39I've been gone for a long time… Sorry for the delay. To make up for it I have put together a nice chapter for you all! XD Please enjoy and review!
Price to be Paid
9
"Before I can help you, you must hurt yourself." The shadow before him reached out a tendril. It brushed his cheek gingerly. "If you love her then you should be able to give me apart of yourself. I don't give services free."
Arcanine gulped, he steeled himself for the sacrifice about to be made for his love. He stood firm, all of his doubt melted away in a moment. He no longer feared the being before him, he only wanted to hold Houndoom once more, hear her yell once more.
He stood firm, ready for the price to be called. He would give anything, an arm and a leg, a part of his soul even, if only to bring her back by his side. His eyes met the red jewels that lay hidden in the mist.
"Good, good, you have readied yourself." The shadow drifted closer, arms touched his shoulders briefly before brushing his cheek. He didn't flinch. "I have read your fears; I ask not for a body part, I am a being with no real form so I won't ask for a limb. I live off of dreams and thoughts, both of them making my own essence." The shadow drifted to Milotic, the Half watched her partner lovingly. "I ask for memories, the most precious memories you have."
He backed up, his legs almost gave out from shock; his memories made him who he was, the memories of her had made up his entire past!
"I-I said that I would pay anything." The fear dripped from his voice and evaporated into nothing, he no longer feared losing her. "And I meant it, take them, take them all if only for her!" His eyes flared in an angry passion. "But, one request, leave this and another memory intact so I know what I am doing." He met that blood red gaze, his own icy and unforgiving.
"A noble request, I shall grant it even if you aren't in the position to ask for favors." Darkrai advanced on him, the black tendrils wrapped around him, restraining any movement.
"Darkrai won't hurt while the memories are removed, a black hole will appear in place of Houndoom. I too have paid with memories for the task I wanted complete." Milotic looked saddened.
He gave thought for a moment about whom she had forgotten. This was a steep price, but he knew it would be worth it in the end.
He let himself go limp, no longer fighting the intruding shadows. They seeped into him, their fingers brushing against his well of memories. They trolled through them; each one paid attention too, if even a hint of Houndoom existed a black hole was burned into the place where she once stood.
He felt her slipping out of his grasp; he no longer knew who she was… She was only a face and a name.
His memories pulled him into the white ward that was the hospital he grew up in. A girl who was so familiar and yet so distant stood before him.
"I'm Houndoom." She held out a hand for him to take.
It blanked out after that, the memory full of burning holes.
He floated among the pictures that made up his past, all of them empty of a certain person he couldn't remember.
His core was shaken, the thought of her sent a shiver down his spin and made his mind race and try to find any reference to her. Only that one memory popped up. His search became frantic.
He found another source, a memory asking to keep the other one intact. That was all that remained of the girl he didn't know, but thought he knew.
"Wake up." A voice squirmed into his unconscious state. "We have work to do, training to attend to."
He lazily opened his eyes, the sun beating down on him. The desert heat suffocating him before he could even take a breath.
"Do you remember your deal?"
"Hmm? Oh…" He had to think back, it felt like years had passed since he had last been awake. It hit him, he had given something precious for this, and he had to go through with it all.
Darkrai stood before him, the shade from the dunes that surrounded them giving it a place to keep from the blazing sun. Milotic stood over him; his eyes were finally able to focus on the world around him. A ringing filled the air, he curled into a ball and held his head, and his mind was splitting in two. He wanted to cry out, the pain from losing a thing his close to his heart was breaking his mind.
"Shh." Milotic knelt down next to him; her cooling hands brushed his face gently. She wrapped those gentle hands around his head and held it to her chest. "Shh…. I'll tell you a story before we move on."
He calmed down; the pain subsided for a moment.
"All of my memories have holes too, I paid the same price, but for different reasons. You wanted to save her and I wanted to save myself. I'm selfish and worthless, you, you're brave.
"Things were happening quickly, a fight was about to break out between the members of my family. I wanted them to forget why they fought, to forget their hate and unease around others not like them. They didn't trust anyone but their own kind, but even then, it was hard. I don't know who they are anymore, I don't remember them, and I only hold the memory of me asking to take it all away from them, to keep me safe from losing them!
"I lost them anyway, I don't know their faces or names, and I don't know them anymore… They might not know me either." Her voice broke. "My own selfishness was great enough to bring Darkrai to me; it granted my wish at the price of the memories of the people I gave trust to." She sighed. "It sounds crazy, but I'm glad that I'm not with them anymore. I feel, I have no words for what happened to me once I awoke to Darkrai, Darkrai is now my life, I take care of it and it returns the favor." Her voice gave it all away, she truly was a selfish creature.
He sighed, her embrace calming his nerves.
He would sit here forever, but the weight of his price would never lift if he didn't move and start looking for the one he no longer knew, but remembered.
O-O-O-O
Togetic stood in the forest, tree swaying too and fro in the enraged wind. That same wind blew past him, not daring brush the God of the forest. The small Pokemon sheltered themselves in the small area about him that was safe from the wind.
"I guess I must return home once more." He smiled to the angry sky, the clouds broke and reveled the sun shining high above, the wind calmed in an instant. "That should hold, now go home." He waved off the young ones who had grown attached to him.
