Story Notes:
I wrote this for FanFiction, but feel compelled to put it here for you! I'm told this is a good story, and I like to get reviews... can you guess where I'm going with this? Read and leave your comments! If you really want to read more about Leo and Terra and their crazy adventures, then go to fanfics! If your a little patient, then all the chapters will be here eventually.
You Don't Know Nightmares
XiD
As we continued walking, my mind began to wander. I should have known it would drift to the darker of my thoughts. The confession I had given Leo only scratched the surface of why I was in pain. I knew people could see it in my eyes, but I still tried to hide it. I closed my eyes, holding back the pain and lapsing in it, the memories came back bright and vivid, the pain was fresh and new.
It really started when I was a young, sixty-seven years old. I was still a ghastly back then, and yes, half-breeds can evolve.
To begin, my father was a young priest, only ten, of the society of native Indians in the area. His culture preached equality between humans and the pokemon they came in daily contact with, and in a sense were the first pokemon trainers. My father met my mother while investigating reports of hauntings in the burial sites of his people. When he investigated he found my mother, a haunter at the time. My father convinced her to leave, and she was bonded to him. It is a ghost pokemon thing, usually we bond to a person or a place and we stay with it, or them, forever, even beyond death or destruction. My mother was bonded to the burial grounds, and when my father separated her from them she bonded to him. There's a long, complicated series of reactions that take place in a ghost pokemon within a matter of seconds, and I would rather not get into detail.
My mother stayed with my father for six years and naturally her bond with him grew. I was born less than a year later. My father kept me hidden, for although his people accepted, and even promoted, the bonds between pokemon and humans, relationships between races were strictly forbidden. He moved away from the main structure of his people, and several miles away we built a small home, safe from the prying eyes of those who would disagree. Within another five years my brother was born, and at the time we were content to be where we were. We had very little human contact beyond my father, and we stayed happy for many years. My father had grown old and was eighty-three when we made a mistake.
I was sixty-seven and my brother was sixty-two. In a ghost pokemon's life, they reach a certain point and their body's no longer age. I was physically about twenty-five, as I am now. My brother, Madric was about sixteen. As we were raised far from other humans we were curious as to how they lived. My brother and I had snuck out to go to the human city to learn, and it was the biggest mistake we had ever made.
My mind snapped back to the present when I realized that we had stopped walking. Looking around, I found us to be in the shelter of a grove of trees. I smiled and started helping set up camp as a brief reprieve from the rain. When tents were up and a fire was blazing, I leaned back on my bedroll and smiled. Leo looked at me funny.
"What's on your mind, XiD? That smile is way too... content for you." I smiled again and dozed off. In the depths of your mind you have little control. What little you have is accented in times of unconsciousness, such as sleep. And my mind was running wild with memories. These were no longer images. These were real to me, and they were truly terrifying.
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I shushed Madric, being careful not to alert the humans mere feet away. It was so exciting for us to be this close. We had snuck into the human city in the early morning while it was still dark and were hiding in the market place, watching and learning. It was strangely exhilarating to be so close to the taboo. Our father had told us so many times that humans were bad, but how could these wonderful, industrious creatures be bad?
I don't know how long we sat under that pile of baskets, just watching, but Madric soon became restless. It began with muttering under his breath, then randomly bumping a basket. Not enough to draw attention to us, but enough to make people look around. I tried to make him stop, but he's Madric.
Eventually he got too daring and knocked a basket out of its place. I froze, watching as it fell slowly, hitting the ground with a sickening crunch. The first to notice its displacement was the shopkeeper. Absently he went to pick it up, most likely assuming it was some animal or passerby, but he had far too much common sense. He realized the rest of the baskets were still standing.
Before he could raise an alarm I broke through the baskets, dragging Madric behind me. Now in the light of day people gasped and screamed at the sight of us. We were pretty frightening. What would you think if you saw a pure black human with a floating head? Friendly ghastly half-breed? I think not.
We ran through the crowded streets recklessly, using our natural ghost forms to slip through obstacles. A mob was forming behind us and beginning to give chase. I told Madric to keep running and turned back at the charging humans. Madric stared at me like I was crazy, but kept running. I watched the mob approach, readying myself. When they were a mere ten feet away I released my surprise.
The humans in front turned and started attacking their comrades, forced to do it from my confuse ray. I turned away and followed Madric, hoping they would be stalled for long enough, and hoping Marcus had gotten away. I broke into a sprint heading for the forest. The trees were welcome cover after the openness of the city streets. When I felt I was safe I stopped and called out to Madric. I used my telepathic voice to allow it to carry farther.
"Madric! Where are you? Are you all right?" At first there was nothing and I began to worry, then there was the familiar brush of minds and Madric's voice rang in my thoughts.
"I'm fine, but I can't move. There are humans everywhere XiD! I'm hiding under a wagon at the edge of the forest, but they saw me running from the city. Help, XiD." I sent a soothing wave through our link and ran off, following his thought patterns. I stayed in the trees, out of sight of patrols looking for us. I ran along the border, feeling myself get closer to my brother. Finally the link was strong enough to know his general location.
"I found you, just stay calm and wait for me to yell your name. When you hear me, run, do you understand? You run, straight into the trees, and away from humanity. Go home, I'll meet you there. Got it?" I made my voice forceful, pushing my instructions. I felt his understanding and severed the link, having to focus on what I was going to do. I needed a large enough distraction to give Madric the time he needed, but I also needed it to be quick. Flashy was the way to go.
