Title: Fate and Failure
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red/Ash)
Fandom: Pokémon
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: Shonen-ai, AU, Palletshipping-bashing, fanon, angst, cheating, MPREG

(Part I)

He could see it in the other’s eyes, almost hidden beneath his spiky brown hair and he hated it. He clutched Ash closer to his chest, feeling blood rage in his mind. How dare he show his face here, after all that he had done?

Ash didn’t notice his presence, luckily, and Lance was more than willing to ignore the other man. However, fate was not to be denied, and as he and his lover stood on the balcony watching the moon, they heard footsteps.

Lance knew before he turned around, who it would be, and even then, he felt his dream slip out of his fingers.

Then Ash saw him.

“G-Gary?” He asked, and the voice trembled with so much hope that Lance cursed the foolish child.

The impudent bastard stepped forwards and kissed him.

He kissed him.

Lance would have gladly thrown him off the balcony, but the little sigh Ash made caught his attention, and instead he fled.

Damn it.

That night, he stood in his Father’s chambers, and heard his Father sigh as he looked at the fresh scars cut into flesh, a broken black-haired angel in his arms.

“Why did you leave him?”

“I didn’t want to see them together.”

“And now that he is hurt…?”

“I’ll heal him. Again.” Lance spat bitterly. “Because that is all that I am good for, isn’t it, Father? Perhaps I’ll just give him Viridian’s Power so he can heal himself!”

“Child…”

“All I ever wanted was to love him, to keep him safe.” Lance hissed. “But I can’t even do that, can I, not when he wants to be hurt so badly. Can I die now, Father? Can I slit my heart and watch the Sacred Sword dance away? Why is it never in my life when I wish for its power?”

“Child…”

“May I drown, Father? May I drown the land in ice and snow, and let Mother wreak her vengeance? Or may I burn, deep in the lava of Cerise’s volcano, for to die laughing is the best death of all…”

“Child…”

“No.” Lance shook his head. “It is Fate, isn’t it? It binds me, and as cruel as she is, at least, I can feel, for… to not feel means nothing at all.”

Lugia did not reply, watching as Lance traced lines of pale blue light over Ash’s many injuries.

Ash healed fast enough, and within weeks bruises and blood were gone, and he was happy, being with Lance in the Plateau, but the Dragon Master was no fool.

He knew Gary would come again, and even as Ash made the suggestion to invite him to dinner, and maybe, with a teasing wink, they could all play together later…

He accepted.

(Part II)

“Get. Out.” Every word was a hiss, and Ash hastily backed out of the room, trying to contain his emotions.

Lance hadn’t even let him explain!

The moment the door closed, he heard a loud crash. He winced. Maybe if he let Lance vent for a few minutes, he would calm down and then they could talk it over like rational people…

Lance finished hurling his glass statuettes around, glaring as he looked at the multicolored rainbows scattered all over the floor. He should have known his relationship with Ash was too good to be true. Little slut, still hankering for his old lover…

He pasted on the famiscile of a smile, and talked about it perfectly rationally, and Ash knew nothing of what storm had almost broken over his head.

He skipped off to make dinner, since Gary was coming over.

Lance looked at the broken dreams, shrugging. No point in cleaning this up, that was what their janitorial staff was for. A glint of glass caught his eye and he smiled as he read the remnants of the label.

Paris Green…

“Green with envy,” He sighed. “I suppose I am. But it’s all right. After tonight, everything will be over.”

He blew a kiss to the mirror, and waltzed out.

Ash was none the wiser.

(Part III)

Lance is enraged.

Does Ash think that having a threesome with his new – no, old lover is going to change things? Does he think that a cheap roll in the hay with Gary will solve everything?

Has he forgotten all the torture Gary put him through? Have his scars faded away so easily? Or did a few more mallet strikes to the head courtesy of Misty block all unpleasant memories, leaving only love? And what a shoddy little love it was too!

It makes him sick.

He’d rather die first. But he’s not about to roll over just because Gary came back to claim Ash, never mind that Gary raped and beat Ash so badly that he miscarried – pity. The girl would have had potential.

No. He’s never letting Ash go.

… Not even if Ash loves Gary more, which makes no sense, but Lance supposes that since Ash has always been stupid, it doesn’t matter.

They’ll all die tonight anyway. He’s very careful with the dosages, and by the time the two of them realize what has happened, it’s too late.

Lance sneers as he watches the life drain from their bodies.

“Since you love him so much, Ash, at least you’ll be together in death!”

