enharmonic:

Chapter Six

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"A…B…C…D…E…F…G…H…I…J…K…L…M…N…"

"N…N…N…"

"What's…after…N…?"

"Why can't I remember?"

"It's alright, my son, you just need a trick to help you remember!"

"A…trick? Isn't that cheating?"

"No, no, it's not cheating…"

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"Out."

That single word drove a mad shiver down Touko's spine.

"I want that…thing…out." He pointed at Lightning, a glare set on his face, and his mouth was a hard line.

Touko, kneeling next to N on his bed, thought it was ironic that N had called Lightning a 'thing' just as Lightning had called him that a few hours ago.

Said trainer shrugged and allowed himself to be ushered out of the room by Concordia and Anthea as well as a few Plasma grunts who didn't enjoy being near his Luxray. As the door shut, Touko caught a glimpse of him winking, but quickly turned back to N before he could suspect something.

"Touko?" N murmured softly, almost in his normal, more elegant voice.

Her head turned in time to see him lay back against his large, fluffy bed. "Yes N?" Her voice was hard and unforgiving.

For a moment, his lips trembled and he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry." N sounded miserable but his words were heartfelt.

She drew a sharp intake of breath. This was far from what she had been expecting. As she opened her mouth to reply, N cut her off by lifting a finger. "I'm not expecting you to forgive me, Touko, but I truly am sorry from the deepest depths of my heart. I…" He faltered, something stopping him from speaking. Clearing his throat hastily, N continued. "I can't explain to you how…difficult this is for me, Touko…" His voice trailed off again, and his expression showed confusion and anxiety. "If only I could make this up to you…"

"I…" Her mind started racing, and she began having second thoughts about the escape plan. "I don't understand, N…"

He nodded, as if knowing exactly what she meant. "I see. All I need is for you…well, I just want to you understand that everything that's happened… I never wanted it to happen, really," N explained carefully. "Trust me, Touko."

"R-Right." Touko swallowed hesitantly and turned away from him, sinking down against the side of his bed. "Trust…you…" Easy, she tried to convince herself to no avail.

N placed his hand on her head and took her hat off for her. "Just relax a bit."

How can I? she asked herself as she watched him lay down comfortably on his king sized bed. She repeated his 'dear apology' in her head and thought deeply about how he sounded and the words Lightning had said the previous day. Touko bit her lip and crawled to the nearest couch, laying on her back and looking up at the ceiling painted with beautiful Pokémon of Unova. He didn't sound like a childish man who loved Pokémon… He just sounded like a gentleman. A gentleman…? Was N like that? she thought to herself. No, no… He's supposed to be a child… I doubt he would know how to deal with people's emotions… Or would he?

Touko shook her head in annoyance and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She felt her body relax after a few moments, but her mind still raced with mixed thoughts and emotions.

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Great, Lightning grumbled, tapping his fingers against the large black table he sat next to. Now I've gotta bust from here… The Electric-type trainer had been caught trying to steal some of N's files on the Nuvema Town residents and was thrown into a jail in the castle. Concordia had stated that N was too tired to deal with him at the moment and needed rest, so Lightning was to be dealt with later.

Of course, that's not going to happen, he reminded himself, sliding an Ultra Ball from his jacket and tossing it up and down in the air.

'Eleeccc!' (Stop juggling me around!)

"My bad," Lightning suddenly said, clenching the ball a bit tighter.

Now all he needed was a plan.

With a sigh, he rested his elbows on his knees and slid the ball from palm to palm, looking at it while he thought up ways for an escape. "What a hassle," he groaned.

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She couldn't sleep. Even if she forced her eyes to close, and told herself to relax, Touko was unable to. N confused her. He always had, ever since… Ever since when? the trainer asked herself. Touko stared up at the ceiling and counted the stars on the wallpaper. Nimbasa City? Or even…even Accumula?

"Psst!" said a soft whisper. "Touko, it's me Lightning."

She sat up slowly from the chair she sat in, wincing as her body cracked under the position she was sleeping in. "What the – what took you so long?" she hissed, crawling towards his voice.

"Zip it," he shushed back, biting his lip. "The kid's a light sleeper." He pointed at N's bed, even though it was too dark to see the older trainer. Lightning grabbed her hand as soon as her skin touched his and pulled her towards the door. "Stay quiet and we should be fine." Touko nodded, heart pounding as Lightning pushed her to the hallway and closed the door.