I looked between the trees and spotted a farm house, surrounded by searching humans. I saw the overturned wagon that Madric must have been under and saw the searchers getting dangerously close. Thinking quickly, I used my power to hover in the air, while at the same time spinning shadow balls around my body, making myself look dangerous. Taking a deep breath I floated into the clearing and shouted.
"Humans! Bow before my might!" I threw several shadow balls at the ground before them, causing small explosions and shaking the humans. Several ran immediately, but yet more stood their ground. Angry, I used psychic to lift several into the air, adding them to my spinning display. :Do not trifle with me, I own your lives now. If you wish to keep them, leave!" I threw the humans I had picked up into the arms of their comrades. "Fear the name, Madric!" I shouted, giving Madric his cue to bolt. I saw the wagon lift out of the corner of my eye, and saw his shape in a black blur as he ran. I turned back to the humans, some still bravely standing their ground.
"Do you dare fight me?I will crush you." One brave person stood, meeting my fiery glare with one of his own.
"We aren't afraid of freaks." He boldly yelled, "You don't have the power to-" I shut him up by using psychic to grab his throat. I floated forward until I was looking down into his eyes.
"Don't test me," I whispered threateningly, "or I will show exactly what a freak can do." Just then I felt myself thrown to the ground and pinned, loosing my grip on my power. I looked around wildly for my assailant, but was surprised to find no one near me, yet the binding of my limbs was proof enough of one thing.
"Psychic type," I growled as a human and a gardevoir walked up to my pinned body. The gardevoir's eyes were glowing with power. I growled at them looking as threatening as possible while flat on my back. The human looked down unimpressed and smiled.
"We have a feisty one Patricia, and no matter how much he tries to intimidate me, he's still a weak, half-breed, freak." His smile grew wider, but his gardevoir, Patricia, looked almost pained. "I am going to enjoy killing this one." The man growled. Patricia looked sad, but didn't move. I struggled to free myself and only succeeded in making my captor laugh. "Weak little freak, poor you." I glared up at him and smiled, making him frown.
"Oh yeah," I said, "I'm a weak little freak." I summoned a shadow ball and hurled it towards Patricia. She dodged, but released me in her escape, and in a moment I was on my feet and spinning. The spin allowed me to avoid a couple of psychic blasts aimed at me, and allowed me to gain momentum. I used it to send my fist flying, and straight into the man's face.
The strength was great enough to send the man airborne. When he landed I smiled and yelled, "Who's weak now?" I turned tail and ran, heading straight for the trees. I was behind cover in seconds and racing home, glad to be away from my captors. I sprinted full on, not wanting to be followed.
When I arrived home I ran into a furious gengar. My mother was steaming mad and simply pointed towards the house, not wanting to yell out and attract attention. She always was good at interpreting situations. I marched inside the house with my head bowed, heading straight for the room Madric and I shared, sensing him already there. When I walked in he smiled, portraying his relief that I was ok, but frowned and sat on the opposite bed when my mother followed me in.
"What were you thinking?" She yelled at us, "How many times have we told you not to go to the city? We knew this would happen, there was a reason we told you not to. Did you think we were joking? Did just think this was all fun and games? They would have killed you! Why did you go? To steal? To tease the humans? What is wrong with you?" The tirade of rhetorical questions continued for several minutes, as was our mother's way, until it gave way to angry huffing and disapproving glares. Finally she settled down and just sat on my bed, tired of being angry. She motioned Madric over and hugged us both. "I'm just glad you're safe."
We stayed like that for another several minutes. I finally separated us to ask my mother a question.
"Why?" I asked, "Why do they fear us so? Father doesn't scream and yell when he sees us." Madric grinned.
"Unless we want him to." I smiled and nodded.
"But they treat us like demons. We are hated for our existence, not for anything we have done. Why?" Mom sighed and sat thinking. She thought for a long time before responding.
"They don't understand." She said, "All they know is that there are humans, and there are pokemon. They can't accept that there's a middle ground. I'm sure that if you met one of them one on one, you could persuade them otherwise, but when humans are in large groups, they tend to think like fish. They don't make their own decisions, they just follow the school. It's called a mob mentality. Everyone just does what everyone else does. You may have noticed that the humans just kinda stared at you until someone screamed? The moment that person screamed they assumed there was a threat and targeted you. Mob mentality set in and they lost control." She took a deep breath and I nodded, starting to understand.
"Mom," She went hmm, "humans are weird." She started laughing and we smiled. "How do you know so much, Mom?" She smiled and her eyes glazed slightly with memory.
"I've been around a long, long time. I've seen at least one civilization rise and fall. I know the workings of humans, they're rather complex." She smiled at us again, losing the glazed look. "Now go get washed up for dinner, your father will be home soon. After that, straight to bed, you're still in trouble."
"Yes mam!" We both said, and ran to do as we were told.
I awoke that night to yelling. The room was aglow with fire light. I ran to window and gasped. Massed outside were hundreds of humans, all bearing torches and weapons of some kind. I recognized the man that had threatened me and growled. I looked and saw Madric awake as well, sitting up in his bed and looking confused. I gave him the universal sign for quiet, putting a finger to my lips and gestured for him to follow, planning to sneak out the back. I took one more glance out the window and froze.
My father was standing before the mob, dressed in a plain gray bath robe, my mother floating at his side. His stood tall against the accusations hurled at him. He looked younger than he has in years. Partially due to the sword belted at his hip and partially due to his steely glare. It was strangely frightening to see him alone there, helpless if the crowd chose to attack. I stayed at the window, watching the shouting match erupt.
