Ch. 12 - Pieces

Chapter Twelve - Pieces

Kari frowned weakly and rested both hands on the surface of the mattress as she leaned over. Keith lay peacefully on the bed, now. "He looks so pale," Kari muttered.

"How long has he been unconscious?" Patrick asked.

Tyra frowned, but replied, "About four hours now."

Kari sighed passively, and shifted to a kneeling position, resting her head on his chest and her arms on the bed next to him. "He's unresponsive to all attempts to wake him. His vitals are also under the normal levels. We have him some medication and stimulants, but there's been little improvement so far," Tyra continued, after a few seconds of silence.

"And you said Coeus delivered him here like this, and said what?" Patrick asked wearily, sounding confused and irritated.

Tyra nodded before digging out a paper from her pocket and handing it to Patrick. "He removed you all from suspicion, and granted 'reparation negotiation' for 'damages' at a later date," she furthered, as Patrick read the paper.

His eyes narrowed as he reached the middle of the document. "So they're bribing us to not complain about this?" he asked bluntly.

Kari's fist clenched up, drawing up part of Keith's blanket with it. "What damages is he talking about?" she asked, looking back up at Tyra with a worried expression.

The door to the room suddenly slid open, and Cuthbert walked in, mild limp barely noticeable in his gait. "That's what I'd like to find out, if you'd permit it," he interrupted, obviously having heard the question.

"Captain, are you sure you should be up?" Patrick asked, glancing down at Cuthbert's leg. After discovering the Captain's position in the conflict, Patrick had been mysteriously more polite.

The captain nodded curtly before stepping to the side. Purdue, his A-Bra, wandered past him, and glanced down at Keith. She was a tiny thing, barely making four foot. Sporting a gray tube top that did little to hide her modest chest, and a pair of similarly colored track shorts, she looked like a science fiction experimental subject. Her antennae and soft, orange fur, only adding to the theme. "She's not powerful enough to do a huge amount, but she could take a look and see what's damaged, I bet," Cuthbert added.

Kari frowned at the drowsy looking pokégirl, but sighed. "As long as she doesn't hurt him further," she finally consented after several seconds of consideration.

Purdue nodded gently, before crawling up onto the bed, and over to Keith. Lightly straddling his stomach, she placed both hands to either side of his head, before glancing back to Cuthbert. The Captain have a curt nod, and Purdue turned back around, antennae twitching nervously. She winced, but closed her eyes cautiously, seemingly expecting the vicious guardian in Keith's head to attack her again. Hitting no resistance, her hands began to glow softly as she pushed her way into his mind.

* * * * *

Drifting. It was a warm feeling. Not darkness, exactly, but a soft blue all around. About on the intensity of sunlight shining through my eyelids. It carried the distinct feeling of being cuddled softly. Indescribable, when trying to explain to others, yet so distinct and knowable. Someone I truly cared about, holding my gently and lovingly. The true surrogate was absent, as was my own body, but the distinct presence of her existence was there. Both of us were doomed to this place forever, and neither really cared. Of course, I had technically been here since this place was created, but that wasn't the point.

My sister guarded over me kindly, for as far back as I remember, as I guarded her. Here, there were no threats, so we simply warded off loneliness instead. Intimacy, in the traditional sense was lost, of course. But security replaced it. I trusted Jessica absolutely, which was probably my most valued trait at the given moment. Still, I was subjected to humanity's most quintessential attribute. Some would call it drive or ambition, and blame it on our finite lifespan. I've lost sense of such rhetoric, though. Amoral greed strikes me as far more accurate. Immoral in some cases. I wanted the most I could get. In this case, traditional intimacy. Kari was the only target I was capable of being aware of, however.

Maybe I kid myself, though? Do I really want Kari? Analyzing my feelings, I considered it. She was quite cute. She was a very compassionate yet caring individual. Her personality was very agreeable to myself. But I had to wonder. I wanted the Kari in my mind. Did my mind's version entirely match who she was in reality? Disturbing inconsistencies emerged. I wasn't abhorred at the inconsistencies, however, as much as my own reliance on that mental image. Did I not notice she wasn't entirely the person I thought she was, or did I not want to admit it to myself in the first place?

Whichever it was, my thoughts were cut short by a distinctly foreign presence violently falling into my private reality. It did the abstracted version of a belly flop, however, and drifted aimlessly, flailing frantically. Well, it certainly lacked the finesse of the other three. Oddly, I found myself less frightened, and more amused, as I observed the individual attempt to get their baring in a reality lacking solidified traits.

Shifting my focus onto the presence, I felt it lock up as it undoubtedly felt me examine it. Feminine, with a panicked mindset but skill enough to get here. A psychic type Pokégirl, then. But her reaction dictated she had no idea what to expect in here. Not one of the three before, then. Leading indication points at this being the orange fur ball that Cuthbert has.

Giving her a nudge, I pushed her back into her own mind, where she solidified, followed shortly by myself. I winced, my new surroundings giving me the freedom to think in solidified terms again, and looked around at my dull, stone environment. We seemed to be on some sort of extremely tall pillar. The portal, I now realized she'd used to get into my mind, flickered gently behind me.

"Gah! Thank you! You got me out of whatever that was," she exclaimed suddenly, tackling me to the pillar's surface.

I shrugged weakly. "It was an abstract, non-physical environment. Not much left that I can piece back together," I muttered, as much as I had identified myself, anyway.

She sat up on me and tilted her head. "Who are you, and how did you get into my head?" she asked.

"I'm Keith, and you connected to me. It works both ways, and your head presents better opportunity for conversation," I pointed out.

Purdue frowned, then shook her head. "You need to wake up. Kari's worried," she suddenly announced.

I snorted and rolled her off me. "Why bother? Seems kind of a moot point," I asked, standing up again.

"W-What do you mean?" she asked, scampering to her feet again. She was a lot more energetic in her mind, I noted.