Then, he puts on his armor and flies outside to kill trainers until he feels better, because he’s sure that they’re probably fucking like bunnies in heaven and he’s doomed himself to hell.

Ah well.

He can’t quite bring himself to care.

(Part IV)

It’s not until after he is dead, that Ash realizes what is wrong. For some reason, Gary got yanked through a set of gates as soon as they died, which didn’t hurt all that bad, but the pokémon guarding all the paths just looked at him for a second before they yelled for Serebii.

That surprised him, but he’s seen Serebii before, and she floats near him, putting her hands on her hips as she scolds, like a mother hen.

“What were you thinking? This is why I try to write the fate-lines! Now you’ve gone and messed up all my planning!”

He just kind of blinks at her, and then she slaps him so hard his head spins, which is very weird, but he lives with it, and then… he remembers.

He falls to his knees as the impact of, well, everything, blasts through his head, and he glances down at Earth, as if he can see Lance just by force of will…

He can.

The Dragon Master is wearing silversteel armor, but Ash can see through it, and he pales as he looks at the lines of blood cut into his arms. Lance’s eyes are perfectly calm, pristine gold, but Ash watches at night as he opens his cabinet and takes out the pills, two at a time, and he knows that Lance is killing himself slowly.

The whole balance has gone out of whack, and it’s all. His. Fault.

Well, to be truthful, part of it is Lance’s fault for killing him, but Ash finds that he can’t blame the other guardian for doing that.

Serebii takes him back farther; so he can watch other memories, older memories, and he pales as he listens to Lance speak.

Lance really wants to die, doesn’t he?

It’s not long before Lance starts to dissolve. It’s not easy to do, but as he’s the only guardian living, and the last is gone, there’s nothing else he can do to stop it, and as the threads curl about his body, Ash fancies that he smiles bitterly.

It makes his heart hurt.

But at least next life, he’ll have a chance to make things better. He hopes.

For now, he just watches, and wishes he could reach out and touch, and brush those tears away.

But he can’t.

(Part V)

It hurt.

Ash screamed as he felt the pain tear through his body. It was everything and nothing all at once, and it didn’t cease – it just wouldn’t stop. There were tears running down his cheeks, and he knew vaguely that he was bleeding, but those details were unimportant.

As he watched in horror, his chest opened and he saw what they had been searching for.

The Sacred Sword…

He felt his lips curve up in a sarcastic smile, before he collapsed.

Ash bolted awake, and Gary looked at him quizzically.

“What’s wrong, Ash? Go back to bed.”

“I can’t.” Ash gasped. “There’s something I need to check out.”

“At three A.M.?” Gary rolled over and went back to sleep, while Ash threw on his clothes quickly, ignoring the dried cum caked on his thighs.

Gary…

He left the house, releasing Charizard, and flew towards Indigo Plateau, afraid of what he would find.

He vaguely registered that it was snowing, because he stopped short when he saw the Dragon Master. He was wearing his normal black, cape fluttering in the wind behind him, golden eyes staring into the distance.

“Lance?”

The Dragon Master turned to face him. “Champion.” He said cordially. “Did you need my help?”

“I had a dream. I know where to find the Sacred Sword now.”

“Do you? The Sword that can defeat the traitor?”

“Yes!”

“Tell me then.” Lance spoke.

Ash shivered. “That’s the problem. I think… you have it.”

Lance blinked golden eyes, puzzled. “I have the Sacred Sword we need?”

“Yes. I’m not sure how I know this, but…” Ash froze as Lance placed a finger on his lips.

“In that case… you’ll take care of my dragons for me, right?”

“What?” Ash gasped, and that was when Lance stepped backwards two steps and clasped his hands in front of his chest.

It was just like his dream!

“No! Stop!” Ash cried. “You’ll die!”

Lance’s eyes met his, and gold was strangely blank. “So? I have nothing left to lose.” He hissed in pain and then dropped to his knees, as the Sword began to emerge from his chest.

Ash ran to his side, and felt tears running down his cheeks. “It… it’s not supposed to happen this way….”

“Fate rarely does.” Lance breathed. “Be happy with him.”

With that, he closed his eyes and said no more. Ash stared in disbelief, as the Sacred Sword wrenched itself free, and dropped into his hands, staining his palms bloody crimson.

Lance…

Why?

And that was when the flood of memory broke over his head and he blacked out. When he awoke, the Sword was still in his arms, but now, he knew.

He should have looked in his bed for evil, not outside…

Gary… you bastard…

He kissed the shining silversteel of the blade, and headed off to right his wrongs twice over.

(Part VI)

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 11/24/06

Created 11/11/06