Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This fanfic is non-profit, and non-copyright infringing and belongs to me. Don’t take my work.

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

I felt nice to Bruno I guess… so he’s got a rather large role in this fic…

Chapter 4

Everything will be just fine…

I don’t want to believe that. It seems like a lie.

Life isn’t perfect, so trying to make it perfect is just a mess. Any down-to-earth person knows that.

But I’m the only one.

What to do?

Bruno sighed. “Sometimes, I feel like I’m the only sane person left in the world. It scares me.”

“You probably are.” Lance agreed.

“Lance, what happened out there?”

“Well…” Lance shrugged, shifting his steel wings. “Father was angry enough, and the level of darkness was high enough, so all the good ones hid in the dream realm and then we used the destruction waves.”

“_That_”

He had seen them, roiling lines of black obliterating everything as they washed outwards from Whirl Islands.

“Hai.”

“Then…”

“Most of them are dead.” Lance said quietly. “The ones who are pure enough are not affected.”

“But!”

Lance shrugged. “It’s nothing to me. I care not for them.”

“Don’t you feel regret?”

“Why should I feel regret?” Lance asked. “They are the ones who brought it among themselves. All those poor, poor pokemon, I was only saving them from a lifetime of pain and horror.”

“But you killed!”

“So? It was their will.”

Bruno watched in horror as Lance smirked. “Besides, why should I feel anything? I’m not human, remember?”

He stepped backwards as the Dragon Master walked off.

It was repetitive.

It was dangerous as well…

“You’re insane.”

“Of course I am. I don’t want much, just to keep them safe… but with equivalent trade, power comes at a price, so…”

Lance chuckled. “What do you think they wanted?”

He unbuckled the straps of his silver armor and let it all fall to the ground, leaving him in white, pure white.

So different from the black and red he had worn as Dragon Master of the Elite Four, but that was real.

This was illusion.

Wasn’t it?

“This isn’t even real!”

“Bruno, that’s true… it’s not real in a sense but it’s the only reality left. I’ve destroyed their ‘Perfect World’.”

Ash walked in, looking tired. “Aniki, I’m done…”

“You did all the weaving by yourself?”

“Hai!” The boy smiled. “I did.”

“That’s very good… you’re getting better at your guardian duties.” Lance said, as Ash beamed and kissed him.

Bruno looked away. He didn’t begrudge them their closeness, but it was kind of scary…”

“Um… do you call him ‘aniki’ in bed too? Because at that point in the relationship it would be kind of scary.”

Ash blinked. “I never thought of that.”

“Not that I really remember…” Lance mused thoughtfully. “But it is cute.”

“Aniki!”
“In either case, we should get to work on the next step.” Lance said. “Maintaining is easier at least.”

“Hai!”

They worked together, fingers deftly checking the strength and dexterity of the web, keeping it safe as the gale winds howled and ice fell.

It had to be done though.

He decided to leave; he couldn’t live here. It just wasn’t right for him.

“I expected as much.” Lugia said, when Bruno asked him. “Take this…”

It was a black paw on a chain?

“It will protect you from the shadow and dark pokemon roaming the lands, cleaning up as such.” Lugia said. “Also, you will find many of the gym leaders unharmed…”

“Thank you.”

Lugia shrugged. “You are an idealist. You hope for what can never be. But you do not stray. That is admirable. Leave now, then. But speak not one word of this or the fates will have their way.”

Bruno promised he wouldn’t, and then left.

In the end, he married Erika and all was well with him.

End Chapter

Completed 6/19/04

Lance: Wait a minute! This fic isn’t championshipping at all! It’s all about Bruno! >.<

Ash: I think he’s right.

Phantomness: Eep! Um… hold on, I’ll think of something…

******************Random Flashback 1/Needed background material/information that I should have incorporated into the fic********************************

I knew when I first saw him that he was special.

It wasn’t puppy love at first sight like last time, no, I could actually remember, which is strange, because I usually don’t get to keep my memories. Still, I could feel my cheeks already flaming as I stared at the glossy four by six photograph in the newspaper.

Memories of something else, something closer, kept intruding. I really tried to stop them. But I couldn’t.

Finally, I went upstairs and took a bath to take my mind off it. It didn’t quite work out the way I planned though, because…

Well, you don’t need to know that.

In any case, I called him up that night, after Mom was asleep, and we talked. He was surprised that I remembered, but said he would visit me.

I didn’t know he meant dreams.

After that, falling asleep each night was a jump into the realm and then he would play with me. Well, not exactly, most of the time I would just listen to him talking about the world and duty while he petted my hair and really, that was all right.

It was sweet.

Plus, then I didn’t have to worry.

He said he’d protect me. I like being safe. It’s a pain being a guardian when you’re still a kid. So if he was going to protect me, well, that was very nice…

I think I started falling then.

We had already started the magic lessons again, and were weaving, and my mind drifted. I really should keep control of my thoughts.

But…

Well, looking at the black and violet spinning and spinning made me think of another time, another place, when the black killed the violet.

It would have killed me.

Sometimes, it takes sacrifice to know what you have lost and gained. I think that was what the Final test really was.

Still…

Now that I had tasted happiness, I wanted it back.

Badly.

I think I startled him, actually.

Well, maybe I shouldn’t have been so… blunt. In any case, he pushed me down and asked me exactly _what_ I was doing.

And…

That somehow led to us making out, and the next morning, I woke up with scars all over.

But they didn’t hurt, so it was all right.

Mom didn’t really notice. As long as I wore my long sleeves, she wouldn’t. This was _my_ secret.

Mine.

He was mine.

I think that finally cinched it. I wouldn’t mind doing my duty, playing the guardian, as long as I had _him_.

That was what really mattered.

They think he’s insane.

My aniki is perfectly fine. All he’s doing is what he has to do…

Why can’t they see that?

I don’t like people much either. I have Change for my mother, but no one has to know that. We’ll dance together when the night descends and drowns them in blood and broken dreams.

Idiots.

Aniki-kun. I love you.

Of course I love you aniki.

No one else matters.

*****************End Random Flashback**********************************

Phantomness: Right. I think that works.
Ash and Lance: …