I shook my head weakly. "For one, you saw what it's like in there. They did something. I'm not sure what, but they stirred everything up while looking for whatever. I can't seem to put anything together now."

She seemed confused, antennae twitching lightly. "I can try to help you put things back together again, though," she countered, smiling gently at me.

"Why would I bother? It's not like there's anything worth waking up for anyway. Outside, there's just pain and me, alone. Here, I can at least be with Sis," I speculated, walking back towards the still open portal.

It shrank down to the size of a golf ball as Purdue shouted "No!" behind me.

Wincing as she tackled me from behind this time, I landed into a roll and spun her off my back. Hardly believing that worked, I pounced on her and held her down, suddenly realizing she wasn't physically strong. "Stop it. I don't want to go back to that," I reiterated.

"You're wrong about Kari though! And what did Patrick do to you?" she protested, struggling against my hands.

Frowning, I shook my head. "Karumi didn't lie. Why would this be any different?" I asked, irritated now.

"What did she say to you, exactly?" she suddenly asked, catching me off guard with her sudden stillness, ceasing all struggle.

I sighed weakly. "That she confessed to me because she thresholded, and is more interested in Kittra than me anyway," I relayed, paraphrasing.

Purdue started giggling then. "You sure she said 'more' interested?" she asked, sounding amused.

I narrowed my eyes, and tried to think back to the incident. My memory was a haze. In truth, I had been lucky to remember the accusation. "She said she was debating between Kittra and I. And she seemed to be taking more of a liking to Kittra?" I pondered aloud.

Purdue laughed, and shook her head slowly, before asking, "Debating what between you two? And more in what context?"

I blinked down at her before sitting up. She remained laying there passively, regardless of my releasing her. "I don't know," I finally admitted, considering the wording. I hadn't been in any condition to think about things like this in my own mind, but admittedly, I hadn't bothered.

"I can easily read her mind. She doesn't have a vicious guardian, remember? Her feelings for you are real," Purdue assured, simply gazing up at me.

I frowned, and simply got more confused. "Then what did Karumi mean?" I questioned.

"Karumi did like you, and was trying to get you to support her. She didn't lie to you, but she worded the truths in a manipulative way," she explained, finally sitting up against me.

I tried to think of what she was referring to, if not Kari's feelings. "Kari is confused about liking Kittra because she's a girl, then?" I asked, suddenly realizing my own inner monologue might have set me up for this.

Purdue smiled and nodded. "Now there's the smart boy Kari likes. She's confused over being straight or bisexual, and beating herself up over what happened before," she explained, pushing herself up with her hands behind her.

"What about her liking Kittra more?" I asked, suddenly unsure.

Purdue grinned. "More than what? Before, when she was a hostage and Kittra an enemy? I'd say she likes her a lot more now, comparatively," she reasoned.

I groaned weakly and let my head slump onto her shoulder. Damn it. Karumi didn't lie, she just left things out. She was selfish after all, and openly admitted to wanting me to join her. Duh! Of course she'd tint Kari in a bad light.

"So, want to wake up now?" Purdue suddenly asked, hugging me gently.

I nodded against her. "Yes, but I don't think I can," I reminded, shuddering as I recalled what those three had done.

"I need your help if I'm to attempt repairing you," she said, standing up as I did.

Helping her to her feet, I nodded weakly, and made a note to lecture myself over what an idiot I was. Guess I royally screwed up this time.

* * * * *

Patrick sighed weakly. "Okay, what the hell?" he finally asked.

Kari raised an eyebrow up at him, diverting her attention from the seemingly sleeping Pokégirl now laying on top of Keith. "She's narcoleptic, isn't she?" he asked after several more seconds.

Cuthbert laughed dryly. "Nah. She's kind of like a cat. Usually she sleeps for eighteen hours a day, even. Although she's never fallen asleep while scanning before," he admitted.

Kari shook her head weakly. "Maybe he's contagious?" she offered.

"Well, we'd both be screwed then, anyway. Back to waiting, I vote," Patrick declared, sitting back down in the armchair against the side wall.

Kari snickered, and turned to grin at him, when Purdue abruptly sat up. Kari's grin turned into a yelp, and surprised expression as she instinctively backed away from the A-Bra. "Ah, you're back. Did you get anything?" Cuthbert asked, ignoring Kari's reaction.

Purdue nodded in a slow, drowsy manner, seemingly surprised she was awake herself. There was a long, ten second silence, before Cuthbert sighed. "And? What did you discover?"

"His mentality is in bad shape, but I talked to him and got him to start fixing it. He should wake up when he's done," she explained quietly.

Cuthbert displayed a look of concern. "He needed convincing to fix himself? Can you go back in there and help him?"

Purdue swallowed hard, but nodded. Kari sighed impatiently, and sat back down on the floor next to Patrick's chair. "Well if he can recover," she agreed, still sounding worried.

The A-Bra watched her sadly for a few more moments before leaning down and putting her hands against Keith's temples again. Seconds later, she slumped into unconsciousness, identical to the first time.

Cuthbert shook his head and wandered out of the room again. Patrick watched him go before shaking his head. "This can't be legal. There was no reason for this in the first place," he finally growled.

Kari sighed, but didn't remove her eyes from Keith. "The league itself wanted the data on Karumi. What can we do, really?" she asked.

Patrick stared at Keith for a few more seconds before giving a light, yet exasperated shrug. "You holding up, still?" he asked suddenly. 

"For the most part," Kari muttered, making fists with her hands and idly tugging at the fabric of her jeans.

Patrick leaned back in his chair and stared passively at the ceiling. "That's good. It's weird, but the three of us have been together for months, but I just realized how little I know about you two," he suddenly commented, followed by a chuckle.

Kari raised an eyebrow and glanced back at him.  "Anything in particularly you're referring to?" she inquired curiously.

Patrick outright laughed this time. "Nothing so specific. I guess I need to ask, right?" he pointed out.

