A Shattered Mind, A Troubling Dream
A Shattered Mind, A Troubling Dream
Inferno was standing upon a balcony, overlooking his lord's home castle, his twin serpent heads gently bobbing. The area looked like something out of a bood describing hell, the landscape was all dead grey earth, or sputtering lava, the most notable of which being the lava moat. He was trying to recollect his thoats, trying to put them back in order, trying to cast away the things that came too them, the most annoying of which being the absol, Sky.
Ever since he had first seen her, his mind kept bringing that face up, and it was so maddening. He'd often snap at the air, thinking he was snapping off her damndable face. "Who the hell is she!?" he thought to himself, careful not to say it out loud, in case some one were to hear. It wasn't just her, though it was mainly her, those others, at least the raichu, mightyena, typhlosion, and tyranitar, were also unbareably familiar. And it wasn't just them, others, those within Orochi's men, were bringing wierd images to his mind. Sarak and Death in particular, both of whom made no great effort to hide that they didn't like him. And Inferno felt the same, something inside him, deep inside, compelled him to hate them, and it was only through his loyalty to Orochi that he didn't flat out kill them.
Inferno shook his head again, "You know if you stand out here too long, you'll catch a cold." Inferno turned, it was Draganny, the dragonite that managed to carry him away from that failure of a battle at Terria. She had recently been apointed to watch after Inferno, and act as a fast mode of transportation for him, should the need arise. Inferno had to admit, she was okay. "Bah! I'm a fire type, no way a little night air will make me sick. I've got a built in heat."
She shook her head, "Even the strongest of flames can be snuffed out. In case you've forgotten, that's already happened to you."
Inferno shrugged, "Like you said, it was because of a betrayal. Are you saying you planning to betray me to the cold germs?" he chuckled, she smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow. You know there are other ways of showing your displeasure."
She cast an eye on him, then chuckled, "I suppose I could rip off your di..."
"Lets stick with smacking my head! Yeah that's not so bad when you think of it!" He took a few steps away from here. She giggled, causing him to playfully growl. Draganny was about the only one in all of Orochi's forces that he even remotely liked enough to act so kind. She was actually quite pleasent, even though she was more than a bit shy. Inferno never would have guess it though, she seemed so strong when following orders, but she changed when others talked to her when she wasn't following an order. She tried to find something to do, something to get her out of the situation. Inferno found this out when he approached her, not long after his alteration, wanting to thank her for saving him. She tensed, and tried to shy away, looking for an escape. Since then, which was about two days, she had grown a lot more used to him, actually starting the conversations now, but he was the only she did this with. She was also a bit small, at least for a dragonite, she was only about six feet tall, which might explain why she was so shy.
He shook his head again, "So why are you here anyway?"
She shrugged, "I couldn't sleep, so I was just flying around, then I saw you. I didn't want our lord's pride and joy to get sick."
Inferno shook his head, like he would. He did admire her loyalty, she practically devoted everything to any task Orochi gave her, no matter how small, and thats why she was one of the highest ranking in the whole force, "I'll be fine, but thanks for the concern."
She shook her head, "Don't thank me. I was just concerned for....my friends well being. You seem a bit distracted everytime I see you."
He sighed, "It's that group, they still appear to me, their faces are etched into my mind, especially that absol. I don't know why though, why are they so imprinted on my mind?"
Inferno noticed that Draganny wanted to say something, but whatever it was, she didn't voice it, "I don't know either." He knew she wasn't telling him everything, but he didn't want to push the issue.
"Also, Death and Sarak, there's something about them that makes my blood boil. I don't know what it is, but they just make me want to kill them."
She nodded, "You never saw eye to eye with them, and more often then naught, you came to blows with them. I don't much care for them myself, I think Orochi would be better off without them. But it's not my decision, it's Orochi's and what he says goes, and I'll follow no matter what."
"I suppose your right. We have to follow what Orochi orders, no matter what that order is."