"We know you're harboring the freaks! You're the only person with a ghost companion for miles!" My father glanced over the crowd, looking for the speaker. Finding none, he addressed the entirety.
"You have no right to come to my home and accuse me of that which you have no proof. Why have you come with your false accusations and insults?" The crowd stirred, confused by his words, until one man yelled.
"Than why do you carry steel?" Many murmured their agreement. My father didn't skip a beat.
"You expect me to stand against a violent mob unarmed? I would rather die fighting than be executed." Again some nodded, but the same voice shouted again.
"If you are innocent then you would have no need to stand against us. Enter the house!" People roared and began advancing. My father drew his sword, faster than his age should have allowed, and people paused, but continued on. When they were yards apart my father shouted, halting them.
"Take another step, and you will die by my hand. My home will not be violated by such heathens! Leave me in peace, or rest in peace, it's your choice." His sword began to dance with black flames, and I noticed my mother's eyes glowing faintly. A single person walked in front of the crowd. He was a large man, not one you would want to fight in a bar. He wore all leather, deep scars scratched into its surface. His unshaven beard cast flickering shadow across his face. He wielded a large battle axe, looking heavier than he. He laughed down on my father, who must have been at least half his height.
"You're all intimidated by a sickly old man? You're pathetic. I'll kill him now and we can get the freaks." He lifted his axe high in the air. The moment it was above his head my father lunged, using speed he shouldn't have had at his age. The light purple aura hinted at the aid he was getting. He stabbed the sword into the man's stomach. He screamed and collapsed. I could see the black flames that had engulfed the sword swimming in the wound, burning and eating flesh. The man continued to scream for several minutes, while people stood back in horror. When the man finally fell silent the night had a placid atmosphere that was flatter than any lake. Nothing moved, until a fatal scream rang out.
"Kill him!" The mob charged, wildly swinging the weapons they held. Immediately, many in the front line froze, halting some of those in the back. My mother raised her arms and they went flying. She used a focused blast of psychic power to incapacitate many of the humans, but they kept coming. My father hacked and slashed a bloody trench into their attack, but they kept coming. The ground turned red from the blood spilled, but they kept coming. I sat, awe-struck by the spectacle of my parents fight. My father was spinning terror, my mother was stationary fear, together they were violent death. I began to hope that maybe they would repel the crowd and force them to run, but I have always been a horrible optimist. I watched in horror as a man ran behind my father. I watched helplessly as he was stabbed in the back. I watched in horror as my father spun, taking the man's head clean off, before collapsing to his knees. The man that had threatened me ran to him, kicking his sword aside and yanking his head back by the hair.
"Enough!" He screamed, halting my mother in fury. It dissolved when she saw my father, helpless at the hands of the enemy, "Bring us your freak children, or I will kill him! I will kill him, then I will kill you, then I will kill them, and I will enjoy their deaths especially. It will be violent, it will bloody, and it will be wonderful." My mother shook with fury.
"You're sick." The man only smiled at her insult.
"No sicker than you for breeding the devil's children. Now, will you give them to me?" My mother didn't move. "No? Excellent." Quickly, he drew a knife and sliced my father's throat. A large red smile appeared on my father's neck, the sadistic smile of death himself. The moment the man finished his upper body disappeared. His legs took two steps and fell. I looked at my mother in awe.
"What did you do to him?" One man called out. My mother looked into the crowd calmly.
"I took from him what he took from me. Half of me. I loved that man, and he had become as a part of me as my own body. With him gone I have no reason to live." She walked to my father's fallen sword, still dancing with black fire. The moment it was raised to her breast I was out the window, screaming.
"No! You have us!" The sword was driven down, into her heart, mortally wounding her. She would die in seconds. In those seconds she turned to me, smiling. The smile was pained, yet happy. Completely peaceful. I caught her body as it crumpled to the ground, sobbing into her cold shoulder. I looked up at the crowd. "Why? What have we done to you? Why would you do this? What is wrong with this world?" I continued to cry. Eventually the mob grew restless and one man called out.
"Why should we care what a freak says, they don't feel like we do." I snapped. Something in me stressed beyond breaking point and snapped. The tears stopped running. I stood facing the crowd.
"If I don't feel, then I'll have no remorse after doing this." I charged a shadow ball in my hand and thrust it into the heart of the nearest man. He died instantly. Several people shuffled back as I roared to the sky releasing my emotion in the primal act. I felt empowered as a white light blinded me. I roared through the light. When I could see again I stopped, staring into the frightened faces of the crowd.
"What the hell," One man said, "It evolved? It can do that?" I pinpointed his voice and jumped over the heads of many humans, landing right behind the man that spoken.
"I'm a he." Said in his ear before snapping his neck. People started to scream and run, fearing my rage. "Oh no you don't." I said letting loose a psychic wave that covered the whole crowd, holding them in my mental grip. Unable to move, I walked in front of each frozen body saying, "This is for mother and father." Then punching my fist through their skulls. I allowed the dead bodies to crumple. I continued to the crowd, keeping a tally of each man I killed. I didn't stop, despite my knuckles starting to bleed, until they were all lying on the ground. I panted, my adrenaline lost in the agony of depression. I quietly noted Madric walking up behind me. While looking at him I spoke.
"One-hundred and eighty-three." I said, "I just killed one-hundred and eighty-three men. Their blood is on my hands." I looked back at Madric, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"You're," He paused, taking a deep breath, "You're a freak, XiD." And he walked away from me. Open mouthed in shock, I could do nothing but follow.