Kari finally smiled and snickered. "Keith and I aren't the most social of individuals. Jessica was usually the one talking for us. Totally the opposite, like her Mother most of the time," she explained, looking forward again and placing her chin on her knees.

"That makes sense. He was really quiet when we first met," he agreed, putting his hands behind his head. 

Kari smiled softly to nobody in particular. "He's introverted. Dislikes leading, and didn't want to be a tamer mostly because of that," she added.

Patrick chuckled and countered, "Damn good tactical thinker, though. I'm guessing the other reason is because of his body."

"That's a bad topic with him," she warned, tucking herself up more.

"I'd imagine. You must have known him a long time," he agreed, letting his smile go.

Kari shifted her forehead onto her knees instead, and sighed weakly. Almost half a minute passed, and Patrick frowned, looking down at her again.

As if feeling his stare, she finally replied, "We grew up together. He's been my best guy friend for almost a decade."

"That's a while. I envy you two," Patrick answered wistfully, giving a low whistle.

Kari snorted quietly. "I screwed it up, so it's not so great now, is it?" she pointed out, using her arms to pull her knees closer. Patrick shook his head slowly and sighed.

"You didn't screw anything up, Kari. Keith seems to like you quite a bit," he reasoned, staring at the back of her head.

Silence prevailed for a good minute, before Kari started shivering lightly. "I'm not human. I'm a m-monster," she managed to stutter out, causing Patrick to frown. She continued before he could interrupt, "Oh, sure, Keith. I've had a crush on you since grade school! You want me to be your girlfriend? Perfect! Let me just have sex with another girl practically on top of you." Her tone was uncharacteristically malicious, and Patrick's eyes widened.

"Kari! Stop that. Honestly, you were experimenting, and I doubt he's going to hold that against you, considering he's already had sex with the same girl as well. That is the nature of a 'harem' you know," he reminded, sitting forward so he could lean around to her side.

Tears slowly slid down her cheeks, a light trickle barely visible in the dim light of the room. She sighed, and hiccupped as she pulled back another fit of tears. Her right hand clenched the material of her jeans even harder. "Right in front of him, though? We totally forgot he was there until he was already gone. Then she wouldn't even let me leave!" she growled, face flushing now as her eyes narrowed.

"Kari, most guys would love a show like that. He told me about it afterwards, and admitted that he had no idea how to join something like that, which is why he just left you two alone," Patrick explained carefully, remembering the conversation that night.

Kari's head whipped around and she stared carefully at him, oblivious to the moisture freely flowing down her cheeks. "Y-You talked to him about it? He thinks I'm a slut, doesn't he?" she guessed weakly, looking down at the floor in front of his chair.

Patrick reached out and lightly swatted her on the head, causing her to wince and look back up at him again, eyes softening this time. "He cares about you and doesn't think that, Kari. I can guarantee it," he promised.

A soft smile played at her lips as she sighed weakly in relief, but seeming unsure still. "If you're certain. I've never done this kind of thing before. I'm worried about not meeting his expectations," she confessed, laughing quietly to herself.

"Oh please. I think you've already surpassed the best he had hoped for, if he's like any normal guy. Although he's not, admittedly, the way he treats you two," he defended, smiling finally.

Kari raised an eyebrow and glanced up at Patrick again, causing him to laugh instead. "No no, nothing bad. If anything, he probably expected less than the average guy. You just saying you liked him back probably made him really happy," he corrected.

"Oh. Well yeah, you're probably right. And he does treat us way better than most Pokégirls are treated. I just wish I could show him that I'm not trying to take advantage of him. That I really do love," she complained, before widening her eyes and trailing off.

Patrick's eyes widened minutely. "Oh, I hadn't realized you two had progressed that far," he admitted, smirking knowingly at her and causing her to blush.

"Uh, technically we haven't," she muttered as quietly as she could, blushing more and tucking her head back against her knees.

"Ah, well I won't tell him you said anything, don't worry," he promised, winking at her and getting her to squeak again. "You two must have been friends for a long time, then," he deduced, changing the topic to make her feel better.

Kari smiled a little, letting the blush die down before nodding. "Yeah, since about third grade. Jessica introduced us, and we rapidly became good friends. I started, well, daydreaming about more in middle school. He was oblivious, though," she explained, shaking her head slowly.

Patrick chuckled and nodded. "Girls mature faster than boys, don't forget. But he definitely seems interested now, no?" he reasoned, causing her to snicker.

"More than a little, yeah. It makes me feel okay about being not human anymore. I feel safe around Keith. I know I'm supposed to be the one protecting him, but I think he guards my sanity." She lost a bit of her smile then, and looked back up at Keith and the snoozing A-Bra.

"Strange, I think Kiya does that for me," Patrick agreed, following her gaze and looking over at Keith for a moment.

Kari shook her head weakly. "I'm not as strong as Kiya. Physically or emotionally. I want to get a lot stronger for Keith, so I can protect him next time," she resolved, clenching both fists this time.

"A worthy goal. Thank you for talking with me. I'd wanted to get to know you two more," Patrick thanked suddenly, causing Kari to glance back at him questioningly.

"Oh come on, Patrick. You know you only have to ask," she protested, smiling again.

Patrick laughed and raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Well something has been bugging me for a bit if you want to explain it," he offered.

Kari considered for a moment before shrugging. "I might not be able to if it's something to do with Keith, but shoot?" she agreed, tilting her head inquisitively.

"I was just curious as to how old your Mom was, that's all," he informed.

Kari's eyes widened a little, and she let her smile fade. "Er, why do you want to know? I don't know her exact age," she asked hesitantly.

"Just curious. I wasn't aware there were elves old enough to give birth to human children, that's all," he reasoned, smiling gently at her.

Her eyes lowered a little, and she looked away. "Oh, well maybe she went through her second puberty earlier than usual?" she reasoned, looking back at Keith again.

