Okay… winding down…

Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic belongs to Phantomness under international copyright laws.

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

Shoyko: Darkfic. More work for me!

Phantomness: It’s my favorite genre.

Lance/Ash: …

Kairo: Hm. No humor. I’m impressed… not.

Emerald: *being locked up by Pika-chan after she stole the strawberry shortcake*

Chapter 17

 

            Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

            Blissey shook her head. He was very careful… I think he used a short crescent blade. The blood loss is too high right now…

            “Doushite, Lance? Why?”

            Lance’s eyes were little more than slits as he turned in the direction of Ash’s voice. “Won’t you be happier this way?”

            “Happy that you’re dead? No! I love you! You! I don’t love Misty, not really! But I do love you!”

            There, it was out. Screw the consequences. He started as Lance began to laugh, mockingly sharp.

            “If this is a last attempt to hold me to life, Ash, I pity your ploy.”

            “I do love you!”

            “Then prove it…”

            “How?”

            Lance’s voice was raspy. “I am going to kill Misty. Do not interfere. I will kill her even if death is waiting.”

            “You can’t! Not in this condition!”

            “Hai… but…” With surprising strength, Lance pushed Ash away and stood. Ash stared in disbelief at him, as the blood continued to flow.

            Even Softboiled wasn’t helping! Why? And shouldn’t it clot?

 

            “By the power of Dragon’s blood willingly shed, I summon Lugia, the great guardian of the seas!”

            … Lugia? Impossible! Even he wasn’t able to summon legendaries, and Lance had never trained in spirit summoning!

            What in the world?

            Still… he could not deny his eyes as the great white beast – bird and dragon – alighted in front of Lance.

            < Chosen? >

            < I am sorry, Lugia-san. >

            < Hush. Do you think I do not see? I will grant you this wish. Use it well. > Lance stood still as light washed over him, and Lugia vanished again.

            But… no… not quite…

            Lance was holding… blades. Yes. Plenty of them, sharp-edged and of various sizes. They seemed to float around him, waiting.

           

            “Ash!”

            Misty’s erratic wail sounded in his ears.

            Misty… that traitor, that liar, that false lover…

            He _would_ make her pay… but no, that wasn’t his right to do so. Hadn’t he willingly fallen for her?

            He really was a dense child, except he wasn’t a child anymore. Still, that hadn’t prevented the stupid mistakes.

            He watched as Lance attacked.

 

            “Originally, I vowed to forget.” Lance said softly. “If you haven’t guessed, I was once from the summoning world…”

            Misty screamed as a scimitar-like blade tore a chunk out of her shoulder. Lance twisted, avoiding her clumsy punch, and sank another blade into the flesh of her chest.

            “This is the Dragon’s Dance…” Lance said. “I’m doing it slowly for your benefit. Isn’t it pretty?”

            And in a twisted way, Ash thought, it was.

            His love – yes, love, not just affection or admiration – for Lance rang true.

            Misty screamed again, before she was most truly dead. One wonders why she had not summoned a creature to protect herself, but we must remember she had most likely not been expecting Lance’s… unprovoked, or at least partially unexpected assault.

            Lance sighed, before he fell and the blades vanished. The unholy white radiance he had been exuding thinned and vaporized as well.

            Lugia’s last grant of power to his Chosen…

            It was over.

 

            “You’re going to die now, aren’t you? You didn’t ask for healing, just enough time to finish your last will.” Ash said as he ran to Lance’s side.

            “Very perceptive…” Lance whispered. “You always were a good student of mine.”

            “I won’t let you die!”

            “Who gave you the right to make that choice?”

            “I thought… what more do you want me to prove?”

            “You broke my trust with her. It will take time to earn it again. I do not believe in instantaneous character switches.”

            Ash nodded. Of course! That was the way Lance was.

            “Can you love me even now? I’m old and blind and hideous…”

            “No! Never!” Ash vehemently opposed. “You’re not even old! Agatha was blind, but I still loved her, and…”

            “…And?”

            Lance shivered as Ash kissed him gently, on the lips. Light… yes, not silver, but gold…

            I remember when you first healed me. I think that was when I first fell in love with you, and, Lugia help me, I’m still in love.

            I don’t know why.

            Perhaps… I can trust you… you deserve another chance…

            And then the light swallowed him up, and it was so… comforting, he let himself drown in it.

            And Ash waited.

           

            It doesn’t matter if I have to earn his trust with the rest of my life. Mew knows that this happiness is more than I deserve…

            But he’s alive and he’ll recover, and he won’t die, and he loves me.

            I don’t need to hear the words.

            Blind… so what? It changes nothing. He’s still my favorite teacher that I know and love, and… Please, help me not to betray him again.

            I betrayed the rest of them to death.

            Misty… I’ll carry her in my mind to remind me of the foolish choices I made, and the disastrous consequences.

            In the end though, I know I’ll have him again, and he’ll finally trust me enough… to say he loves me also.

            That’s all I ask…

 

END FIC

Completed 8/28/04

This isn’t a ‘fluff’ piece, I think. More like darkfic. *Laughs* Still, it was lots of hard work…

Hope all you readers liked it!

I know there’s some unexplained stuff and guess what, it’ll stay that way! ^-^ Enjoy pondering!

May write a sequel, thinking about it, but maybe not…