Katherine's P.O.V.
*****
Norsoe's voice coiled me in pain. I would scream and try to get him out of my head, but he resisted and continued to torment me. I couldn't slept for half a night, all because of that fearful menace. It was traumatic. No words could express how horrendous and painful it is. I was bloated with fear. Tears drenched both of my face and paws. It was hard.
You will meet the same fate as your parents. Clawed into shreds by cruel fate, bound in chains of slavery, crying for mercy! Lie wait, and watch as I'll break every single bone in your body, including that precious little heart of yours, little hero. Just wait, and that will happen...
You'll fail. You will never succeed...
Watch as my nightmares invade your pretty little dreams...
"No! Stop, please!" I would cry out in tearing rage. Devastated, I fell to the floor, covering my face to muffle my cries of anguish. What if I'll fail, placing the world and everyone else in jeopardy, and dissapoint the legendaries?
Failure...
You will fail...
Just like your parents...
You will fail...
"N-No... s-stop..." I stammered, curling myself into a tight ball, crying hardly. What if he's right...? I was vulnerable as a newborn cub. Deep inside, I'm weak. And he was right about one thing.
Nightmares had finally invaded my dreams.
With muffled cries, I slowly stood up, wiping my tears away with my paw. I need to hide it now so Lonnie, Blake and Philip wouldn't find out. I blinked gently and padded towards the door, passing by a mirror on my right. I froze and stared. My eyes looked nothing more than a lifeless rock; they had turned lackluster after all I've been through.
My scarf almost matched the dullness of my eyes, for the cloth was drenched in bitter tears, bitter as Norsoe's rock-hard heart. With gritted teeth, I tore my gaze aside, tears threatening to flow back and leak.
My heart ached even more I desperately tried to hide the pain and hold back the tears, taking almost entirely of my willpower. I chose to conceal it, rather than spread it like unwanted dust; I couldn't be such a burden to them.
My ears pricked silently and swayed gently with the wind, leaving me with a forlorn grimace. Deep inside, I could swear that I could still hear Norsoe's mocking laugh, and it was not helping me in my situation.
Nobody deserves to be in the same paws as mine, as it was hard to be me. Seeing those who had an easy life, away from danger is kind of heart-wrenching to watch, as life was unfair for this kind of girl who was supposed to save the world, living a life in peril. It was unfair. I wish that it would unfold into something better for me, but right now...
It just can't.
Wiping the tears once more, I opened the door and wandered outside. It was early, as the sun was still under the horizon. I knew Blake was still under the spell of his peaceful slumber, so I let him be, trying to make this walk worthwhile to set aside the horrible thoughts that resided inside my head.
But it just won't. Seeing my parents in great agony was bloodcurdling, even when it was just inside a nightmare. I couldn't believe that Norsoe had done this. Paws padding quietly, I sighed, ears flicking down, tears weltering my face once more. Dreadful memories played continously, over and over like a broken record. It was horrible.
I was helpless. Maybe even Arceus himself couldn't help me now in my distress. What do I do?
"A-Arceus..." I whispered. "R-Right now... and l-last night really is dark and horrible. I couldn't do anything. I... had underestimated Norsoe's power... and by that, I k-knew he was far more terrifying than he used to be now. A-Arceus, I-I'm scared. I'm s-scared that... I-I would fail and b-bring you down if... I, d-did. Please, h-hear me out. Right now, I seek for your guidance."
Clouds rumbled. No reply came. I was devastated. It was hopeless. No one could understand how it hurts. A trickle of tears fell on my face. But I wasn't crying. They fell down once more, forcing me to look up. It was rain. Rain. It had to be rain. The sky turned gray, matching my sadness and fear. But I didn't care. I don't care if I get caught in the rain or even catch a fever.
Silently, I turned tail, heading inside. Rain pelted against my fur, clinging soaked on my body. But I ignored it. Nobody cares about a hapless ice fox getting caught in the middle of the rain.
Or human, I thought. Norsoe would laugh.
Philip's P.O.V.
****
I was practically jogging on the path towards Blake's house, minding my own business. Dialga's voice played on my head. The most perplexing about it was the part where he told me about the 'heart of gold' thing'y. I'm literally confused. If Darkrai couldn't get my memories back...