Purple eyes snapped open as soon as the door quietly clicked shut.

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"I found your Pokémon," Lightning told Touko as soon as they were away from N's quarters. "But there were only five, I'm afraid." He handed the capsules to Touko, who was looking at him suspiciously.

"How did you know these were mine?" she asked in a doubtful voice. Five… Why – oh yeah. Reshiram. She bit her lip and cursed herself for releasing the Legendary beast.

Lightning rolled his eyes and kept dashing around the hallways, keeping a watchful eye for sentries. "Labels," he quickly replied. "N's a neat freak. There are names on all of the Pokéballs for some reason."

"You gotta wonder why…" Touko murmured under her breath. "I see." Touko snapped the five Pokéballs to her belt carefully and asked, "So what's next?"

Lightning stopped for a moment, breathing heavily, and caught his breath. He obviously wasn't used to sprinting so much in a short amount of time. Touko, on the other hand, was perfectly fine and barely needed time to recover. "There's a secret tunnel underground," he replied in between breaths. "I assume they won't think we took this route."

"And how do you know this?"

"I was searching around before I came to you. That's why I had the tracker stuck to your hat 'cause I knew you'd probably run off on your own like your mother – well you didn't, but, I mean, I had to take precautions because if I didn't Hikari would be on my butt at the speed of light and your mother is really like that, a fighter and she's so crazy and almost got me fired out of my jobs on multiple occasions. She was sort of like one of my best friends, Ōba, except she's a girl of course–" He rambled on for a few moments before stopping and realizing he was talking about Touko's mother so much. "Sorry about that." He stopped in his tracks and glanced around the area. "Oh, perfect, we're here."

Touko's head was swimming with the information that Lightning just listed and it took her some time for her brain to process it all. The younger girl was also in shock that the seemingly quiet and bored trainer had suddenly spouted so many words and run-ons. "Where's here?" she repeated, blinking blankly and looking at three completely solid walls that didn't seem would be able to hold an underground tunnel.

"To the right. If you bump right into it, you should be able to feel the button by your right shoulder."

She spun to her right and slid into the wall, feeling it up with her body. "Uhh, I'm not getting anything," she grumbled as she rubbed her face against the cold wall.

"Wrong right," Lightning prompted, his voice clearly amused. "My right, your left."

Touko pushed off the wall, staring at the silhouette of Lightning with narrowed eyes. "Thank you, Sparky." She pressed her hand towards the left wall and poked around until she felt a small bit of walls poking out.

"Sparky?" he repeated as Touko pressed down onto the button. "That's a fitting name. That's …very…electrifying." He raised his eyebrows twice towards her with a soft smile, who rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, let's go," she muttered, not enjoying the fact that she had to work with an electricity-obsessed madman who didn't seem to fear a thing. Then again, she told herself, it's better than being surrounded by a bunch of freaks that think Pokémon should be taken away from trainers. A single step into the dark hole of unknown promises or lies swept all the courage away from the fighting girl. "Umm… Actually, do you think we could go back?"

Lightning looked confused. "Why would you wanna go back to that hellhole?" She wanted to say, Isn't 'hell' fire? but it felt as if something was stuck in her throat. "Shinx – I mean, Zebstrika got your tongue?" Touko nodded and turned away blushing. "When you get older, you'll learn that these kinds of situations are gonna spark a fire through your veins. In a good way." Taking her hand, he took slow steps into the chamber.

A loud slam sounded, and Touko jumped in surprise. "Relax. It's just that door-thing," Lightning assured, chuckling.

"Wasn't very assuring," Touko murmured softly. She began to hyperventilate as they descended slowly into the chamber. The younger girl carefully tiptoed across the darkened floor, her hand gripped tightly onto Lightning's. "H-Hey! You're not taking me anywhere to do weird things to me, are you?"

Lightning sighed and shook his head. "Touko, I'm trying to help you… so please, just trust me!" He wanted to scream his lungs out at her, but Lightning kept recalling moments in his life where shouting and arguing was never the right answer. "I don't want this to be so complicated, kid. Do you want to go back to your lunatic-of-a-boyfriend?"

She paused and bit back a snarl. "F-Fine. But he's not my boyfriend."

