~Starting Over~

It stared back at me. The crimson eyes didn't blink, they didn't wafer. Hate and anger resided in red, locked on its single target. Why? Why do you feel this way towards me? That was always the question...but I never got an answer...as silence was always there. Questions pooled around my skull, buzzing through me before resting on the tip of my tongue. I had so desperately wanted to ask...but I never did.

The ominous color peeked out of the shadows. I couldn't look away from its glare, feeling I would fall into its twisted ways by a simply change in direction. Its gaze was hammering its way into my mind, etched into my brain like a horrid memory. A small light appeared from above, slightly getting the shadows to shrink back and with it, the glare. The ice-cold isolation was disturbed, and a wave of heat ran through the air. I could feel it...another presence.

It tingled along my arms and ran up my spine, ice tipping my fingers and toes as I just stood there frozen. We weren't alone...it wasn't just the two of us...but who? Who was this other person?

I felt myself nervously gulp, my heart becoming anxious as silence engulfed the room once more. I could feel my heart as it pounded against the walls of my rib cage. Cold nervous chills ran up my spine... causing me to breathe shallow as my blonde hair began to stand up on its own. My feet nervously trembled, remaining glued to the floor. My hands were trembling terribly, shaking as they touched my face. I felt numb, heart pounding, teeth chattering numb. All in one motion a thunderous clap replaced the silence. We stood there for a while, a long while...and the silence was eating away at my ears; I hated it.

"Sad to see how the hero finally falls...especially at the hand of a friend..." My black tipped ears perked at the words. My lips trembled as a hand rushed over my mouth to keep me from screaming. I felt my eyes widen, no...it wasn't possible. Stepping away, the red eyes faded into the black. My heart practically stopped as he stepped into the light. Stepping into the dim light was my partner...my most trusted friend. I felt my eyes shoot open in horror...how? How could you turn on me? I felt my eyelids rapidly blink, trying to be sure that what I was seeing was real and not some horrible trick my mind was playing on me.

"Hello..." That's all that was said...that's all he ever had to say. I stood, tears bulging in my eyes. There was no explanation...only that simple word. Ice entered my chest, I felt detached just staring at his eyes. I was cold, the light I had once known was gone.

"Your going to regret doing this to me..." I felt my knees give out below me, and I was reluctant to look up. I can't look upon his face...he's a monster now. How could I look upon his face after finding out this? I felt defeated, I hadn't fought a single person...and I had already called it quits.

"But...This isn't who you really are! You wouldn't do this to me! You couldn't! I hoped-" I screamed, my heart thumping rapidly. I felt my words get caught in my mouth, unable to finish the sentence.

"Get used to it, besides screwing up relationships is your thing right...?" I felt my head hang low, gravity pulling my tears to the floor.

"Did...the villains really win? Did all of this just lead me to failure? How did you get-" I asked, despair dripping off my voice.

"Welcome to the light of inner-knowing...now can't you see that you were always destined to fail!? You see...its simple...fate is kinda cruel that way...you were always meant to fall at my hand!" I shut my eyes tightly as she cut through the darkness and dealt the final blow...and all at once, everything is still. No breathing, no blinking...no life.

"No!" I yelled, bolting up from my bed. I could feel my heart beating rapidly. My salt-stained hands touched the back of my neck. My breathing felt shallow, as if I was gasping for air. I felt myself jump as a hand touched my own. I pulled away, my eyes immediately darting to the source.

"Oh..." I sighed quickly. "Its only you Sam..." I felt my ears flatten behind my head. I kept sucking in air, hoping my nervous body would calm down. I felt myself plop onto my bed, I sighed again attempting to calm down. He patted my hand as my eyes wandered to him again.

"Is everything okay? You've had a lot of nightmares lately." He asked, concern running through his voice. I peered out of the teeth of the cliff. The moonlight poured into the room, the moon was still high in the sky. The cool sea air whipped my face.

"I'm not sure...its always the same though..." I whispered, feeling my fingers being gripped. These nightmares were getting worse, and I thought that they would go away...but...I haven't had such luck.

"Wanna talk about it?" Sam whispered hopefully. I felt myself shake my head. It was about those red eyes...but...why did those eyes seem so familiar...why did they seem to hate me? What did they mean? Was it some cosmic universal thing? Was someone sending me a message? What was with these dreams...?

"It's just a nightmare..." I said, sitting on my bed. My thoughts still buzzed in my head, my head beginning to descend as I continued to think. Sam sat beside me, holding my hand.

