around his campus, spotting him talking to a Meowscarada. She looked up at him blushing, "Would you like to go out with me?" I tensed up, glaring at her as I slowly approached. I wanted to attack her, but I knew that was wrong. Rui doesn't belong to me... but that doesn't mean I can't feel jealousy. He sighed, "Sorry, I can't do that. I also have someone precious to me already." I felt my jealousy melt away, feeling my face get hot as I fantasized about him saying I'm his precious someone. She looked disappointed, "Oh... well... i-if you want, we could study together or-" Rui walked past her, "Not interested." The Meowscarada drooped her head and started sniffling. Rui stopped and looked down. With a loud sigh he said, "I hang out in the library during the middle of the week with my friend Jay. You're free to join." The Meowscarada turned her head in surprise, "Oh... okay. See you then." After she ran off, he looked at me, "Lookin' for me?" He asked with a smug smirk. I turned my head embarrassed, "Who else would I want to see?" He grunted, "Could be someone more attractive you're looking for." I stayed quiet for a bit. I didn't want to indulge in his teasing but then asked, "Am... I your precious someone?" Rui closed his eyes and forced a smile, "Most likely." He beckons me to walk besides him, "I'm going to stretch my legs, wanna join me?" I hugged his arm and smiled, "Sure." We walked just to two of us for a long time. When we finally got back to his dorm room, it's nighttime. We ate and laid on his bed talking about silly mundane things like electricity being expensive despite it being created for free by electric types. Eventually he got serious and asked, "Can I be honest?" I nodded and stared at him as he continued, "I still wake up each day wondering why I bother opening my eyes. It feels like there is no hope." I held his hand, smiling at him, "Rui, there is always hope. Giving into sadness on your own volition is when you truly despair. I always knew you'd do great things. You just need to do them." He looked into my eyes, "Do you mean that?" I nodded, pulling him into a gentle embrace. I rubbed his back soothingly, "One day things will be perfect... and I hope to be there with you." He allowed me to hold him and sighed, "I can't feel happiness or love... but... I... admittedly... hope... um... you'll be there with me..." I smiled, tearing up slightly as I nuzzled his head. We stayed like that for a long time, until I suddenly got the courage to ask, "Hey... Can you... um... help relieve my heat?" Rui side eyed me, "You're not in heat though." I looked down embarrassed, "Sorry..." He sighed, closing his eyes and furrowing his brow, "I don't get you sometimes." I twiddled my fingers like a kid getting scolded and repeated, "Sorry..." He got up, "Lay on your back." I rolled onto my back, a bit surprised, "Huh?" He laid on top of me, our mouths inches apart as he brushed my hair aside. His face expressionless but a blush somehow present. He whispered, "I don't get how you're able to make me do these things for you... But I guess deep down I don't mind." I felt my heart start to race as he pulled off my bottoms. I kissed him, earning a small kiss back before he moved down to give me a little relief. After that, I knew I was getting there. I just needed to be there for him and break open that gate. The gate to his heart... and then... everything will be perfect.
(With that, we finally see Dark again and how manipulative he can be. We also know he has some allies in the world, waiting to help set him free. As always, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please review, favorite, and follow to support the story. I read every review almost exactly when it is posted as I check the story's stats regularly. If you guys want, you can make a date suggestion for Aura to take Rui on when they get a break. Just something for you guys to think about if you want to see something. Also, thanks Xolris for always being my friend and beta reader. You help me out tremendously.)