Title: Four too many
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Ash/Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #3, Four Rings of Light on the Ceiling Overhead

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Warnings: AU, Shonen-ai, fanon, Palletshipping-bashing, angst

There are four rings of light on the ceiling overhead, and there should only be three. Ash counts them again but he can do basic math, and there they are.

He knows what three of them are. Red, blue and yellow are the three primary colors – and the three guardians.

Red for fire, blue for ice, and yellow for lightning…

He knows what the last one is. It’s earth and poison and bug, all the elements that don’t fall neatly into the triad and are shared by more than one.

It frightens him.

The other two are dead. Charlotte died bravely in battle, but Lance… Lance took the easy way out, and forced this burden on him. Ash doesn’t know why, but it still irks him, even now, when he is recovering from the mysterious man’s latest attack, trying to heal so he can protect the world.

When he finally realizes who it is, he’s frightened, and appalled, and even as he strikes Gary down, he feels nothing of the love they once shared, because…

Because it was never love to begin with.

He can see clearly now, that the memories have returned. He knows that Lance probably blocked them himself – it’s in character for the Dragon Master to do so, but as he looks at Lance, he sees nothing but madness in the red eyes.

Lance let Crystal out, so he’s as good as dead anyways. Crystal doesn’t hate him, but Crystal doesn’t seem to like him much either, and she doesn’t have any healing power. All she can do is kill.

She rather likes it, and though he remembers that trait in Lance, when he sees her tear Gary’s body to pieces with her bare hands, he’s really frightened!

Charlotte’s gone too. He doesn’t know what the one called is left, but she’s a blinding light as bright as Crystal is dark and she never speaks. Her amethyst eyes are dead. Sometimes, he feels like his heart is dead too.

He dreams, dreams that aren’t his own sometimes, and he sees Lance pleading with Lugia, with Serebii, even Honou… to let him forget, but there is no mercy. He watches as the Dragon Master laughs bitterly and carves the symbols into his arms, fresh blood dripping onto white snow.

He wishes he could comfort him.

But now he knows Lance wouldn’t take that comfort.

He’s soiled, dirty, Ash knows, and he clenches his thighs together at the thought, that he let someone else take him. Who knew sex could be so powerful?

Gary… I hate you.

He knows that they’re thinking about taking everything away, and he’d lose Destiny, and he’d lose Hope, and all the pretty shadows.

Sometimes he thinks that would be better. At other times, he knows that he’s lying to himself.

He’d miss Lance most of all, and without anything, he’s very sure Lance wouldn’t love him anymore.

One day, he sees Crystal, and she’s wearing Lance’s form instead of her own, and it hurts so much he feels like he’ll pass out. She looks at him with her empty eyes, and for a second, he sees Lance in them.

“Lance…”

But then the moment passes, and she glares at him, motioning him away with her sword, black-gloved hands around the hilt.

“I won’t let you hurt me – hurt him – any more.” She hisses, “And I’ll erase his memories myself, so he won’t remember, because you’ve broken him twice. It’s hard enough to function normally, but with this betrayal…”

Ash winces, and accepts the rebuke, and she strides off.

Only then does he cry, and there is no one to dry his tears. How could there be? He killed them all…

And it hurts.

End Fic

Completed 11/11/06

Takes place after Themes #35, 45, 44, 52 and 15. I hate Palletshipping. I really do! *Glares*

Charlotte: ^^

Phantomness: ^^

Lance: Got what he deserved in the end

Ash: *Cries*

Shoyko: Alas, the poor darkfic muse is so overworked…

Red: I would never hurt Lance like that! *Huggles Lance*

Lance: *Preen*