I froze. Does that meant that... working for him was futile? No, that would be ridiculous. Besides, I'm the captain on a mission now. What could possibly go wrong?
Flashback
"If that was a warning... why does it have to be me? Am I worthy enough for your trust?" I asked. Dialga smiled and turned once again, looking at me straight towards my eyes.
"I see a once, young cub," He started. "Strengthened with a passion for adventures, love for friends and born with a heart of gold, one like a hero's heart would be. Until someone decided to change that. You are not being yourself. I cannot tell how you were back then except for a few, small details. Its up to you to remember that, Philip. Remember who you are."
End Flashback
I could still recall every word Dialga said to me, though. If I could get them back right now, there's no other thing that I could wish for anything more. Padding quietly, I ran, exceeding into more, greater speeds. A rumble echoed from above and water fell from beneath. It was raining.
"Oh, hell. Great! Thanks for getting me wet!" I growled as I started rushing in haste, until I looked nothing more than a golden blur. Zigzaging through the messy grassy plain, I sped past the forest trees, 'till my paws went muddy with collected ground and water.
I stopped momentarily, sparing just one minute just to stare upwards to the now darkened sky. I realized it haven't rained since a few weeks. It finally came, and it was full blown. Maybe it'll be a good choice to stay at Blake's for today, since I was close towards there while I was a bit far off from our house. Speeding through once more, I strode through the muddy terrain, baring my teeth in annoyance.
Finally, out from the corner of my eyes, I spotted Blake's wooden house, lying out in the open. I sighed out in relief, knocking on the door. To my surprize, Blake opened it with a frown.
"Morning. What's with the frown?"
"Did you happened to see Kate? She not everywhere in the house and she shouldn't be out in this weather. I was just going out to find-"
"I'm here," A raspy voice mouthed weakly from behind me. It was Kate, and she was clearly fine, but I could see from her eyes that she wasn't as her face showed.
"Phew. Come on, you guys should better get inside right now. The rain's going nuts, and I'm afraid that we couldn't just go and head to the guild in this weather."
At that very moment, I took a step inside and shook the water out from my fur.
Play nice, Philip. Don't get too obvious...
"Need help?" I asked, extending a paw towards the ice fox.
"No thanks, I'm good." She replied, refusing the offer. I noticed that she looked rather exhausted, judging from the sleepy look on her eyes. She also lost the slight wag on her tail and the twinkle on her bubbly, cheerful sapphires, and rather, they deadened as plain, gray rocks. Kate sighed and stepped inside, dripping water on the floor.
I observed as she took off her scarf, hanging it on the peg beside her, revealing the Nevermelt-Ice necklace that was carved in the shape of a diamond. I did the same, as it was uncomfortable to wear a wet scarf around your neck.
Then it hit me: she was acting like that all because of that little nightmare that Norsoe had caused last night. But what did it exactly contain? I knew he said it. But what?
"I'm going to send a little nightmare to that sweet, little hero of yours. Remember the plan, boy. Taste the sweet of platter of success I am going to give you later once she'll see her weakness right in front of her very eyes. Remember,"
Weakness in front of her very eyes... that's it. If he couldn't hurt her that physically and directly while he's stuck in his dimension... he'd rather choose to hurt her emotionally . To be honest... I kind of felt sorry for her.
Curses! In Darkrai's name, what are these strange things that had popped in my head today? Surely, I think that Dialga has something to do with it. He couldn't just go around and ask the captain of Darkrai to join the good side; for it felt blunt. It was pointless to ask me about these things.
Blake invited me for breakfast, and well... I accepted it, for I didn't want the Glaceon to drag me to eat again; for the fact that... I almost forgot that I almost kissed her. Heck, who just ignores the thing with someone you had got involved in a mushy situation where you almost had the kiss- thing'y? It's just plain gross. I don't understand why I just blushed too much in that moment.
And most of all... I don't understand why I was smiling when thinking about it, even though I didn't want to. It felt strange and new. Taking a bite from Blake's newly-made fried rice, I slowly raised my head to see Kate, who wasn't acting like her usual cheery self. I guess that the little nightmare has taken quite a big toll on her.