Patrick stared at the back of her head for a few seconds, before leaning back again, quietly. "Ah, I see," he added.

Kari's right hand clenched the fabric of her jeans again, lightly this time. The conversation died down, and silence once again prevailed.

* * * * *

Sticking my right hand back through the portal, I watched it slowly dissolve into a heavy mist again before I pulled it back into Purdue's mind. Glancing back through the portal and to the left, I watched her standing in my consciousness, both her arms extended as the ground solidified more under her feet. "Still lacking consistency," I reported, causing her to sigh.

"It would have been a lot easier to do this if you hadn't disconnected your consciousness for four hours," she grumbled, causing Jessica to snicker.

Sis was helping her reform the portion she was standing on, while trying her best to sort through all of the crap those three had spread everywhere. "He's stubborn like that. The memories are all out of sync, and there seems to be some missing," she added, frowning and shifting her bangs to the side again. It never helped, but she did that when irked about something.

Purdue shook her head slowly. "It's to be expected after what happened. He might also experience some memory bleeding. I think I've almost repaired the cognitive control, though," she replied optimistically.

"The mist was a lot thicker, I'll admit," I agreed, stretching weakly. I wasn't entirely sure this was a good idea, still, and having Purdue inside my mind was making me uncomfortable. I kept reminding myself that she wasn't like those three, but my mind didn't seem to believe me. I swallowed and looked away from the portal again. Damn it, don't act like a pathetic loser. You can handle this, Keith.

Jess suddenly giggled, and drew my attention back to the window into my own mind. Purdue was letting me rest in her own mental construction, as I couldn't manifest my persona, or think clearly within the confines of mine. That, and she said it would speed up the process if I was here instead of there. "You were such a jerk to me sometimes," she explained, bringing up an image of me slipping a frog down her shirt when she was seven. 

I laughed and shook my head, dismissing it, before pulling up another of her crying and asking if she could stay with me during a thunder storm.   Her eyes softened as she watched it. It was hard to describe. No actual image presented itself. It was more like a memory was brought to the surface, and I had realized that she sent it to me instead of me remembering it. Then I had sent her one back in a similar manner.

"Okay, not always a jerk. I don't remember totally now, but Mom and Dad were gone, and that was the first time it was storming, right?" she asked, smiling back at me.

I smiled back softly, and nodded. "You always used to stay with them, but that was the first storm where they were gone. After that, you always stayed with me each time. I think they thought you got over your fear instead," I deduced, causing her to giggle.

"Well we know the truth of what a chicken I really am," she agreed, winking at me.

I mentally bonked her on the head, causing her to scowl towards me. "You've defended me enough lately to easily redeem all that," I defended, smiling at her instead. Her eyes widened and she blushed lightly before looking away.

"You're my Brother. Of course I'm going to defend you. I just wish I could have held those three off too," she admitted, sitting down on what little ground had formed.

I shook my head slowly, trying to remain smiling. I knew she could feel my emotions regardless, but I wanted to at least be brave for her. "You tried. I know you did. We can get stronger now, together, right?" I reasoned, causing her to get a light smile, anyway.

"I suppose. And now I'm pretty sure I can keep talking to you, instead of having such difficulty thinking, like before," she added, finally smiling again.

I laughed. "Well I guess that's a good byproduct of what they did, right?"

Jess' eyes narrowed with deadly intensity. "No, not at all. I'd rather be brain dead than have you go through that, but I didn't exactly have much choice," she corrected, sounding absolutely pissed.

I realized it wasn't directed at me, but I still swallowed weakly. I'd rarely heard her sound angry, and definitely never quite like that. "I know, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry, Sis," I muttered, looking away from her again.

"No, I'm not mad at you, Bro. But if I could, those bitches would be murdered already," she admitted, not that I hadn't already realized that.

I smiled softly at her and nodded. "Thank you, Jess. I'm glad you're here, at any rate."

Purdue started glowing, and distracted both of us immediately, however. The platform, a dark gray in color prior, shifted to a pretty azure as it started rapidly expanding. Smiling, I slipped my right hand in again, and nodded as it didn't break apart. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, I stepped fully through the portal and looked around slowly. The blue shifted to browns and greens immediately, and a light tuft or two of grass sprouted in a few spots. The brown of the dirt looked familiar, though. A deep blue color, like that of a well lit night, exploded above us, rapidly expanding to the horizon within seconds. The A-Bra blinked, then turned around and smirked at me. I smiled gently back before looking about at the mountains and dilapidated structures started to re-form.

"Your cognitive functioning has restarted. Most of your knowledge was left untouched, from what I've seen. They were mostly interested in your memories," Purdue explained, walking back towards me as I admired the re-forming landscape.

"Which are a mess, by the way," Sis finished for her.

I raised an eyebrow towards Jess, but she just shook her head. "They're not my memories, and they're not like they're numbered, you know. I don't think I can help with them much," she furthered.

Purdue nodded gently. "You'll have to let them come back by themselves and sort them out yourself. Smaller things might be missing, unfortunately, and there may be some residual bleed through, but your important memories should be intact still, and the most recent ones."

"I'm just happy to be able to think straight again," I muttered, rubbing my temples at the sudden headache.

The A-Bra shook her head wearily. "The headache is going to be there for a few days, probably. Regaining consciousness should actually improve it," she muttered, trailing off and stumbling slightly.

Taking a step forward, I steadied her by grabbing both shoulders. "You've done a lot for us, Purdue. You should rest now, though," I recommended. A-Bras weren't built for prolonged power use like this, if I remembered correctly.

Purdue nodded softly and let me help her back to the portal. "Yeah, I think a solid fourteen hours sleep sounds nice," she muttered.

I chuckled and nodded to her as I helped her back into her own mind. "Yes, you've earned it. I'll pass on your amazing work and make sure you can sleep," I agreed, releasing her lightly upon making sure she had her balance.