She looked down, "What if the order was for us to kill each other?"
His head snapped back to her, "What?" she didn't repeat it, he just looked out at the horizon, unable to think of what he'd do. They stayed silent for five minutes, Draganny was about to leave, to escape the silence, when Inferno finally answered, "I guess I just stand there and let you kill me."
She looked at him, stunned by the answer, "Why?"
He shrugged, "I just couldn't kill a friend."
She began to tear up, "I wouldn't be able to strike you down though. What would we do then?"
He shrugged once again, "I guess we'd try to take down Orochi, since he'd have us executed for disobeying an order." he smiled at her, "Better than living with knowing I killed you I'd say."
She smiled back at him, tears in her eyes, then picked him up into a big hug, "Okay! Thank you Inferno! I don't know how I could live knowing I killed you either."
Inferno was struggling to breath, "If you don't let me go, you'll find out how!"
She dropped him, blushing, "Uhhh...sorry."
He was gasping, "Strong girl." she blushed a little more, "Strong, and apparently wants me dead." They broke out into a bout of laughter. Inferno was the first to recover, "Well I guess I'm gonna go get some sleep. Take care Draganny."
She smiled, still chuckling, "alright, I guess I'll..." she stopped as she yawned a big yawn, "i'll fly back to my own chambers."
He shook his head, "you'd likely fall through the roof halfway there, out like a light. I do have a couch here though, so I guess you could use my chambers."
She looked inside, "I don't think that little thing will support me."
"The bed will."
She shook her head, "I wouldn't want to take it from you."
He shrugged, "It's no problem, besides, it's better then waking up to a dragonite falling straight through the whole freaking castle." He chuckled, she smacked him as she entered.
"Just for that I won't consider sharing it with you."
He chuckled, "You were considering it a bit ago though, weren't you? Probably wanted to have my grand, male company didn't you." he said as he jumped up on the couch.
"You wish!" she nailed him with a pillow, then settled down, quickly falling asleep, evident from her snoring.
Inferno chuckled, softly, shaking his head, "Great, a snorer." He shrugged and laid down, falling to sleep nearly as fast Draganny.
***************************
Inferno stood in the middle of a battle field, a bit of an old one from the look of it. The corpses were numerous, their blood still saturating the earth. The bodies were that of mightyena, arcanines, grovyle, and treeko. To one side was a sheer drop to a valley filled with stalagmites, which was also littered with bodies, most them unrecognizable from the distance, and the horrible condition they were in. Inferno turned and saw another mightyena, this one impaled upon a falled tree's broken limb. Inferno thought it was Death, but then he fell though a dark hole.
He kept falling, and falling, until he hit atop a pile of rubble. The area looked like a very volcanic area, lava pools where everywhere, and it also looked like an eruption had occured. Amid the rubble, Inferno could see bodies of.....some type of creatures. They had humanoidic shapes, but they had various odds and ends from several different pokemon. There were also pokemon, but they were severly altered, barely recognizable for what they were. "Now where am I?"
"You don't remember? This was another local of your bigger battles." the voice came from nowhere Inferno could see. "But you can't even remember who you loved."
He was spinning around, looking for the speaker, "Who's there!? Show yourself!" Before he got an answer another black hole appeared, sending him down at an incredible velocity.
He emerged in a crater, a big one. Amid the huge dent in the earth were the various bodies of those same strange humanoids and strange pokemon. He could also see the bits and pieces of machines, along with the occasional gear or two. "Do you remember mother? Father? Sister?" the voice called again.
"WHO ARE YOU!!!!!????"
"Who am I? Who are you?" the voice was taunting him, "You who can't even remember your own mother, or her killer."
"What are you talking about!?" Yet another hole emerged, and he fell through.
He emerged in a forest, in his sight was a houndour, as well as a female houndoom. "Who?"
"Yes who are they?" The voice once again called.
