Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Betrayal Of A Memory ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Part Six       Gulping down the fresh brisk air that now surrounded me, I used my last remaining strength to heave myself up onto the boat where Clare was impatiently awaiting my arrival, gazing out into the afternoon sky that seemed to have been smeared with warm colors of the sunset. She hardly glanced at me as I hurriedly ripped off the scuba gear and then lay on my back, weaving my fingers through my damp hair while examining the locket and photo at the same time. Taking a deep breath, only then did Clare speak.

      "I see you succeeded. Good job." Clare said simply, her mud-brown eyes scanning my appearance.

      I had to wait for my quick unsteady breaths to pass, as well as my heart thudding in my chest to slow down. Only then could I reply. "Thanks." I breathed out. "I've never really gone diving before."

      Clare was silent for a moment as her eyes suddenly pierced into mine. "Never mind that. What are you holding in your other hand?" She asked firmly.

      Only then did I really notice that Clare hardly ever thought or cared about my emotions. Thinking about the people I loved, the memories of them carefully caring for me would never end up fading away. My mother and my grandparents, even my Eevee. If Clare didn't care about me and those whom I loved were gone, were my emotions of any importance in the world anymore?

      I slowly tilted my head to gaze at the photo lying in my damp open hand. Of course they are, Kira. For a second there my heart seemed to skip, and I could almost hear my mother's voice.

      "Just a photo. It was in my locket." I answered slowly, sighing. Clare was now the first person who wasn't my family that knew about the photo. Could it be that my mind was ignoring my heart, giving so much trust to someone who claimed they weren't betraying Giovanni and all of Team Rocket? For every quick beat my heart sent up through my veins, it seemed to say "No, no, no." Yet I still sat there, freely talking about the photo, my mind not giving a single care.

      "Let me see it." Clare ordered firmly. Not waiting for me to reply, she quickly swiped the photo from my outstretched hand and raised it up to her mud-brown eyes. I watched as her mouth grew into a soft smile.

      "What?!" I snapped. It was the first time I had felt anger that day, and it was fresh boiling anger. I wasn't sure if it was a smile or a smirk etched on Clare's face.

      "Nothing." Clare answered simply, carefully dropping the photo back into my hand. She turned around to turn the boat engine on. A deep rumbling sounded through the salty ocean air as the boat started smoothly gliding across the ocean surface, towards the harbor. Clare then raised her arms to the skies, stretching. "Well, maybe not. I guess it is something."

      I just sat there, waiting for the sound of Clare's voice to break the silence. Waiting for her to explain the smile I had just watched appear on her face. "Something, huh?" I breathed out. "What type of something?"

      Clare's eyes wandered to the wooden floor of the boat. "On the S.S. Aqua. You said I was there. You said I was there when it happened, when your mother died." She whispered softly.

      Clare's soft words sent wonders trickling down my mind, into my heart. All I did was nod in agreement, waiting for her to continue on. But as my ears only caught the deadly silence continuing on, I remembered that Clare wasn't looking at me, and then I spoke. "Yes, that's right." I agreed. "Well...?"

      "Well... you're right. I was there." Clare choked out.

      That was it. Those few words that Clare spoke, just that one little confession. It was that confession that forced my heart to finally agree with my mind, to give put all trust into Clare. The deep thudding "No" my heart had whispered had turned into "Yes". An agreement. An agreement of trust. Clare was there when it happened, when my mother died, and she had admitted it.

      "Why didn't you confess this on the S.S. Aqua, instead of now? Why did you lie to me?" I asked softly, trying to search for something in Clare's mud-brown eyes even though she still refused to look in my direction.

      Only then did Clare slowly raise her head to gaze into my eyes. But before I could search hers, she seemed to have almost beaten me, instantly piercing into my soul. "Because." She started simply. "You do know your mother didn't just die, right? That she was actually murdered?"

      ...A loud whirring sound... a shrill scream piercing the air...

      There it was again, those sounds my mind and heart remembered that sent shivers down my spine. And something else, too. Not another sound, but a feeling. A feeling of deep coldness hiding in the corners of my heart and mind, a coldness that whispered so softly that I could hardly ever hear it. And I knew what this coldness was. Fear. The coldness was fear.

      Yes, I did know that my mother didn't simply die. She was murdered. And I knew it this whole time, ever since it all happened. But only then did I realize that one little word that fear had been softly whispering to me. Murder. My mother hadn't been able to promise she'd stay with me forever that night, as I was tucked into bed. I had been fearful that something would happen to her, and something did. And then I was fearful that the same thing would happen to me, but this fear slowly faded away as I matured.

      "Yes... I knew she was murdered." I slowly answered. Finally, I was able to let my own confession out.

      Clare leaned in closer, closer than she had ever been before. A serious look burned through her eyes, seeming to lock mine right in place. Looking in a different direction was no longer an option.