She turned and smiled gently at me then, before a light blush overtook her cheeks. "I'm not used to someone being so kind to me. Thank you, Keith," she suddenly said softly.

I started to smile towards her as the portal slowly shrunk. Nodding then, she leaned back through the portal and pecked me gently on the cheek. My eyes widened, but she retreated back through the portal as fast as she came. "Good night, Keith," she spoke, just as the portal closed.

Blushing, I could feel Jessica's knowing grin behind me, and I sighed.

* * * * *

It was a weird sensation. My perspective shifted to that of laying down. My own body suddenly felt foreign, heavier than I was anticipating. Fighting back the sensation, I very tentatively twitched my left hand, heart climbing into my throat.

Nothing. It twitched as normally as possible, nothing restraining its movements. My heart slowed down again, and I was suddenly aware of a weight on my chest.

Finally getting courage enough to open my eyes, the all too familiar hospital room greeted me. Beats what I had been worried about. Purdue lay sleeping on my chest, arms to each side of herself as if she had attempted to fly. She had a soft smile on her face though, and I smiled to myself as well. I was thankful for her now, rather than irritated at Cuthbert's attempts to spy.

Glancing to my right, I saw Patrick and Kari immediately. She was slumped against the side of his chair, sleeping gently. Shifting my gaze up and to the left, my eyes locked onto his, staring directly back at mine. We just regarded each other for a few seconds, before I shifted my gaze back to straight ahead.

Slowly sitting up, I tested my body for functionality. My limbs were sore, but moving. It looked and smelled like someone had washed me up, and I shuttered. The memories came back, and I slammed my eyes shut, trying not to throw up.

Several seconds passed. Finally, I distracted my thoughts by tracing the designs in the sheets. My stomach settled again, and I suddenly realized I was clutching Purdue like a Teddy. She was still sleeping soundly, and simply rolled up with the flow into my arms, smiling softly. Maybe she thought I was Cuthbert? Shifting my gaze to the right slightly, I noticed my wrist was heavily bandaged. I'd have to thank Tyra, as I had a sneaking suspicion she cleaned me up, too.

"At least your eyes aren't silver," Patrick muttered quietly, a mere whisper.

I smiled softly, and looked back over at him. "I'm me," I replied simply, mirroring the volume.

"Good. It's six in the morning," he enlightened, saving me trying to find a clock. The room was quite dark, the only light coming from the small window over Patrick's head.

Groaning weakly, I rubbed my right temple with my hand, my entire left arm occupied with holding Purdue. After several seconds, I rotated and carefully placed her on the mattress instead. She settled instantly, and I silently wished I could sleep that soundly. "What's my legal status?" I asked quietly, after covering her with the sheets and standing.

"Cleared of all suspicion, but still with a revoked license, as far as I've been told," he replied without hesitation.

My eyes widened momentarily. Well I should have expected it, I guess. "Kittra and Kari?" I asked weakly, them being my only concern, really.

"Kittra was run through a healing cycle and shoved in storage, incarcerated until you were available. Kari was transferred to me, as per Cuthbert's order," he furthered, frowning afterwards. Oh.

"I see," I whispered, looking back at Kari, eyes softening. I'd not anticipated that one. But Patrick was a nice guy too, so it was for the best, really. I came back specifically to apologize to her, and her no longer being mine didn't change that.

Patrick sighed, and I realized I'd been staring at her for almost thirty seconds. "I didn't tame her, so don't worry. Kiya's taking care of her needs, and I'll transfer her over to you as soon as they reinstate your license," he assured.

I looked away from them both. "I only woke up so I could apologize to her. Nothing else is important. If she's happy with you," I trailed off. You're underestimating her desires. The thought was distinctly not mine, and I rolled my eyes.

Patrick stared at me for a few seconds, before narrowing his eyes. "You'd better be joking, or I'll knock the sense back into you myself," he suddenly threatened.

It caught me off guard, and I widened my eyes, asking, "Excuse me?"

"She wasn't lying about her feelings for you, and if you ditch her after giving her so much hope, I'm going to be pissed," he added, voice coming out in a low growl. I ignored Kari starting to stir.

"I'm not worth the feelings! Look, if she can be as well treated with you, and is happy, isn't that for the better?" I reasoned, moving my arms to the sides in frustration.

Patrick's hands clenched to fists. "No, it's not! Her feelings are already clear. Accept that and stop talking retarded nonsense!" he ordered.

My irritation spiked, and my eyes narrowed. "Keith, calm down," I heard whispered in my mind.

"Don't tell me what to do without even considering my feelings either! It might be clear from your perspective, but feelings are getting a little blurry from my position," I growled back.

"If it's about that stupid Hellcat, maybe you should actually ask the two involved instead of jumping to wild speculation as an excuse to give up?" he suggested, tone shifting coldly.

"Wild speculation?! They fucked each other in front of me!" I reminded, glaring.

"So? They're both yours!" he shot back.

Kari's hand suddenly settled on his left arm, distracting and drawing both our attention to her. "Stop it, Patrick. If he doesn't want me in the same way anymore, you can't force him to."

Patrick's eyes softened a little, but he shook his head rapidly. I frowned at Kari, ignoring the "Told you," in my head, and lowered my arms again. Patrick said nothing, and just walked out of the room. I glanced briefly after him, before returning my gaze to Kari.

She made no attempt to follow him, and just watched me, sadly. "I'm sorry, Keith," she suddenly whispered, saying the exact thing I wanted to say to her. Her mouth stayed open, as if she wanted to say more, but no sound came out. Her eyes got watery instead, and she managed a soft squeak before closing her mouth again. My heart sink a little more, as if pulled down by the tears slipping down her cheeks. Before I really processed my decision, I was holding her softly as she sobbed into my chest. Was I wrong? Was what Purdue said accurate?

"Duh," sounded from Jessica, followed by the mental image of an eye roll. I sighed.