Before he could call at the voice a dark....something....it was long what ever it was, coiled around the houndoom, knocking the pup aside. Inferno watched, he watched as the houndoom was raped, and then killed by whatever the black figure was. The houndour blasted the thing off though, then went up to her, placing his paws on her and shaking, "Mom! Mom get up. Please, mom, we need to get home." Inferno fell through another black hole.
He dropped down on a cliff overlooking a battle. Inferno inspected the area, the gapsed, this was Orochi's main castle, and it looked like a war was raging. "They all came to oppose a villian. They arrived through a mutual connection. They fought because it was right."
Inferno was looking for the voice, "WHERE ARE YOU DAMN IT!!?? Come out of hiding!"
"Why do you fight?"
"huh?"
"What is it that drives you to serve Orochi?"
"He's my lord. He's always been that. He seeks to make a strong world, so I'll see that happen."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. And in doing so you will kill that which you held dear."
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?"
"You said, you'd deny to fight Draganny, why?"
Inferno was losing his temper, "Because she's my friend!"
"You'd disobey for a friend? Why bother?"
"Because it's who I am. That much I do remember!"
The voice remained quiet, "So you still hold a piece of what you were?"
"And I'll get the rest soon enough!!!"
"Are you sure you want that?"
"Why not?" the voice didn't answer, "I said why not!!!!"
"Look at them." Inferno turned, he saw that many of the fighters, who were attacking Orochi's men now that he got a good look, we being pushed back, "Without their friend, their family, their lover, they will perish."
Inferno smiled, "So be it. They are all weak. Now WHY NOT!?"
The voice was silent again, "Because," Inferno whirled around, the voice having come from his back, and encountered a houndoom, that looked just like him, only without the serpent heads, and it was all shadowy "When you do, it might be too late." Inferno was consumed by shadows again, only this time he remained in the darkness.
He was trying to find his way to something when he heard a voice, "Inferno, I love you too." he turned then felt something come against his lips. He realized that someone was kissing him, but they were abscured by shadows, and their voice distorted. "As long as I have you I'm happy." The new voice said fading.
"Who was that?" Inferno wanted to know, he needed to know.
"You can't even recall your beloved mate. How can you be Inferno?" Inferno turned and saw his shadowy double staring, or more like glaring, at him. "You are not me. You are some foolish little puppet!"
"I am Inferno! I don't know what the hell you are, but you sure as hell ain't me!" He barked right back, "I don't know what all this is, and I don't care, I won't have some douple ganger calling me a foolish little puppet." He charged, trying to snap onto the shadowy form, but it vanished in a puff of smoke.
"You'll most likely recall when it's to late to save anyone. You'll kill them, then kill yourself. You are....." Inferno was trying to find him, to kill him, "nothing, but a..."
"WHAT!? A WHAT!?"
"Puppet."
***************************
Inferno woke up to Draganny's gentle shaking, he looked up and saw she was worried. "What's wrong Draganny?"
She sighed, "You were tossing in your sleep, I was getting worried. You were mumbling too, but I couldn't tell about what. Are you okay?"
Inferno gave his body a shake, then nodded, "Yeah, just a bad dream."
She smiled, "Alright, it's morning now so we should probably get ready for the day."
He nodded, then wondered about something, "Draganny?"
She looked at him smiling, "Yeah?"
"Did I ever....have...a mate?"
She looked away, Inferno was sure something was wrong, "No." he was certain she didn't believe that herself.
"Was it you?"
She looked back at him with a smile, "No. We weren't even friends before."
"Then who?"
She shook her head, "I tell you when the time's right. Now isn't a good time." Inferno was a bit concerned, "Trust me, I'll tell you. But it needs to be at a certain time."