He leapt up into the tree, the world a patchwork beneath him as he launched into the sky. His small wings fluttered, trying to keep him aloft in the afternoon blaze. He was heading in the one direction he would never forget, the way home.
O-O-O-O
"Dragonair?" He looked over his shoulder she faced home.
"You hear it?" She asked quietly, the soft breeze lifting her hair gently.
"Yeah." He stood behind her, his arms wrapping around her middle and holding her tight.
"We better go, the calling has begun."
"War is it?"
"Just maybe, she would never call us unless it was important." She sighed and leaned into him, her wings pressed against her back.
She focused on home, the area, the people who made it home, the ones they loved were calling.
O-O-O-O
Dustox whipped around, a ringing filled her ears. She looked to Wurmple, the young child was playing in the trees behind their private estate.
"Wurmple?"
"Mhmhm?" The child glanced lovingly back at the woman who had raised her.
"Have you met the rest of our family?'
"No…. why?"
"I think it's time." Dustox stood up and brushed her kimono off, her golden hair caught the sunlight and sent it refracting around them both.
"Okay." Wurmple smiled and stood to grasp the hand she knew well.
O-O-O-O
"Absol."
It was not a question, but a command. He turned to face her. "You hear it as well?"
"A voice, whispering that it's time to go." She slung her bag gingerly over her shoulder.
"It's time to reunite huh?" He cracked his neck and wrapped an arm around her.
"Let's go, we have to get there quickly."
O-O-O-O
'Pain, fear, hurts, darkness…. Help.' An unending clamor rang in her ears, a strange ringing also broke the tension that flowed through her with her pain.
The ringing stirred something in her, was it resolve? She fought back the madness that had threatened to consume her, the blood in her mouth became apparent. She felt a pain shoot through her again, she had bit her tongue ever so slightly. She released her grip and let her body go limp this wasn't so bad.
'Arcanine will come for me! That ass better…' She glanced about her, Blossom just across the walkway.
"Blossom." Her voice cracked with each vowel, but her voice still worked.
The small child looked up, her pink jumpsuit was torn and bloody.
"Mommy?" Her small eyes grew in size, her hands rubbed her eyes gently. "You awake now?" The small child reached through the bars of her cage, desperate to reach her mother.
"I'm okay, you?" She let her hand snake through the bars as well, her fingers mere millimeters from hers. She pushed harder, desperate to reach the girl. She felt a twinge of pain in her armpit, small warmth flooded the skin as blood trickled from the broken skin, but their fingers locked together.
Houndoom smiled for once, the daze of pain and fear had overwhelmed her, the drugs had been no help.
"Those bad me did things to you." Blossom looked over her mother the best she could.
"It doesn't matter, what did they do to you?" Anger flared as the child shirked from the question.
"Touched me and gave me bad food, took off my clothes and burned them, but the clothes came back and they weren't happy." The list grew, from abuse to severe pain, everything was listed that they had done to her while she was conscious.
Houndoom bit back her anger, flames rose in her throat. She let go of the fingers quickly, the door opened.
"Hello there, awake is we?" A voice called into the dark room, Houndoom's eyes flashed in the shadows, her tail flicking back and forth like an enraged Arboc.
Blossom's reaction had been enough for her, the child was sacred of this man.
He stepped into the light, the light behind him lost its glimmer.
She held back her horror.
"I, I killed you!" She let out a snarl she had failed that mission.
O-O-O-O
"I'm glad you could all make it." Charizard stood at the front of the gathering.
Typhlosion stood behind her Adie in his grasp.
"We have Intel who has revealed that a Lab still works under cover, making more of our kind and killing them for science."
Everyone bristled at those words, none had liked the Lab, well…. Those had actually born there.
"So, we're back together now?" Dustox patted Wurmple's head.
"We were never apart." Charizard smiled. "I missed you all."
Everyone broke into smiles, even those who never smiled. They were back home, a place where they belonged. Home was anywhere they were together, now they were gathered in one spot once again; a home had appeared for them to inhabit.
"Zangoose, you still cook?" Typhlosion approached his brother.
"Of course!" He smirked and flexed his claws.
"Lugia…." Charizard smiled at the young one whom she had saved all those years ago.
"Long time no see." Charizard eyed the Egg.
"It's not mine, but it's mine." She smiled and clutched it to her chest.
"I know how you feel, you're all not mine, but still mine." She smiled, her family once more a group, once more ready to face anything, once more a family.
Banette watched from the shadows, she had been the Intel, but she didn't want to infringe on the moment they were sharing, this was a bonding for them all, the years had distanced them one bit. She kept to the shadows.
"Master would be proud, her daughter has grown so much." She smiled down upon Charizard. "Too bad she refuses to reveal herself to the one who needs her most." A sad sigh escaped her lips, the gold lip charm glinted in the light.
'Little do they know, a War will break, a War that will shatter all they know… A War they started and they will finish.' Banette slipped out of the room unnoticed. "Let them have their reunion while they still can."
Look back on the older chapters to get a grip on what's happening, glad to be back, but updates will be few and far between, I have not forgotten this story! It will prevail and be finished.. Eventually….. O.o
Review if you want me to continue!
XD
O_x