"No, I'm sorry. The entire reason I bothered cooperating with Purdue was to say that to you," I finally told her. It felt like a weight was lifted off my chest.

Both of her hands clenched, pulling the fabric of my hospital gown tightly. "I'm yours. That's the only thing that matters right now," she declared strongly. 

My eyes started to widen at her sudden adamant commitment, but her lips crashed into mine before I could fully process it. The hunger was absent from the kiss, but it was replaced by something else entirely that sent sparks through my mind, and caused my chest to warm wonderfully. What was that feeling? Like taking your shoes off after a full day's work. Or wrapping up in a warm blanket during a cold day. Relief! Kari was releasing a tension in me, that had built up over the last few days. That nagging doubt as to how she felt. I was with her again, and away from all who wanted to hurt me. With just her.

I'd not even realized I'd done it until I fell backwards. Kari had leaned against me harder and harder until my legs hit the edge of the bed and I toppled backwards. My right arm narrowly pulled against me in time to miss bashing Purdue in the side. The whole bed rocked as I hit, Kari landing on top of me and smothering me with her entire body. It was if she had wanted to pull me into herself as much as possible; to consume me.

"It won't happen again. I won't touch anyone except you. Just please, take me back?" she pleaded suddenly, her emotions overwhelming her earlier statement.

I simply held her there as she pushed her face into my chest. "That's what I apologized for. Misunderstanding your intent with Kittra. She's part of the team, so what you did was okay," I assured gently, rubbing her back.

"But she's a girl," Kari protested, blushing, then asking, "I didn't think I'd be interested in another girl like that. I don't know what to think. Does that make me a lesbian?"

I smiled and shook my head softly. "You're experimenting, for one. You also still are interested in me, no?" I pointed out.

She raised an eyebrow to me, looking amused. "Keith, I like you as a lot more than friends. I feel safe and warm when you simply hold me. The only thing Kittra stirred in me was lust," she explained, leaning up and kissing the underside of my chin.

I pulled her tightly against me, and simply held her there. It was sad, really. Pokegirls were seen in such a sexual light that people tended to not realize the depth of feelings past that. Kittra was actually modest and reserved once I'd gotten to know her. Kari was the same girl I'd fallen for, in the end. She had feelings and emotions beyond the lust, and it was impossible for me to think otherwise. They were social creatures too, just like humans. Maybe taming was actually about a lot more than sex?

Lifting her with me, I restored her to her feet and just held her while standing. "I want you back, if you'll have me," I finally answered.

She made a happy cooing noise, and nuzzled gently into my chest. "Of course, Master," she added with a wink.

Rolling my eyes, I bonked her playfully on the head. She giggled and pretended to squirm against me. Grinning, I shook my head and glanced back at Purdue. The A-Bra had curled up, and was now making a faint squeaking noise with every exhale. She was still asleep after all that? Her powers of lethargy were that of legend.

Deciding to let her rest, I wandered back towards the exit to the room, towing my grinning Witch girlfriend by the hand. Patrick was leaning against the far wall with a knowing smirk on his face when I opened the door. "Oh shut up," I muttered, causing Kari to snicker and him to grin more.

He wandered along after me, falling into place at my left. Kari finally caught up to my right side, and continued holding my hand. And that was that, really. He knew he was right and that I realized it. He rubbed it in, and didn't seem angry anymore. I just let it drop.

It didn't take long at all. Nishia caught up with us and wanted to see how I was. Tyra then came up while Nishia was still inquiring. The real shock was when Lythis interrupted both. Of course, she only said that Cuthbert wanted to talk, and led me to his office. I only managed to escape the other to under oath that I'd visit them afterwards, though.

Wandering upstairs with Lythis was surprisingly awkward. The large bandages on her back were clearly visible through her shirt. The winh must still hurt. She also had numerous other bandages covering her, and I wondered why she hadn't been put through a healing cycle. We reached the top of the stairs when Lythis stopped ten feet down the hall. I barely managed to stop in time. Kari didn't, and ran abruptly into my back. Patrick started chuckling at her, earnings him a glare, and a smirk from me. Lythis kept her back to me, and stood silent for a few seconds.

"I'm sorry. You're a very skilled strategist," she suddenly apologized.

Huh? I blinked in confusion. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, then she simply continued down the hall as if nothing had happened. Patrick looked equally as confused as me, but Kari just smiled softly and followed after her.

"Er?" I muttered as I continued after Kari.

The Witch snickered and glanced back at me. "What she meant to say was she should have listened to you during the battle, and now admits how amazing you are," she revealed.

Lythis stopped walking and glared back at Kari over her shoulder, and I heard Patrick start chuckling behind me. Deciding it would be best to head off a confrontation, I interrupted with, "Thank you, Lythis. We won, and couldn't have without you."

The Archangel went from glaring at Kari, to staring blankly at me, a light look of surprise dancing about her expression. "Oh, um. Well, thank you, Mr. Ó Braonain," she managed to say after several seconds delay. It was the first time I'd seen her normally stoical personality. I suddenly realized she was just about as used to socializing as I was.

"Just Keith. I don't feel I've earned 'Mr' yet," I corrected, smiling warmly towards her. Or trying my best to smile warmly. I didn't exacly remember the feelings involved in invoking one. It was an unfortunate reminder as to the state of my mind.

Lythis' eyes widened after several more seconds of blankly staring at me. "B-But Captain Cuthbert didn't let me refer to him by first name for months. It simply isn't proper!" she protested.

I raised an eyebrow to her. "I'm not your tamer, nor am I in your organization. You don't need to abide by formalities with me," I reminded.

"It would have been faster to just go with the flow," Patrick muttered behind me.

Kari giggled and shook her head. "It would have pissed him off all day." She was in a surprisingly good mood, I noted.

Lythis ignored them both, seeming distracted with her own fluster. "But you're human," she groaned, lowering her eyes.

"And you can reduce me to the consistency of three year old milk. I respect that," I replied, starting to partially agree with Patrick.