Inferno was still unsure, but he had no reason not to trust her, "Okay. I'll trust you. So, shall we go about our rather boring duties?" She smiled, nodding.Chapter End Notes:Yes, Inferno and Draganny are just friends! Believe it or not, there's actually relationships that aren't filled with sex
Inferno was standing upon a balcony, overlooking his lord's home castle, his twin serpent heads gently bobbing. The area looked like something out of a bood describing hell, the landscape was all dead grey earth, or sputtering lava, the most notable of which being the lava moat. He was trying to recollect his thoats, trying to put them back in order, trying to cast away the things that came too them, the most annoying of which being the absol, Sky.
Ever since he had first seen her, his mind kept bringing that face up, and it was so maddening. He'd often snap at the air, thinking he was snapping off her damndable face. "Who the hell is she!?" he thought to himself, careful not to say it out loud, in case some one were to hear. It wasn't just her, though it was mainly her, those others, at least the raichu, mightyena, typhlosion, and tyranitar, were also unbareably familiar. And it wasn't just them, others, those within Orochi's men, were bringing wierd images to his mind. Sarak and Death in particular, both of whom made no great effort to hide that they didn't like him. And Inferno felt the same, something inside him, deep inside, compelled him to hate them, and it was only through his loyalty to Orochi that he didn't flat out kill them.
Inferno shook his head again, "You know if you stand out here too long, you'll catch a cold." Inferno turned, it was Draganny, the dragonite that managed to carry him away from that failure of a battle at Terria. She had recently been apointed to watch after Inferno, and act as a fast mode of transportation for him, should the need arise. Inferno had to admit, she was okay. "Bah! I'm a fire type, no way a little night air will make me sick. I've got a built in heat."
She shook her head, "Even the strongest of flames can be snuffed out. In case you've forgotten, that's already happened to you."
Inferno shrugged, "Like you said, it was because of a betrayal. Are you saying you planning to betray me to the cold germs?" he chuckled, she smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow. You know there are other ways of showing your displeasure."
She cast an eye on him, then chuckled, "I suppose I could rip off your di..."
"Lets stick with smacking my head! Yeah that's not so bad when you think of it!" He took a few steps away from here. She giggled, causing him to playfully growl. Draganny was about the only one in all of Orochi's forces that he even remotely liked enough to act so kind. She was actually quite pleasent, even though she was more than a bit shy. Inferno never would have guess it though, she seemed so strong when following orders, but she changed when others talked to her when she wasn't following an order. She tried to find something to do, something to get her out of the situation. Inferno found this out when he approached her, not long after his alteration, wanting to thank her for saving him. She tensed, and tried to shy away, looking for an escape. Since then, which was about two days, she had grown a lot more used to him, actually starting the conversations now, but he was the only she did this with. She was also a bit small, at least for a dragonite, she was only about six feet tall, which might explain why she was so shy.
He shook his head again, "So why are you here anyway?"
She shrugged, "I couldn't sleep, so I was just flying around, then I saw you. I didn't want our lord's pride and joy to get sick."
Inferno shook his head, like he would. He did admire her loyalty, she practically devoted everything to any task Orochi gave her, no matter how small, and thats why she was one of the highest ranking in the whole force, "I'll be fine, but thanks for the concern."
She shook her head, "Don't thank me. I was just concerned for....my friends well being. You seem a bit distracted everytime I see you."
He sighed, "It's that group, they still appear to me, their faces are etched into my mind, especially that absol. I don't know why though, why are they so imprinted on my mind?"
Inferno noticed that Draganny wanted to say something, but whatever it was, she didn't voice it, "I don't know either." He knew she wasn't telling him everything, but he didn't want to push the issue.
"Also, Death and Sarak, there's something about them that makes my blood boil. I don't know what it is, but they just make me want to kill them."
She nodded, "You never saw eye to eye with them, and more often then naught, you came to blows with them. I don't much care for them myself, I think Orochi would be better off without them. But it's not my decision, it's Orochi's and what he says goes, and I'll follow no matter what."
"I suppose your right. We have to follow what Orochi orders, no matter what that order is."