"Not sure about a cure for nightmares...but kisses from loved ones always helped me." He leaned in, kissing my head lightly. I felt my head turn to him, relaxing as he smiled at his cleverness.

"Yeah. You're right..." I felt myself relax, feeling a small smile appear on the corner of my mouth.

"Its okay...everything will be fine." He whispered, holding my hand as he lay back down. I scooted closer, laying my head on his stomach. I glanced to my right, seeing him smile at me. I closed my eyes. I can't worry about that, everything is fine...

"Goodnight, spark..." I whispered, closing my eyes. I whispered his little nickname. It how I veiwed him when I refered to myself...my spark...

"Goodnight, fire..." He whispered as I dozed off, sinking into the soft hay below. I was feeling a gentle squeeze of my paw and held it close as I fell asleep next to him.

"Ah...nightmares...nice touch..." I smirked, kicking my feet up on the throne. I glanced across the room as shadows poured into the room. So relaxing, silence...its a soothing lulluby to a long day.

"Yeah...aren't they wonderful?" He said in a sarcastic manner. It was like he didn't care one way or another on the matter.

"I'm getting bored of torturing this girl in her dreams...when do we actually get to put our plan in motion?" He muttered, hanging suspended from the floor.

"We've been over this before...we start-..."

"Its already been a year...and several months..." He snapped, growling at me with his teeth tightly clenched. His hand was balled up into a fist his blue eyes once again filling with anger.

"Listen...patience is the key to ruling the world...you have to give people a chance to NOT expect fear. In order to rule the world you must do one thing. The answer isn't based off of the loyalty of minions, or how you run your kingdom once you get there..." I tapped my yellow foot against the black marble floor. Patting noises from my foot filled up the dimly lit black room. Cold chills swirled in the air as I looked at his cold blue icy eyes. I could feel my ears droop down over my cheeks, flattening against my head as I stared at him. He needed a suggestion, an interesting way to rid himself of a downfall. He wanted no loophole...he wanted no escape.

I could feel my nails dig into the arm rests of the chair, a screech emanating as my nails shrunk back closer into a ball. My teeth were clenched, grinding together until the sound of my scratching nails reached my ears. My cheeks crackled like fire, as I sighed being silent for a moment. I noticed his hands circling one another, a red twinge filling the blue irises.

"Its about how you break the hero, how you immobilize them, how you defeat them...and when they can't do ANYTHING, nothing will be able to EVER stand in your way!" I glanced up seeing the devilish smirk that ran across his face. I could feel a smile form from ear to ear on me, pleased with his response.

"We research...we stalk, we study our prey and only finish them off when the timing is right!" I yelled, silence once again stealing the conversation. But I felt myself release a chuckle and laughter was beginning to fill the room.

"But we've been hiding for almost a year and a half! I'm going to die of boredom before we even get there." He whined, growling in annoyance.

"Patience! The job will be finished at our hand...to ensure their life is over..."

"And then?" He asked in a rhetorical manner, already knowing what I was about to say.

"As they beg for their lives with their dying breaths and we look into their eyes to see true fear...that is when we know we've won." He opened a dark portal and the swirls and mixtures of darkness came together and formed a bright shining moon that illuminated the black sky.

"Soul...if we finish together, we will rule together...as partners." He whispered, hiding in the shadows of the bushes of the moon's reign.

"Just focus and get what we came for." He said before vanishing completely. I darted off away from town and up the steep steps of he guild. Rounding the cliff and slickly jumping in through the window to my "teams" old room. I crept down the halls...rounding the corner to the sleeping guild members Sunflora and Chimicho.

My eyes scanned their beds, sleeping forms lying in wait for the next day. A book sat beside that flower...and I cautiously picked it up, shining the letters to the light to read her personal diary. Toward the middle of the book she spoke of that team...and what became of them. Time to find the last piece of information before we begin.

Basil officially left...to Jade forest it seems. I'm actually going to miss him, despite how Sam feels...or in this case felt.

Speaking of Sam, he and Summer will make a amazing couple...I set them up...oh my gosh, did Basil leave because of Sam? Hm...I don't know.

But...I hope he'll be okay wherever he goes...especially after the accident that left him without aura...I think he blames himself...but...what could have done that to him? Its chilling just thinking about it...oh my gosh, I think I just got flower bumps!

But aside from that, he wears a sash now...blue just like him, to cover it up. If someone asks, he simply turns away...I can't blame him, its just another reminder...