      "But do you know who murdered your mother?"

      "No."

      The truth. Then silence, both the silence of all sound surrounding us being shattered, and silence of me holding my breath, waiting to let it out.

      "Kira, Team Rocket murdered you mother."

      The other piece of the truth.

      Of course. Black. They were all dressed in black that one night, dressed in their Team Rocket uniforms. And the blood-red R on their caps. I now remembered it all. Those fallen memories I had been reaching out for so blindly for the past ten years had finally been saved... by Clare. I was no longer blind, as if Clare had guided me the whole way.

      "You're just Team Rocket. You wouldn't dare do it."

      "True, this usually isn't the way we take care of things. But for this moment, we have an exception."

      "Well, there's supposed to be a jewel. A jewel with powers. It was found by your father long before he joined Team Rocket, when he was still a miner. But he knew little of how to control its powers. Thinking it useless, he gave it to your mother right before they divorced, when you were two."

      "The jewel... what type of powers does it have?"

      "Extraordinary powers." ...Two pieces of truth...       "What about the girl?" ...And one key to a locket...       "Just let her go. We'll need her for later." It all fit together. The puzzle of forgotten memories had been pieced.       "Kira?" The sound of Clare's soft voice startled me back to the world where the salty ocean air was still prickling my damp face.

      I quickly turned to look in her direction. "Yes...?"

      "We're here, now. We've reached the harbor."

      I had sunk so low beneath my own new memories and wonders that I had failed to notice we had stopped moving completely. Indeed, we had reached the harbor. Even though I expected Clare to mention something more about how Team Rocket had murdered my mother, I remained silent. Maybe it was better for me to be alone with my thoughts for awhile. ***************************************************   &nb sp;   As I glanced back up at the sun gleaming down on my sweaty face, I made sudden halt in walking with Clare. Forcing my mind to think of something other than the new memories and wonders I had discovered earlier, I let myself feel the salty air prickling my cheeks and my ears listen to the sharp cries of Wingulls in the bright distance. Along with these things was another feeling. A feeling of another memory coming back to me.

      "This harbor... I've been here before." I told Clare softly. "When I was four. This is the place where we were in my photo." With this, I carefully slipped out the heart-shaped photo out of my pocket, raising it up to the sky to gaze at my mother and my Eevee, and the four-year-old me, too. Indeed, in the blurry background was the same salty ocean that tossed and turned behind us during that moment. I sighed. In the photo, we all looked so happy and care-free, not knowing the tragedies that would happen in just a year. Why did things have to change? Why can't the world stay the same when you most want it to?

      "Kira, do you trust me?" Clare asked firmly.

      Alerted by the sudden sound of her voice, I whirled around to face her. "A day ago I would've answered no. But... yes, I trust you." I answered slowly. My eyes wandered down to the gleaming pokeball now resting in Clare's outstretched hand.

      "Then will you let me see the jewel right now?"

      I hesitated before answering. "Well, even I haven't seen it yet. If you don't mind, I'd like to take a look at it myself, first." I told her carefully, softly touching the golden surface of my locket that was hanging around my neck.

      Clare, leaning against the harbor's wooden walls, slowly started tossing the pokeball a few inches into the air and then catching it with the same hand. "Do recognize this moment from three years ago? Me, leaning against the wall, simply tossing a pokeball into the air and asking you questions? Hm, I believe at the time you were running away from something. And aren't you running away from Giovanni and the rest of Team Rocket now? How interesting." Clare seemed to slur all her words together as she stopped tossing the pokeball and then stood up straight, slowly walking towards me.

      Though suspicious, I forced myself to remember the moment that Clare was talking about. After all, how could I not forget it? That was the day. The day when...

      "Yes, I remember. That's when you asked me to join Team Rocket." I said softly, stepping backwards.

      Clare nodding, still advancing on me. "Good job, Kira. You're getting better and better at remembering things each day." Clare then stopped walking, as a sudden deadly silence trickled through the air. "And on that one day three years ago, you accepted my offer. You joined Team Rocket. You fell for it... you were tricked. And personally, I thought you would've learned by now." She then slowly raised the pokeball up into the air surrounding us. "But I guess you didn't. Kira, you've fallen for it again... you've been tricked. Again."

      It all happened so fast, but I still didn't need to look. My heart thudding in my chest, I whirled around. But even as I took my first rapid step, a blinding red light flashed behind me as I felt Clare's pokeball being tossed into the air. A loud whirring sound. Then a shrill scream piercing the air... my scream.

      But no. I wouldn't let it happen again.