She looked down, "What if the order was for us to kill each other?"
His head snapped back to her, "What?" she didn't repeat it, he just looked out at the horizon, unable to think of what he'd do. They stayed silent for five minutes, Draganny was about to leave, to escape the silence, when Inferno finally answered, "I guess I just stand there and let you kill me."
She looked at him, stunned by the answer, "Why?"
He shrugged, "I just couldn't kill a friend."
She began to tear up, "I wouldn't be able to strike you down though. What would we do then?"
He shrugged once again, "I guess we'd try to take down Orochi, since he'd have us executed for disobeying an order." he smiled at her, "Better than living with knowing I killed you I'd say."
She smiled back at him, tears in her eyes, then picked him up into a big hug, "Okay! Thank you Inferno! I don't know how I could live knowing I killed you either."
Inferno was struggling to breath, "If you don't let me go, you'll find out how!"
She dropped him, blushing, "Uhhh...sorry."
He was gasping, "Strong girl." she blushed a little more, "Strong, and apparently wants me dead." They broke out into a bout of laughter. Inferno was the first to recover, "Well I guess I'm gonna go get some sleep. Take care Draganny."
She smiled, still chuckling, "alright, I guess I'll..." she stopped as she yawned a big yawn, "i'll fly back to my own chambers."
He shook his head, "you'd likely fall through the roof halfway there, out like a light. I do have a couch here though, so I guess you could use my chambers."
She looked inside, "I don't think that little thing will support me."
"The bed will."
She shook her head, "I wouldn't want to take it from you."
He shrugged, "It's no problem, besides, it's better then waking up to a dragonite falling straight through the whole freaking castle." He chuckled, she smacked him as she entered.
"Just for that I won't consider sharing it with you."
He chuckled, "You were considering it a bit ago though, weren't you? Probably wanted to have my grand, male company didn't you." he said as he jumped up on the couch.
"You wish!" she nailed him with a pillow, then settled down, quickly falling asleep, evident from her snoring.
Inferno chuckled, softly, shaking his head, "Great, a snorer." He shrugged and laid down, falling to sleep nearly as fast Draganny.
***************************
Inferno stood in the middle of a battle field, a bit of an old one from the look of it. The corpses were numerous, their blood still saturating the earth. The bodies were that of mightyena, arcanines, grovyle, and treeko. To one side was a sheer drop to a valley filled with stalagmites, which was also littered with bodies, most them unrecognizable from the distance, and the horrible condition they were in. Inferno turned and saw another mightyena, this one impaled upon a falled tree's broken limb. Inferno thought it was Death, but then he fell though a dark hole.
He kept falling, and falling, until he hit atop a pile of rubble. The area looked like a very volcanic area, lava pools where everywhere, and it also looked like an eruption had occured. Amid the rubble, Inferno could see bodies of.....some type of creatures. They had humanoidic shapes, but they had various odds and ends from several different pokemon. There were also pokemon, but they were severly altered, barely recognizable for what they were. "Now where am I?"
"You don't remember? This was another local of your bigger battles." the voice came from nowhere Inferno could see. "But you can't even remember who you loved."
He was spinning around, looking for the speaker, "Who's there!? Show yourself!" Before he got an answer another black hole appeared, sending him down at an incredible velocity.
He emerged in a crater, a big one. Amid the huge dent in the earth were the various bodies of those same strange humanoids and strange pokemon. He could also see the bits and pieces of machines, along with the occasional gear or two. "Do you remember mother? Father? Sister?" the voice called again.
"WHO ARE YOU!!!!!????"
"Who am I? Who are you?" the voice was taunting him, "You who can't even remember your own mother, or her killer."
"What are you talking about!?" Yet another hole emerged, and he fell through.
He emerged in a forest, in his sight was a houndour, as well as a female houndoom. "Who?"
"Yes who are they?" The voice once again called.