My dream suddenly shifted, memories blurred by a spectral light display. I stared openly, distracted by the swirling colors. I barely noticed when they had solidified again. I looked around, memories catching up with me. I had been rejected by everyone I had ever met, save my family. I had just run from a colony of electabuzz, and now I was resting in this clearing, planning my next action.
I was lying in the grass and staring up at the stars. Their twinkling brilliance distracted me and I didn't notice the other person until he was standing over me. I looked up, but the face was shrouded in shadow, he looked human though. I smiled, trying to look friendly.
"Hi there, Mister."I greeted pleasantly. The man shook his head.
"You really have fallen a long way, XiD." I was on my feet in an instant. I recognized that voice. That was the voice of the person who I had taken care of for two-hundred years. That was the voice of the person who had been abruptly abducted one-hundred tears ago. That was the voice of the person who had been missing for so long, I had assumed him dead. That was the voice of my brother, Madric. I hugged him, not caring to ask permission. I pulled back, holding him by the shoulders, when he didn't return the gesture.
"Madric? How have you been? Where did you go? What happened? Are you a gengar now?When did you evolve? I was so worried. Madric? Why aren't you speaking? Madric? Madric, speak to me." His eyes shot up. His powerful glare left me paralyzed. I held my breath at the cold rage in his eyes.
"You want to know what happened?" His voice was calm and measured, and creepier for it, "The humans took me to therir town, tied me to a wooden pole, and whipped me. A hundred lashes for the sin of living, another hundred for speaking, another hundred for god damn being able to see. Another hundred for pretending to feel! Another fucking hundred for wanting food! Another mother fucking hundred for crying! ANOTHER MOTHER FUCKING HUNDRED FOR FALLING UNCONSCIOUS!" His breath came in ragged gasps from his yelling. I stared it him, surprised by the fear, and pain in his voice. When he had caught his breath he continued. "When they were done with all my crimes, they called out to the crowd, 'Who would like to beat the freak for his crimes?' Everyone volunteered, even the children, gods the children were the worst. There were six-hundred and seventy-eight people. They each delivered eight-hundred lashes with a piece of rusty chain. You do the math, XiD! How many times did I get whipped?"I stayed silent. " It continued for weeks. I lost track of the days. I was able to survive with a small hope in my heart. The hope that you would come. I retained that hope for twenty god-damned years! I was tied to that fucking post for twenty god damned years! They made whipping me an annual event, a carnival game! I killed everyone in that town, XiD. Because you weren't there! Where the hell were you?" His breathing was rough and jagged again. He stopped his rant and just stared at me, waiting for an answer, waiting for answer that I did not have.
"I..." The words caught in my throat. I coughed and tried again, "I looked for you. I truly did, but I didn't know where to start. I couldn't connect to you mentally; I had no way to know where you were. I gave up on the immediate area and began searching the world. When I didn't find you after seventy years, I assumed you dead, killed by the humans." Madric only nodded.
"You gave up on me, you left me to die. You know something? On that whipping post, when I just blocked out the pain, I had a lot of time to think. I have come to a realization. Everything that has ever happened to me has been your fault. You're the one who convinced me to go to the human city all those years ago. You're the one who failed to protect our parents. You're the one who failed to protect me, then failed to find me! It is your fault that I suffered!" I just shook my head.
"Brother-"
"Shut up!" He screeched, "You're no brother of mine. You're a useless, unwanted, hated, disgusting, freak! That night you killed that mob in front of our home, and I walked away. I wanted to be away from you! You were a freak then, and you're a freak now. I hate you. If I ever see you again, I'll kill you, I'll kill the freak."He turned away from me. I bowed my head in total shock, truly understanding what he just told me. Every word struck me harder than any fist could. I felt each blow physically. I couldn't take it, he was right. I did the only thing I could. I laughed.
"Dijo, dijo, dijo." Madric turned back staring at me. I looked up at him, smiling as big as I could. "Dijo, dijo, dijo." He glared at me.
"What the hell is that? Why are you smiling?"
"Dijo, dijo, dijo. I just hurts so bad. I have been rejected by everyone in this world. I have had everything torn from me, and all that is left for me is to laugh and smile my way through it, else I'll die under the torment of my own soul, dijo, dijo, dijo." He stared at me for a long time, then turned away again.
"You fucking freak." Then he walked away, and I just sat there laughing.
Leo
I looked around our makeshift camp, observing the packing of all the tools. Noticing XiD, tossing and turning in his sleep, I walked to the tree he was sleeping against and watched him for a moment. He kept rocking back and forth, muttering something about apologies and laughing. Not wanting to suffer in whatever twisted nightmare he was enduring I hit him on the shoulder.
"Hey, XiD. Waky, waky. Come on lazy, we're marchin'." His eyes shot open, looking around nervously, but relaxed when he got a view of his surroundings. As he stood I looked into his eyes. I frowned and he smiled his all too familiar smile before walking off to help finish packing up. His eyes were filled with the pain he had held in for so long. I knew I hadn't released it all the other day, but it had definitely lessened. Yet today it was back, and in a greater force than I had ever seen before.
I looked over the camp and noticed no one was talking. Scar and Aditi were closer than usual, Terra was ignoring Ember's attempts to annoy her, and Raina was silently packing her supplies. When XiD started packing a tent he was much the same, silent and distant. I sighed. Our group was too soon formed to be falling apart already.