Lythis looked shocked. "I'd never attack you!" she protested, looking panicked.

I laughed at her reaction. "Never said you would. Just could. Thus, power and control. Even more respect," I reasoned.

She stared blankly at me. A light pink tint had found its way onto her cheeks, and I suddenly realized she didn't look as old as I thought she was. Taking a closer look, I'd put her in her very early twenties, not thirties as I'd thought before. Thought? Assumed was more accurate. There was sort of a mental shorthand involved. Her personality prior made her 'feel' more mature, and thus, older than she actually was. It made me wonder how much I actually looked at people, and how much of it was subconscious assumptions. I made the mental note to really look at Kari later.

"You're a very strange human, you know that?" she finally pointed out, pink withdrawing and her expression going back to normal.

I chuckled and nodded weakly. It was a bit disconcerting. What was causing the second class treatment of all pokégirls by a surprising majority of people? Was it truly anger lingering from the war? Lythis continued down the hall, and I sighed, slowly following along after her. Kari lingered slightly this time, seemingly thinking about something, but Patrick just shrugged and followed after me.

The office hadn't changed much since I'd last been in it. It felt a little different as I sat back down in the chair in front of the desk, but other than that, there was no indication as to what felt off. Cuthbert seemed engrossed in paperwork, so I just relaxed and let the tension slip out of my shoulders. I felt uneasy, and I didn't know why. Purdue was down in the infirmary still, so nobody was going to try to read my mind. Was that what was causing me discomfort? "Calm down. I'm on full defensive in case anything happens," I heard whispered inside my head. It was a strange sensation, as if thinking to myself again, but it being distinctly not my thoughts. I knew it was my sister, though, so while strange, I wasn't concerned.

"Thanks," I attempted to think back as accurately as I could. Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to slow my heartbeat down a little.

"Yes, I just wanted to debrief you, finally, and ask you a few things," Cuthbert suddenly spoke, causing my heart to almost rip out of my chest, ruining my attempts to slow its pace.

He gave me a strange look as I jumped a little, and I felt myself get cooler as I tried to calm down. I probably had just paled considerably too. I coughed lightly, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Sorry, do continue," I muttered after several seconds.

Lythis frowned, but Cuthbert just shook his head. "There was no reason for what happened. The Inspector found nothing but truth to what you had already told us, which I had already relayed to him. I'm less than pleased about the whole ordeal," he relayed. I gave nothing but a blank stare, suddenly finding it difficult to figure out entirely how I felt about what he'd just said. He was obviously covering his ass, and I doubted he expected me to not realize that. Which means that he probably felt badly for it, and his hands were tied to some degree. Sighing, I let myself slump into my chair a little more, headache returning somewhat.

"Well, regardless, the guild has deemed you entitled to minor compensation for your 'cooperation' as they indicated, and have sent you a message to your Pokédex. Have you gotten it?" he asked. Finally, a question.

I shook my head lightly. "I woke up all of twenty minutes ago, and find myself at a loss for what's been happening," I replied, surprised at the somewhat venomous tone to my own voice.

Cuthbert sighed and nodded. "Well make sure to check it later. I have no idea what they consider 'minor compensation', but I suppose it's better than nothing," he added, seemingly at a loss.

Patrick suddenly snorted, and I glanced over at him. He'd found a position in the chair he had sat in prior, to my right. "This is a bad joke, right? The league actually has people authorized to come in and do this, and then barely accepts fault for abuse of power?" he asked, glaring towards Cuthbert.

The Captain shook his head weakly. "I don't agree with it either. Usually, they only bring in an Inspector such as him for a Pokégirl. Humans are left to us to question."

Rolling my eyes, I pondered out loud, "So they consider me on par of mental resistance because of Jessica."

"Your...sister?" Cuthbert asked, raising a confused eyebrow.

Oh. Oops. "They didn't give you the results?" I asked, frowning.

He shrugged passively. "A basic report. Another 'self-contained' entity exists inside your mind, rated 'unlikely' to be fabricated by you, is the only thing mentioned," he informed. I suddenly wanted to start laughing.

"My Father had an interesting blood gift. He used it to bind my Sister's soul to mine. I recently found out she was the one mentally defending me," I clarified. No real point in hiding it.

"Ah! A lot of things make sense, now," he replied, smiling suddenly.

Kari and Patrick both frowned. "You never mentioned her before," he commented.

"I only discovered that recently. Prior, she only could interact with me in my dreams, which I assumed were just that," I explained simply, shrugging.

Kari tilted her head. "So now she can talk to you out of dreams too?" she inquired curiously.

"Yup, I can!" I heard in my head, causing me to chuckle.

"Yes, she can," I mirrored, unbeknownst to them.

Cuthbert frowned, then, seemingly remembering something. "But the report labeled the other personality as Kessandris, and related to your mother."

Shaking my head weakly, my eyes lowered as I glanced back at the Captain. "No, it's not a personality. She still has all her memories and magic abilities, and she is my mother," I corrected softly.

"But your mother's name is on file as Kess, and had nowhere near that level of magical talent," he disputed in a confused sounding way.

I stared blankly at the desk for a few seconds. That's where I hit the wall. There were so many things I just didn't know about Mom and Dad. Who were they, really? "I don't know. Kess is probably her nickname that Dad had for her. I think they were Recognized," I deduced, utterly unsure. It's strange, now that I really think about it, but they never talked about how they met or what they did before my Dad's twenty years of service assisting the local police force. All I knew was that Mom was his alpha, and he sold the rest of the harem after retiring.

"Do you think that's how she got in you? Did his link with her transfer when he tried to put your sister in you?" Cuthbert asked, looking back down at the file he had opened on his desk.

I'd never thought about it. "Maybe, although it seems unlikely. Dad didn't die for a month after Mom, so he should have still had his link. But if it severed with death, he shouldn't have had any link to attach. I don't know how it happened," I pondered aloud, getting myself frustrated. Another dead end. The more answers I discovered, the more questions arose.