Before he could call at the voice a dark....something....it was long what ever it was, coiled around the houndoom, knocking the pup aside. Inferno watched, he watched as the houndoom was raped, and then killed by whatever the black figure was. The houndour blasted the thing off though, then went up to her, placing his paws on her and shaking, "Mom! Mom get up. Please, mom, we need to get home." Inferno fell through another black hole.
He dropped down on a cliff overlooking a battle. Inferno inspected the area, the gapsed, this was Orochi's main castle, and it looked like a war was raging. "They all came to oppose a villian. They arrived through a mutual connection. They fought because it was right."
Inferno was looking for the voice, "WHERE ARE YOU DAMN IT!!?? Come out of hiding!"
"Why do you fight?"
"huh?"
"What is it that drives you to serve Orochi?"
"He's my lord. He's always been that. He seeks to make a strong world, so I'll see that happen."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. And in doing so you will kill that which you held dear."
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?"
"You said, you'd deny to fight Draganny, why?"
Inferno was losing his temper, "Because she's my friend!"
"You'd disobey for a friend? Why bother?"
"Because it's who I am. That much I do remember!"
The voice remained quiet, "So you still hold a piece of what you were?"
"And I'll get the rest soon enough!!!"
"Are you sure you want that?"
"Why not?" the voice didn't answer, "I said why not!!!!"
"Look at them." Inferno turned, he saw that many of the fighters, who were attacking Orochi's men now that he got a good look, we being pushed back, "Without their friend, their family, their lover, they will perish."
Inferno smiled, "So be it. They are all weak. Now WHY NOT!?"
The voice was silent again, "Because," Inferno whirled around, the voice having come from his back, and encountered a houndoom, that looked just like him, only without the serpent heads, and it was all shadowy "When you do, it might be too late." Inferno was consumed by shadows again, only this time he remained in the darkness.
He was trying to find his way to something when he heard a voice, "Inferno, I love you too." he turned then felt something come against his lips. He realized that someone was kissing him, but they were abscured by shadows, and their voice distorted. "As long as I have you I'm happy." The new voice said fading.
"Who was that?" Inferno wanted to know, he needed to know.
"You can't even recall your beloved mate. How can you be Inferno?" Inferno turned and saw his shadowy double staring, or more like glaring, at him. "You are not me. You are some foolish little puppet!"
"I am Inferno! I don't know what the hell you are, but you sure as hell ain't me!" He barked right back, "I don't know what all this is, and I don't care, I won't have some douple ganger calling me a foolish little puppet." He charged, trying to snap onto the shadowy form, but it vanished in a puff of smoke.
"You'll most likely recall when it's to late to save anyone. You'll kill them, then kill yourself. You are....." Inferno was trying to find him, to kill him, "nothing, but a..."
"WHAT!? A WHAT!?"
"Puppet."
***************************
Inferno woke up to Draganny's gentle shaking, he looked up and saw she was worried. "What's wrong Draganny?"
She sighed, "You were tossing in your sleep, I was getting worried. You were mumbling too, but I couldn't tell about what. Are you okay?"
Inferno gave his body a shake, then nodded, "Yeah, just a bad dream."
She smiled, "Alright, it's morning now so we should probably get ready for the day."
He nodded, then wondered about something, "Draganny?"
She looked at him smiling, "Yeah?"
"Did I ever....have...a mate?"
She looked away, Inferno was sure something was wrong, "No." he was certain she didn't believe that herself.
"Was it you?"
She looked back at him with a smile, "No. We weren't even friends before."
"Then who?"
She shook her head, "I tell you when the time's right. Now isn't a good time." Inferno was a bit concerned, "Trust me, I'll tell you. But it needs to be at a certain time."
Inferno was still unsure, but he had no reason not to trust her, "Okay. I'll trust you. So, shall we go about our rather boring duties?" She smiled, nodding.Chapter End Notes:Yes, Inferno and Draganny are just friends! Believe it or not, there's actually relationships that aren't filled with sex