When we began walking nothing changed. Still silent, trudging through the rain we had become accustomed to.Chapter End Notes:Well, thanks for reading. Next chapter is expected Friday, but may be later if my editor and I can't come to an agreement. Thanks for reading, please review
As we continued walking, my mind began to wander. I should have known it would drift to the darker of my thoughts. The confession I had given Leo only scratched the surface of why I was in pain. I knew people could see it in my eyes, but I still tried to hide it. I closed my eyes, holding back the pain and lapsing in it, the memories came back bright and vivid, the pain was fresh and new.
It really started when I was a young, sixty-seven years old. I was still a ghastly back then, and yes, half-breeds can evolve.
To begin, my father was a young priest, only ten, of the society of native Indians in the area. His culture preached equality between humans and the pokemon they came in daily contact with, and in a sense were the first pokemon trainers. My father met my mother while investigating reports of hauntings in the burial sites of his people. When he investigated he found my mother, a haunter at the time. My father convinced her to leave, and she was bonded to him. It is a ghost pokemon thing, usually we bond to a person or a place and we stay with it, or them, forever, even beyond death or destruction. My mother was bonded to the burial grounds, and when my father separated her from them she bonded to him. There's a long, complicated series of reactions that take place in a ghost pokemon within a matter of seconds, and I would rather not get into detail.
My mother stayed with my father for six years and naturally her bond with him grew. I was born less than a year later. My father kept me hidden, for although his people accepted, and even promoted, the bonds between pokemon and humans, relationships between races were strictly forbidden. He moved away from the main structure of his people, and several miles away we built a small home, safe from the prying eyes of those who would disagree. Within another five years my brother was born, and at the time we were content to be where we were. We had very little human contact beyond my father, and we stayed happy for many years. My father had grown old and was eighty-three when we made a mistake.
I was sixty-seven and my brother was sixty-two. In a ghost pokemon's life, they reach a certain point and their body's no longer age. I was physically about twenty-five, as I am now. My brother, Madric was about sixteen. As we were raised far from other humans we were curious as to how they lived. My brother and I had snuck out to go to the human city to learn, and it was the biggest mistake we had ever made.
My mind snapped back to the present when I realized that we had stopped walking. Looking around, I found us to be in the shelter of a grove of trees. I smiled and started helping set up camp as a brief reprieve from the rain. When tents were up and a fire was blazing, I leaned back on my bedroll and smiled. Leo looked at me funny.
"What's on your mind, XiD? That smile is way too... content for you." I smiled again and dozed off. In the depths of your mind you have little control. What little you have is accented in times of unconsciousness, such as sleep. And my mind was running wild with memories. These were no longer images. These were real to me, and they were truly terrifying.
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I shushed Madric, being careful not to alert the humans mere feet away. It was so exciting for us to be this close. We had snuck into the human city in the early morning while it was still dark and were hiding in the market place, watching and learning. It was strangely exhilarating to be so close to the taboo. Our father had told us so many times that humans were bad, but how could these wonderful, industrious creatures be bad?
I don't know how long we sat under that pile of baskets, just watching, but Madric soon became restless. It began with muttering under his breath, then randomly bumping a basket. Not enough to draw attention to us, but enough to make people look around. I tried to make him stop, but he's Madric.
Eventually he got too daring and knocked a basket out of its place. I froze, watching as it fell slowly, hitting the ground with a sickening crunch. The first to notice its displacement was the shopkeeper. Absently he went to pick it up, most likely assuming it was some animal or passerby, but he had far too much common sense. He realized the rest of the baskets were still standing.
Before he could raise an alarm I broke through the baskets, dragging Madric behind me. Now in the light of day people gasped and screamed at the sight of us. We were pretty frightening. What would you think if you saw a pure black human with a floating head? Friendly ghastly half-breed? I think not.
We ran through the crowded streets recklessly, using our natural ghost forms to slip through obstacles. A mob was forming behind us and beginning to give chase. I told Madric to keep running and turned back at the charging humans. Madric stared at me like I was crazy, but kept running. I watched the mob approach, readying myself. When they were a mere ten feet away I released my surprise.
The humans in front turned and started attacking their comrades, forced to do it from my confuse ray. I turned away and followed Madric, hoping they would be stalled for long enough, and hoping Marcus had gotten away. I broke into a sprint heading for the forest. The trees were welcome cover after the openness of the city streets. When I felt I was safe I stopped and called out to Madric. I used my telepathic voice to allow it to carry farther.
"Madric! Where are you? Are you all right?" At first there was nothing and I began to worry, then there was the familiar brush of minds and Madric's voice rang in my thoughts.
"I'm fine, but I can't move. There are humans everywhere XiD! I'm hiding under a wagon at the edge of the forest, but they saw me running from the city. Help, XiD." I sent a soothing wave through our link and ran off, following his thought patterns. I stayed in the trees, out of sight of patrols looking for us. I ran along the border, feeling myself get closer to my brother. Finally the link was strong enough to know his general location.
"I found you, just stay calm and wait for me to yell your name. When you hear me, run, do you understand? You run, straight into the trees, and away from humanity. Go home, I'll meet you there. Got it?" I made my voice forceful, pushing my instructions. I felt his understanding and severed the link, having to focus on what I was going to do. I needed a large enough distraction to give Madric the time he needed, but I also needed it to be quick. Flashy was the way to go.
I looked between the trees and spotted a farm house, surrounded by searching humans. I saw the overturned wagon that Madric must have been under and saw the searchers getting dangerously close. Thinking quickly, I used my power to hover in the air, while at the same time spinning shadow balls around my body, making myself look dangerous. Taking a deep breath I floated into the clearing and shouted.