Cuthbert sighed and slid the file across the desk and to me. I spun it around and glanced at it before frowning. Zageith. No last name on record. A huge list of prior identified crimes, with no convictions as of yet as he's never been caught. I skimmed them briefly before looking back up at his data. They didn't seem to have much on him. Then my eyes caught the affiliation list, and widened. "He's based out of Azure League, and a member of the Costa Nostra," Cuthbert suddenly confirmed, watching me carefully. Lythis remained at attention, staring at the wall behind me.

"I'm not entirely familiar with the Azure League. What's the Costa Nostra?" I asked warily.

"They're a professional criminal organization based off pre-war Mafias," Lythis answered instead.

It hit me like a brick to the face. "What's an out-of-league criminal organization doing murdering a family in Blue League?!" I demand, not able to stop it from exploding out.

Patrick and Kari looked surprised, and Lythis' eyes softened. Cuthbert sighed, but continued staring blankly. "Do you know anything about your parents before they lived here?" he asked softly.

I thought about it for a few seconds before slumping back into my chair. "No," I weakly muttered, looking down at the desk.  This wasn't happening.

"You can't rule out they had some sort of involvement, then. The attack against them struck me instantly as a revenge hit," he reasoned.

I shook my head rapidly. "No, they wouldn't have had anything to do with something like that," I deflected, frowning. I tried to push Kessandris' behavior out of my memories.

Cuthbert's stare bore into my skull it seemed. He took the logic apart without needing to even say anything. Why now, so many years later? Why us? Why couldn't I just be left alone?!

"You should rest, Kiddo. You're not fully recovered. Also, an Azure League Ranger is on his way. He's asked if it would be okay to talk to you," Cuthbert added softly after half a minute.

I sighed and looked back up at him. "I still have a month of school left if they'll let me continue. I'm not exactly going anywhere until then," I reminded with little feeling. I was already a month behind.

"I'll talk to the principal. It wasn't exactly your fault you were abducted," Cuthbert assured, nodding to me.

I nodded back, and slowly stood up. "What's going to happen to Kittra?" Patrick suddenly asked. I glanced over at him before mentally shrugging.

"She's being held in storage until Keith decides if he wants her back or not," Lythis replied calmly as Cuthbert looked back down at paperwork.

"What happens if I don't?" I asked quietly, causing Kari to frown at me.

Lythis shrugged. "She'll either be run through a level five taming cycle and re-conditioned, or executed."

"Even after helping with Karumi?" Kari asked weakly.

"The only one she listens to is Keith. They'd have to," Patrick muttered, looking back over at me.

Shaking my head, I asked, "Do I have some time to consider it?"

Lythis nodded, but Cuthbert looked up suddenly. "Oh, there is one more thing before you go," he informed, trailing off.

* * * * *

The sky overhead was as gloomy as my mood. Typical spring weather, for this area even before the war, I'm told. I don't know. I rather enjoy a light rain or thunderstorm. There's something about it that's peaceful. It has a calming effect for me, to just watch the drops slide over roofs and puddle in indentations. I like standing in it.

Today was no exception, and I breathed deeply as I let the moisture slide down my cheeks, hiding the signs of the inner upheaval nicely.

"And may his soul finally find the peace that he couldn't find in life, in the arms of his beloved family that went before him," the speaker continued. I didn't have the heart to tell him Mom and Sister were actually inside of me.

In truth, I didn't know the guy. He was a friend of Father's from the police, if I remember his introduction. But we'd never met before now. It didn't really concern me, though. He was kind and spoke highly of Dad.

Looking down again, I stared at the dark, wooden coffin twenty feet in front of me. It resided on the pulley platform, ready to be lowered into the concrete barrier eight feet below. Feelings stirred, but I swallowed and fought them down. Part of me figured he was already buried with Mom and Sis. I hadn't entirely realized they were waiting for his only surviving family to decide the details.

Not that there were many. He had an amazingly specific will. Almost as if he predicted this. It was simple in execution, however. Everything went to Sis and I. Mom wasn't even in it, oddly, except that he wanted to be buried beside her. I had asked the clerk if he changed it after she and Jess died, but he said no. Then he pointed out that Jessica was assumed alive in the will, so I had to agree. He had at least considered the possibility of this happening. The conversation with Cuthbert two days ago ran through my mind again, and I felt sick.

Kari must have sensed it, as she took that moment to lean into my right side and kiss my shoulder gently. I think I surprised her when I pulled her closer. After realizing my mistake, the wound had healed a little. It still bothered me no matter how much I reminded myself it was immature, but I didn't act on it. In its stead, I found appreciation for Kari. She was stability. A part of my past that hasn't been send spiraling. I felt myself needing that, and her. It added to our friendship in a way. Our relationship, however, continued beating its head against a wall. That uncomfortable part had prevented me from approaching her closely again. She even got another taming from Kiya instead of me. I'd tried to work myself into it, but she was the one who suggested the Ria. Admittedly a blow to my ego again, but better for all in the long run I suppose.

Kari settled down after I just held her against me, and we both watched the coffin slowly lower into the ground. I felt empty, and tears that weren't mine slipped down my cheeks. "Good bye, Father. Rest," I whispered before turning away. Kari held me tightly by the arm. I regarded the two stones next to Dad's for a few more seconds. Memories drifted by themselves, and I briefly smelled the waffles my Mom cooked for me occasionally before school. My right fist clenched without me telling it to. I was mad. But I couldn't find a target to be mad at. Karumi was dead. Zageith was being held in the jail. Everyone I knew was involved, I couldn't just punch repeated.

Turning from the stones, I rapidly headed for the exit, Kari still hanging on. She held on tightly, as if she'd fall apart if she let go. With nothing else holding is there, we stepped onwards and headed home.

Chapter 12 - End