I hope that he's happy, wherever he is...and that traveling makes him happy. When it comes to friends, that's all I can hope for.

I rolled my eyes, sighing at her girlish mind. All she thinks about is romance...whatever. I brushed the previous thought away and looked to the top right corner of the page. It dated almost exactly a year and seven months ago...Darkrai was right...it has been a while. No one suspects we're coming so its worth it. We will dominate the world because they didn't see it coming...all too perfect.

I smirked, looking back at the page to see I actually did that to him...scars...sashes, and no aura... It was a rewarding feeling...injuring one of my targets...Darkrai will be most pleased...and that's got to be his biggest fear...getting hurt again... poor defenseless riolu. As for Sam and Summer...their weakness is each other...now that I have everything...its time to begin. I shrank back into the shadows, chuckling along with my partner, as we sank back into the dark portal below.

"Fear is the key...Hate is a result." He whispered. I nodded in response, tomorrow...the hunters are on the prowl.

"Man I'm exhausted..." I said as I trudged through the thick forest. Bushes and old tree bark littered the floor as I tried to walk over them to avoid getting cut. I looked up seeing the branches shield the light from the sun, leaving shady areas. The windy breeze of the forest sent a cold chill up my spine as I continued on.

This endless wondering, never stopping...was mind numbing. Why did I leave? Wasn't I happy at my previous home? Wasn't I glad to see my two friends get together? I guess...but romance isn't the reason I left. I just wanted to get away, find a path that no one could define. Besides, too many memories. Why am I still haunted, even after a year and many months of traveling? But those were questions I had asked long ago...like months ago. But I still didn't have an answer...I continued to walk without a reason to stop.

"I have to keep going...until...I find it...a place where I belong." I muttered, climbing over a few rocks. I wanted to find a place where I belonged, and so far...it didn't seem like that was where I was meant to be. I could wander endlessly and still never find what I was looking for. Starting over in a new place would be nice, it would be a place to start over.

I scanned the wooded area. I noticed all the tall trees end as a small brook lay in wait up ahead. The river sparkled as the moon's white rays rested upon it. The stars twinkled on the reflection of the rushing water. I breathed in the sweet air and a chilling effect ran through my body. This place seemed pretty peaceful. May be a good place to rest for the night, then head out in the morning.

"Okay Basil...just cross the river." I muttered to myself, looking across the river, noticing a cave on the other end. It seemed like a big enough cave to stay in, certainly enough to stay the night. But there's always a problem. I felt my teeth grit, nothing is ever easy...

I looked to the river, and the current seemed strong, not violent strong...but probably enough to take me up-stream if I wasn't careful. I pushed my paws onto a big rock that sat just above the river...better get a running start...maybe then I might not have to get wet.

I bolted to the edge, leaping into the air with my legs outstretched to try to reach the other side. I glanced at it for a moment as I glided through the air. I hadn't realized what a wide river this was and felt my toes slip into the icy water. I yelped out a shriek from the cold, feeling half my body sink into the water. I felt my heart stop at the chill of the icy water, my lower half trembling as I struggled to move my toes.

I pushed my paws forward to try to reach the other side, feeling my toes glide over the moss-covered rocks. It tickled my toes so I took another hard step, feeling the ground give way a bit. I felt myself off-balance, getting swept away in the current.

So now the current had me on my back, floating up-stream. I was pushed and pulled by the water, breaking out to get some much-needed air. Water washed over my head and ceapted into my lungs as I tried to breathe in air every time I surfaced. My head hit what felt like a hard surface and a throbbing pain rang through my mind. I could feel my vision blurring as I fought to stay above the water. I gripped the rocks I slid by, only touching the fuzzy slime that covered the rocks. I tumbled through the waves finally being met with a thud on what felt like smaller rocks. My head was pounding and I could hear bells in my ears.

"Great..." I muttered as I heard gravel shifting in the distance. I felt myself tense up as the shifting grew louder. How I wished my aura would tell me who it was or what their motives might be...but I remained in the dark. I tried to lift my arms and found I couldn't, everything felt so heavy. Was I going to get attacked today too? And on top of everything be completely defenseless? This is just perfect... best day ever.

Please review and let me know how you feel about this original piece. If your lost, you should read "Love in the Abyss of Time" first. If you are unsure about something or want to see a question answered, let me know what in a review.

As a side note: This is a completely original fic. It has been edited for your pleasure and is owned by myself and me alone...no one else. So...without further ado SunnySummer77 proudly presents "Hate in the Abyss of Darkness"