She seemed scared, sad... and... hurt at the same time, making me wonder about it. What was inside that dream? Whatever was inside it must be horribly dreadful, even for her. Or maybe... traumatic was the best word for that. A knock came on the door and it flew open, revealing a wet Leafeon. Lonnie sighed in relief and shook the water out from her fur.
"Hey guys!" She greeted.
"Geez, Lonnie!" Blake laughed as he gave her a welcoming hug. "What took you so long?"
"Well, I decided to come here early in the morning before you guys should... and when I was already on my way towards here, I totally didn't expect that the rain would fall, so I took shelter on a tree! Afterwards, I realized that it wouldn't just stop, so I'd rather come here as early while being soaked in the rain rather than stay out there waiting for the rain to stop!"
"Most likely," I said.
"I-I know..." The Glaceon stuttered weakly. It sounded faint, like a whisper. I noticed that she was barely eating her food. Lonnie's ears drooped. She probably noticed that something was wrong.
"I-I'll be in my room..." Kate sighed, padding quietly with light paw-steps, closing the door behind her as she went. Lonnie gathered us in the living room with a concerned face.
"She's doing it again..." She sighed.
"Doing what?"
"She only does that when she's deep in her thoughts," Blake whispered. "And whenever she's deep in her thoughts..."
"-then there is something amiss with her..." I finished. Lonnie and Blake stared at each other, and nodded as if they've read each other's minds. They smiled as they turned to look at me.
"Wait, why in the world are you looking at me like that?" I asked. "No offense, but you guys really looked like random creeps when you're looking at me like that!"
"We've decided that its your turn to go and comfort her!"
"Wait, what?!!! I've never done that in ages!"
"Well... you see... it's because that she needs someone special to comfort her. She's never been this sad today. Maybe even words can't get her out in that sticky situation. We need you to do it, Philip. And plus, she likes you, and we'd really, really just appreciate if you are the one who would go and comfort her. Just-pretty please, can you?" Lonnie pleaded, like she was using those annoying 'baby-doll eyes'.
I groaned. I didn't even know if she learned that kind of move. And plus... why me? Ah, I almost forgot! Norsoe told me to get close to her. It was part of the plot. Yeah, I thought. This is my chance. But... why do I feel bad about it?
"Fine!" I growled. "I'll go! But what's with the like thing'y?"
"N-Nothing!" Lonnie grinned nervously and fist- (paw?) bumped with Blake. As I padded towards her room, I could definitely hear them laughing at me...
Katherine's P.O.V.
*****
Lying on my bed, I broke down and cried. It was too much. I couldn't hold it back for too long. It was a torture, keeping it a secret. I was always keeping secrets. I was a horrible friend. It was no wonder that I could sometimes be a jerk.
"Kate?"
My ears stood on end, hearing that voice. Wiping my tears with a paw, I hurriedly grabbed one of my books and opened it, using it to shield my tear-stained face away from sight.
"C-Come in..."
I heard the door creak, and a certain Jolteon padded inside. I couldn't see how he entered, though.
"Are you... alright?"
"Y-Yes. I am. No need to worry about me..."
"What are you doing?"
"Reading." I replied. Philip laughed. It made me feel annoyed, but Norsoe's tormenting voice held me back.
"Wow. Since when are you able to read like that? You're holding that book upside-down."
Embarrased, I could feel my face flush a light pink. Philip chuckled and took the book, hanging it on midair and watched as it revealed my face.
"Were you crying?" He asked. "Kate, please, tell me what's wrong. I know it may be d-difficult, but at... l-least, please, just let me... h-help. That... t-that's what f-friends do, right? Helping each other in need...?"
I tried to cover up with a lie, but it was too late. Now, he already found out, and I have no choice but to fess up and spill the reviver seeds. I blinked, facing the window and watched the rain pour heavily. The electric fox sighed and leapt on, sitting beside me on my bed. I turned to look at him, gazing intently at each other.
I could see the worry crossing his face as clear and sincere. His eyes of amethyst bored itself onto mine, looking deep inside as they blinked gently, reflecting the flecks of blue from my eyes. I sighed and opened my muzzle to speak.