"Humans! Bow before my might!" I threw several shadow balls at the ground before them, causing small explosions and shaking the humans. Several ran immediately, but yet more stood their ground. Angry, I used psychic to lift several into the air, adding them to my spinning display. :Do not trifle with me, I own your lives now. If you wish to keep them, leave!" I threw the humans I had picked up into the arms of their comrades. "Fear the name, Madric!" I shouted, giving Madric his cue to bolt. I saw the wagon lift out of the corner of my eye, and saw his shape in a black blur as he ran. I turned back to the humans, some still bravely standing their ground.
"Do you dare fight me?I will crush you." One brave person stood, meeting my fiery glare with one of his own.
"We aren't afraid of freaks." He boldly yelled, "You don't have the power to-" I shut him up by using psychic to grab his throat. I floated forward until I was looking down into his eyes.
"Don't test me," I whispered threateningly, "or I will show exactly what a freak can do." Just then I felt myself thrown to the ground and pinned, loosing my grip on my power. I looked around wildly for my assailant, but was surprised to find no one near me, yet the binding of my limbs was proof enough of one thing.
"Psychic type," I growled as a human and a gardevoir walked up to my pinned body. The gardevoir's eyes were glowing with power. I growled at them looking as threatening as possible while flat on my back. The human looked down unimpressed and smiled.
"We have a feisty one Patricia, and no matter how much he tries to intimidate me, he's still a weak, half-breed, freak." His smile grew wider, but his gardevoir, Patricia, looked almost pained. "I am going to enjoy killing this one." The man growled. Patricia looked sad, but didn't move. I struggled to free myself and only succeeded in making my captor laugh. "Weak little freak, poor you." I glared up at him and smiled, making him frown.
"Oh yeah," I said, "I'm a weak little freak." I summoned a shadow ball and hurled it towards Patricia. She dodged, but released me in her escape, and in a moment I was on my feet and spinning. The spin allowed me to avoid a couple of psychic blasts aimed at me, and allowed me to gain momentum. I used it to send my fist flying, and straight into the man's face.
The strength was great enough to send the man airborne. When he landed I smiled and yelled, "Who's weak now?" I turned tail and ran, heading straight for the trees. I was behind cover in seconds and racing home, glad to be away from my captors. I sprinted full on, not wanting to be followed.
When I arrived home I ran into a furious gengar. My mother was steaming mad and simply pointed towards the house, not wanting to yell out and attract attention. She always was good at interpreting situations. I marched inside the house with my head bowed, heading straight for the room Madric and I shared, sensing him already there. When I walked in he smiled, portraying his relief that I was ok, but frowned and sat on the opposite bed when my mother followed me in.
"What were you thinking?" She yelled at us, "How many times have we told you not to go to the city? We knew this would happen, there was a reason we told you not to. Did you think we were joking? Did just think this was all fun and games? They would have killed you! Why did you go? To steal? To tease the humans? What is wrong with you?" The tirade of rhetorical questions continued for several minutes, as was our mother's way, until it gave way to angry huffing and disapproving glares. Finally she settled down and just sat on my bed, tired of being angry. She motioned Madric over and hugged us both. "I'm just glad you're safe."
We stayed like that for another several minutes. I finally separated us to ask my mother a question.
"Why?" I asked, "Why do they fear us so? Father doesn't scream and yell when he sees us." Madric grinned.
"Unless we want him to." I smiled and nodded.
"But they treat us like demons. We are hated for our existence, not for anything we have done. Why?" Mom sighed and sat thinking. She thought for a long time before responding.
"They don't understand." She said, "All they know is that there are humans, and there are pokemon. They can't accept that there's a middle ground. I'm sure that if you met one of them one on one, you could persuade them otherwise, but when humans are in large groups, they tend to think like fish. They don't make their own decisions, they just follow the school. It's called a mob mentality. Everyone just does what everyone else does. You may have noticed that the humans just kinda stared at you until someone screamed? The moment that person screamed they assumed there was a threat and targeted you. Mob mentality set in and they lost control." She took a deep breath and I nodded, starting to understand.
"Mom," She went hmm, "humans are weird." She started laughing and we smiled. "How do you know so much, Mom?" She smiled and her eyes glazed slightly with memory.
"I've been around a long, long time. I've seen at least one civilization rise and fall. I know the workings of humans, they're rather complex." She smiled at us again, losing the glazed look. "Now go get washed up for dinner, your father will be home soon. After that, straight to bed, you're still in trouble."
"Yes mam!" We both said, and ran to do as we were told.
I awoke that night to yelling. The room was aglow with fire light. I ran to window and gasped. Massed outside were hundreds of humans, all bearing torches and weapons of some kind. I recognized the man that had threatened me and growled. I looked and saw Madric awake as well, sitting up in his bed and looking confused. I gave him the universal sign for quiet, putting a finger to my lips and gestured for him to follow, planning to sneak out the back. I took one more glance out the window and froze.
My father was standing before the mob, dressed in a plain gray bath robe, my mother floating at his side. His stood tall against the accusations hurled at him. He looked younger than he has in years. Partially due to the sword belted at his hip and partially due to his steely glare. It was strangely frightening to see him alone there, helpless if the crowd chose to attack. I stayed at the window, watching the shouting match erupt.
"We know you're harboring the freaks! You're the only person with a ghost companion for miles!" My father glanced over the crowd, looking for the speaker. Finding none, he addressed the entirety.