      "Houndoom!" I managed to choke out, tossing the pokeball attached to my waist that I had almost forgotten about. The same blinding red light I had seen before came flashing out of the pokeball as a figure of a dog pokemon emerged. After I saw my Houndoom clearly, I quickly attached the pokeball back onto my waist and then crawled onto the pokemon's back. Clutching its pitch-black fur, I bent down to whisper in its ear. "I know you've never been in a situation like this before. Neither have I. But I need you to run... fast. I don't care where you run. Just do it." I ordered quickly, yet softly.

      With one last obedient bark, my Houndoom took off, me still on its back. Trying to ignore the deep thudding stomps of the Rhyhorn running closer and closer, I couldn't help but to hear Clare's sudden amused voice out in the distance.

      "They let me borrow the Rhyhorn specially for this moment! Quite a nice pokemon for the job, don't you think?" Clare shouted from not far behind.

      I ignored her and continued staring straight ahead, wind weaving through my tangled hair. The world surrounding us was now just a blur of colors. That is, until I felt my Houndoom come to a halt in a dark alley.

      Behind us, Clare and the Rhyhorn. In front of us, Giovanni and ten other Team Rocket members.

      A low growl emerged from the Houndoom's throat. I slowly stood up on solid ground, standing so I could face both Giovanni and Clare. Overhead I could hear the choppers of a helicopter. But I didn't need to look up to know that it belonged to Team Rocket.

      "Too bad you decided to betray us." Giovanni said slowly, smirking.

      I simply glared into his cold eyes, and then turned all the way to face Clare. There it was again, that look I had only seen two times before. The look of a hidden emotion. And this would be the last time I ever saw that emotion.

      "Pity." Clare mouthed. "Pity, Kira Markus."

      Of course. Pity. The hidden emotion.

      I ignored the silent tears now streaming from my face. "As much as I hate the existence of betrayal, I don't feel bad that I betrayed all of Team Rocket. But I do feel bad that I betrayed my mother. See, this is the reason why I don't feel bad that I betrayed you... because you tricked me into thinking that my mother betrayed me. But she didn't. I betrayed her, and so did my father, even though I never got to know him."

      Giovanni simply nodded, continuing to smirk. "Well...?"

      Taking a deep shuddering breath, I rose the golden chain that had my locket attached over my head, and then held it out in front of me. "Do you really think I can stand it anymore?" I said in just barely a whisper.

      Giovanni's smirk rose into a wide grin of triumph. "No, I didn't." He answered, snatched the locket from my outstretched hand. He then signaled for the jet-black helicopter to lower the rope ladder down, and after that, for all the Team Rocket grunts except for Clare to climb up. "Well, Kira, we have no use for you now."

      I nodded. "Good." I said through gritted teeth.

      Giovanni gave me one last smirk before climbing up the ladder, Clare following closely behind, the rest of Team Rocket already in the helicopter. But halfway up, he halted.

      Stretching his arm out, Giovanni shook the locket, hearing the sound of a small jingling of something inside. "Ah, that's good. I wouldn't want you to pull your own trick on me." He said in an amused voice, his smirk once again rising into a wide grin.

      This time it was time for me to smirk.

      I held up the tiny figure of a golden key gleaming in the sunlight.

      "Who said I didn't?" I shouted up to him.

      And with that I threw it to the ground, shattering it. I smiled.

      Giovanni and Clare just stood there, halfway on the ladder. A blank look was etched on Giovanni's face. He then started laughing, his laugh echoing into the distance. "Foolish girl, we can just do the same thing to your locket. Who said we need the key to open it?" And with that, Giovanni and Clare continued climbing up into the helicopter. I gazed out at them as Clare gave me one last look, carefully dropping something light so it would land at my feet, and then as the helicopter flew off into the distance.

      I just stood there for a moment, weaving my hand through my tangled hair. Then I reached into my right pocket, taking out a tiny little pebble that was small enough to even fit in my locket.

      Reaching into my left pocket, I took out a small sparkling pink jewel.

      I then dropped the pebble to pick up the thing that Clare had dropped. It was a tiny photo, a photo of the harbor. But was I was gazing at was the shape of a small heart carefully cut out in the center.

      On the back, scribbled in black ink, it read: This was the best photo I ever took.
And I was always good at cutting out
hearts.       Taking a deep shuddering breath, I crushed the pink jewel in my hand.

      Finally, I could breathe. Finally, my years of betrayal were over.

      Note From Author: Whoa. This story turned out a lot different than I expected it to turn out. Um, what should I say... well, it's over now. The second half of this part I wrote while I had a cold, and as I'm typing this, I still have a cold. But anyways, thankies to everyone who voted for this fanfic during the April 2006 BIC awards... I'm really glad it won. ^_^ So yeah, and thank you to everyone who has been reading this fanfic from the Prologue up until now. I think it turned out good, and I am eager to start writing some new fanfics. So until then... see ya, and thankies for everything! ~Kitten >^.^<</i>