"L-L-Last n-night..." I began, stammering too much in fear. "-N-Norsoe showed up in a nightmare. H-He showed what he c-could do to m-me... a-and e-even kill me. I t-tried to stand u-up, f-for myself... a-and... t-then... he showed... this t-terrifying i-image... about my p-parents. They were suffering! T-They w-were suffering... a-all because of all t-the destruction he m-made. They were trying to stop h-him... b-but... in the end... their efforts were in vain. H-He k-killed them! All because... h-he s-said that... he didn't d-deserve that power. They d-died... while trying to p-protect the world... protecting me! Now, d-do you u-understand? Do you understand... h-how difficult it is? T-To be me?"
Tears sprawled once again from my eyes, causing Philip to frown. I hiccupped and tried to wipe away my tears.
"S-Sorry... It's... j-just... I... I didn't know what to do, I k-kinda l-lost it..." I sobbed, uncontrollably. "I'm sorry... b-because... I didn't want to tell you about it. You... g-guys are always... l-looking out for me. I... I didn't w-want you to w-worry..."
"I... I'm sorry to hear all of that..." Philip whispered gently.
Philip's P.O.V.
****
I thought it was simple. But there it is. She was living a way more complicated life than me, and a way more mysterious one. Norsoe had left her weak... so feeble. I didn't know that it was difficult for her, making me feel quite terrible, for I didn't know what to say, for I was terrible at situations like this, rather...
I pulled her close, letting her nestle deep into my mane. I felt her tears sink in, and I started carressing her back in comfort, trying to calm her down. Kate was strangely warm for an Ice-type, which made me surprized; it felt peculiar, let alone making me feel comfortable.
"I understand..." I told her. "That old man might have been frightening, but I advise you to never let the fear sink in. At least, you have lived, up to this day we see now. Please, don't cry. It already happened, and I see that he's just bringing it over again just to scare and deceive you. It would be better if you could just forget about it and be happy again, just as I and our friends like you to be."
"E-Easy for you to... s-say..." She sniffled.
"It was... e-easy being you..."
I laughed. "Easy, huh? Easy is nothing but a meaningless word. Imagine a small, miniscule pond with only one Magicarp living inside. Yeah, it was easy, finding food and eating alone, since there is a lot in there, since it was alone. You're saying it'll be easy, right? No. On land, there will be always a predator. A predator to eat the prey. One will fall apart without the other, and the Magicarp sure will get eaten or die lonely or alone, living all by itself, since it wasn't easy to be alone. As I say, life is no easy. It'll be always hard with lots of curves and up's and down's on the path, like riding on a roller coaster. Norsoe is dragging you down on it, right? Then it's time to show him that he couldn't make you feel inferior. Someone out there will always keep you on the track and you'll never go astray. That's why, you should never give in, as we'll always have your back." I solaced, slowly lifting her chin.
Wait, where'd that come from? Seriously, what the heck? Trying to shrug it off, I just looked back at Kate. The Glaceon had made eye contact with me, her blue eyes shimmering dark azure in the light. She was staring at me, her eyes filled with hope, taking my words by heart. I faced and wiped her tears away with a paw. I saw her cheeks fleck with a light shade of rosy pink, and she had a soft smile on her face.
"Now, there you go. You know what?You're much prettier when you smile." I flattered. I froze. It came out automatically. What the hell is wrong with me?! It felt awkward. Norsoe must be seething right now. Kate's jaw dropped and blushed even more, the pinkish blush slowly morphing into crimson red, but she didn't try to look away and hide it.
It made me smile widely despite the awkward atmosphere, joined with a warm, tingly feeling inside. She looked... cute. I couldn't stop myself from smiling, as if I was trapped. She smiled even more brighter, more radiant than the sun itself, light crossing the tips of her light, blue fur. She sighed and leant against me, causing me to freeze (not literally) further in shock.
"Phi... Philip?" Kate asked.
"Y-Yeah?"
"T-Thank you..." She whispered, nuzzling me lightly. I felt my face flush deep red; I couldn't help but smile. We just sat there, snuggling with each other without uttering any words, watching the rain melt into small drizzles, parting to reveal the sun. The sun's rays shone down, creating a beautiful rainbow.
"It's amazing to see how fast the light can shine," I remarked.
"Yeah..." She replied, still leaning against me. I didn't know how many hours we sat and stared, but I was happy to make her feel better.
But... why did it hurt?