"You have no right to come to my home and accuse me of that which you have no proof. Why have you come with your false accusations and insults?" The crowd stirred, confused by his words, until one man yelled.
"Than why do you carry steel?" Many murmured their agreement. My father didn't skip a beat.
"You expect me to stand against a violent mob unarmed? I would rather die fighting than be executed." Again some nodded, but the same voice shouted again.
"If you are innocent then you would have no need to stand against us. Enter the house!" People roared and began advancing. My father drew his sword, faster than his age should have allowed, and people paused, but continued on. When they were yards apart my father shouted, halting them.
"Take another step, and you will die by my hand. My home will not be violated by such heathens! Leave me in peace, or rest in peace, it's your choice." His sword began to dance with black flames, and I noticed my mother's eyes glowing faintly. A single person walked in front of the crowd. He was a large man, not one you would want to fight in a bar. He wore all leather, deep scars scratched into its surface. His unshaven beard cast flickering shadow across his face. He wielded a large battle axe, looking heavier than he. He laughed down on my father, who must have been at least half his height.
"You're all intimidated by a sickly old man? You're pathetic. I'll kill him now and we can get the freaks." He lifted his axe high in the air. The moment it was above his head my father lunged, using speed he shouldn't have had at his age. The light purple aura hinted at the aid he was getting. He stabbed the sword into the man's stomach. He screamed and collapsed. I could see the black flames that had engulfed the sword swimming in the wound, burning and eating flesh. The man continued to scream for several minutes, while people stood back in horror. When the man finally fell silent the night had a placid atmosphere that was flatter than any lake. Nothing moved, until a fatal scream rang out.
"Kill him!" The mob charged, wildly swinging the weapons they held. Immediately, many in the front line froze, halting some of those in the back. My mother raised her arms and they went flying. She used a focused blast of psychic power to incapacitate many of the humans, but they kept coming. My father hacked and slashed a bloody trench into their attack, but they kept coming. The ground turned red from the blood spilled, but they kept coming. I sat, awe-struck by the spectacle of my parents fight. My father was spinning terror, my mother was stationary fear, together they were violent death. I began to hope that maybe they would repel the crowd and force them to run, but I have always been a horrible optimist. I watched in horror as a man ran behind my father. I watched helplessly as he was stabbed in the back. I watched in horror as my father spun, taking the man's head clean off, before collapsing to his knees. The man that had threatened me ran to him, kicking his sword aside and yanking his head back by the hair.
"Enough!" He screamed, halting my mother in fury. It dissolved when she saw my father, helpless at the hands of the enemy, "Bring us your freak children, or I will kill him! I will kill him, then I will kill you, then I will kill them, and I will enjoy their deaths especially. It will be violent, it will bloody, and it will be wonderful." My mother shook with fury.
"You're sick." The man only smiled at her insult.
"No sicker than you for breeding the devil's children. Now, will you give them to me?" My mother didn't move. "No? Excellent." Quickly, he drew a knife and sliced my father's throat. A large red smile appeared on my father's neck, the sadistic smile of death himself. The moment the man finished his upper body disappeared. His legs took two steps and fell. I looked at my mother in awe.
"What did you do to him?" One man called out. My mother looked into the crowd calmly.
"I took from him what he took from me. Half of me. I loved that man, and he had become as a part of me as my own body. With him gone I have no reason to live." She walked to my father's fallen sword, still dancing with black fire. The moment it was raised to her breast I was out the window, screaming.
"No! You have us!" The sword was driven down, into her heart, mortally wounding her. She would die in seconds. In those seconds she turned to me, smiling. The smile was pained, yet happy. Completely peaceful. I caught her body as it crumpled to the ground, sobbing into her cold shoulder. I looked up at the crowd. "Why? What have we done to you? Why would you do this? What is wrong with this world?" I continued to cry. Eventually the mob grew restless and one man called out.
"Why should we care what a freak says, they don't feel like we do." I snapped. Something in me stressed beyond breaking point and snapped. The tears stopped running. I stood facing the crowd.
"If I don't feel, then I'll have no remorse after doing this." I charged a shadow ball in my hand and thrust it into the heart of the nearest man. He died instantly. Several people shuffled back as I roared to the sky releasing my emotion in the primal act. I felt empowered as a white light blinded me. I roared through the light. When I could see again I stopped, staring into the frightened faces of the crowd.
"What the hell," One man said, "It evolved? It can do that?" I pinpointed his voice and jumped over the heads of many humans, landing right behind the man that spoken.
"I'm a he." Said in his ear before snapping his neck. People started to scream and run, fearing my rage. "Oh no you don't." I said letting loose a psychic wave that covered the whole crowd, holding them in my mental grip. Unable to move, I walked in front of each frozen body saying, "This is for mother and father." Then punching my fist through their skulls. I allowed the dead bodies to crumple. I continued to the crowd, keeping a tally of each man I killed. I didn't stop, despite my knuckles starting to bleed, until they were all lying on the ground. I panted, my adrenaline lost in the agony of depression. I quietly noted Madric walking up behind me. While looking at him I spoke.
"One-hundred and eighty-three." I said, "I just killed one-hundred and eighty-three men. Their blood is on my hands." I looked back at Madric, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"You're," He paused, taking a deep breath, "You're a freak, XiD." And he walked away from me. Open mouthed in shock, I could do nothing but follow.
My dream suddenly shifted, memories blurred by a spectral light display. I stared openly, distracted by the swirling colors. I barely noticed when they had solidified again. I looked around, memories catching up with me. I had been rejected by everyone I had ever met, save my family. I had just run from a colony of electabuzz, and now I was resting in this clearing, planning my next action.
I was lying in the grass and staring up at the stars. Their twinkling brilliance distracted me and I didn't notice the other person until he was standing over me. I looked up, but the face was shrouded in shadow, he looked human though. I smiled, trying to look friendly.
"Hi there, Mister."I greeted pleasantly. The man shook his head.
"You really have fallen a long way, XiD." I was on my feet in an instant. I recognized that voice. That was the voice of the person who I had taken care of for two-hundred years. That was the voice of the person who had been abruptly abducted one-hundred tears ago. That was the voice of the person who had been missing for so long, I had assumed him dead. That was the voice of my brother, Madric. I hugged him, not caring to ask permission. I pulled back, holding him by the shoulders, when he didn't return the gesture.
"Madric? How have you been? Where did you go? What happened? Are you a gengar now?When did you evolve? I was so worried. Madric? Why aren't you speaking? Madric? Madric, speak to me." His eyes shot up. His powerful glare left me paralyzed. I held my breath at the cold rage in his eyes.
"You want to know what happened?" His voice was calm and measured, and creepier for it, "The humans took me to therir town, tied me to a wooden pole, and whipped me. A hundred lashes for the sin of living, another hundred for speaking, another hundred for god damn being able to see. Another hundred for pretending to feel! Another fucking hundred for wanting food! Another mother fucking hundred for crying! ANOTHER MOTHER FUCKING HUNDRED FOR FALLING UNCONSCIOUS!" His breath came in ragged gasps from his yelling. I stared it him, surprised by the fear, and pain in his voice. When he had caught his breath he continued. "When they were done with all my crimes, they called out to the crowd, 'Who would like to beat the freak for his crimes?' Everyone volunteered, even the children, gods the children were the worst. There were six-hundred and seventy-eight people. They each delivered eight-hundred lashes with a piece of rusty chain. You do the math, XiD! How many times did I get whipped?"I stayed silent. " It continued for weeks. I lost track of the days. I was able to survive with a small hope in my heart. The hope that you would come. I retained that hope for twenty god-damned years! I was tied to that fucking post for twenty god damned years! They made whipping me an annual event, a carnival game! I killed everyone in that town, XiD. Because you weren't there! Where the hell were you?" His breathing was rough and jagged again. He stopped his rant and just stared at me, waiting for an answer, waiting for answer that I did not have.
"I..." The words caught in my throat. I coughed and tried again, "I looked for you. I truly did, but I didn't know where to start. I couldn't connect to you mentally; I had no way to know where you were. I gave up on the immediate area and began searching the world. When I didn't find you after seventy years, I assumed you dead, killed by the humans." Madric only nodded.
"You gave up on me, you left me to die. You know something? On that whipping post, when I just blocked out the pain, I had a lot of time to think. I have come to a realization. Everything that has ever happened to me has been your fault. You're the one who convinced me to go to the human city all those years ago. You're the one who failed to protect our parents. You're the one who failed to protect me, then failed to find me! It is your fault that I suffered!" I just shook my head.
"Brother-"
"Shut up!" He screeched, "You're no brother of mine. You're a useless, unwanted, hated, disgusting, freak! That night you killed that mob in front of our home, and I walked away. I wanted to be away from you! You were a freak then, and you're a freak now. I hate you. If I ever see you again, I'll kill you, I'll kill the freak."He turned away from me. I bowed my head in total shock, truly understanding what he just told me. Every word struck me harder than any fist could. I felt each blow physically. I couldn't take it, he was right. I did the only thing I could. I laughed.
"Dijo, dijo, dijo." Madric turned back staring at me. I looked up at him, smiling as big as I could. "Dijo, dijo, dijo." He glared at me.
"What the hell is that? Why are you smiling?"
"Dijo, dijo, dijo. I just hurts so bad. I have been rejected by everyone in this world. I have had everything torn from me, and all that is left for me is to laugh and smile my way through it, else I'll die under the torment of my own soul, dijo, dijo, dijo." He stared at me for a long time, then turned away again.
"You fucking freak." Then he walked away, and I just sat there laughing.
Leo
I looked around our makeshift camp, observing the packing of all the tools. Noticing XiD, tossing and turning in his sleep, I walked to the tree he was sleeping against and watched him for a moment. He kept rocking back and forth, muttering something about apologies and laughing. Not wanting to suffer in whatever twisted nightmare he was enduring I hit him on the shoulder.
"Hey, XiD. Waky, waky. Come on lazy, we're marchin'." His eyes shot open, looking around nervously, but relaxed when he got a view of his surroundings. As he stood I looked into his eyes. I frowned and he smiled his all too familiar smile before walking off to help finish packing up. His eyes were filled with the pain he had held in for so long. I knew I hadn't released it all the other day, but it had definitely lessened. Yet today it was back, and in a greater force than I had ever seen before.
I looked over the camp and noticed no one was talking. Scar and Aditi were closer than usual, Terra was ignoring Ember's attempts to annoy her, and Raina was silently packing her supplies. When XiD started packing a tent he was much the same, silent and distant. I sighed. Our group was too soon formed to be falling apart already.
When we began walking nothing changed. Still silent, trudging through the rain we had become accustomed to.Chapter End Notes:Well, thanks for reading. Next chapter is expected Friday, but may be later if my editor and I can't come to an agreement. Thanks for reading, please review