"I know," he answered from within the darkness.

It felt weird to be talking to him without being able to see his face clearly. All she could make out were the spikes of his hair and the random blur of his jacket. "Lightning, how much further?"

"I don't know," he replied, squeezing her hand softly. "Just be patient, okay?"

She responded with a grunt.

For a few minutes, they ran through the darkness, which seemed to be a completely straight line since Touko wasn't in front. Many times, she heard Lightning curse or say either "Ow!" "Damn rock!" or "Fuuuuuck, that one hurt!" She was going to ask about why he was so close to Hikari when Lightning suddenly shouted, "Right there! It's the exit."

Touko cocked her head to the side, but soon she realized that a soft light was being emitted from ahead. She started sprinting, but Lightning stopped her, due to his frailer body. "Come on, Sparky! Is your flame burning out already?" she teased, suddenly excited.

"Calm down," he groaned, halting to a walk. "Just be patient…"

"Come on, come on, come on!" Touko sprinted the rest of the way until she felt a soft breeze and the smell of fresh grass and flowers. "Lightning… it's so beautiful –" Her breath stopped short as soon as she recognized who was standing in front of her.

"You have no trust in me." N spoke softly, his purple eyes turned downward in a saddened state. He wore his normal attire, in addition to the little accessories Touko had come to know – the Menger Sponge, the little planet that looked like Jupiter, his bracelets and of course, his black and white cap. "I should have known." His voice changed from a soft spoken whisper to a menacing growl. The Plasma Lord took her hand and began walking back into the tunnel, motioning for one of his grunts to pull Lightning forward.

Her blue eyes searched the darkness. "Where is he?" she quickly asked, tugging on N's sleeve.

N looked confused. "Who? What is this nonsense?"

"Lightning."

The green-haired trainer rolled his eyes and shifted his head to one side, pointing towards the grunts who were restraining the Electric-type trainer. "I don't like him," he grumbled childishly, pulling on her arm. "Interrogation room. Now." His voice changed from sounding like a child having a tantrum to a rather serious businessman.

"I refuse to go anywhere with you!" Touko cried, trying to release herself from his iron grip.

One of the small, orange-haired boys piped up from behind with a snort. "It's not whether you want to or not," he squeaked in a high-pitched voice. "It all depends on what Lord N wants!"

N smiled maliciously as they made their way back into the darkened tunnel. "Please do not hate me." She ignored that comment thoroughly as her eyes darted all around, trying to familiarize herself with who was where before the darkness engulfed her. Three grunts, two on Lightning, one behind me, N grabbing me… Touko noticed that the Plasma Lord hadn't checked her for her Pokéballs, which were attached to her skimpy shorts.

So…this is my one way out, she thought, all or nothing…

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Ow, Lightning groaned, forcing his eyes open. His head was pounding and he moaned in pain as his head was hit onto a hard, ragged rock. Painpainpainpainpain, he growled in his head.

"Lightning." That was Touko's voice, wasn't it? So much like her mother's…

"I don't like him." The eerie voice of N's monster hung in the air like a free noose, just waiting to be tightened around a poor fellow's neck.

Well, I don't like you either, you Plasma freak. After a moment, he felt a large foot hit him in the stomach.

"Interrogation room. Now." The sound was like a wolf howling in the night during a full moon.

Don't, Touko… Lightning thought hard.

"I refuse to go anywhere with you!"

"Well said, young girl," Lightning softly whispered before passing out as his head slammed into another hard rock.

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Lightning awoke again with water dribbling down his lips. He moaned in pain and sat up straight, crashing his chest to something hard. A splash rang and he opened his eyes, looking at a wet Concordia sitting on a nearby chair.

"Ah!" he exclaimed in surprise. "S-sorry…" Blue eyes quickly darted around the room, checking his surroundings carefully. Guarded steel door, pink wallpaper (whadafu?), pretty white lamp on a desk, fluffy bed, Playgirl magazines…what was this?

The goddess smiled ruefully and nodded, patting his hand. "It is tolerable, sir. Although, I am bit a surprised at my Lord, though." The Electric-trainer raised an eyebrow. "He wanted you slaughtered, but Touko persuaded him otherwise. N is normally not opposed by anybody, especially an enemy. You are very lucky." The sentence was ended with a tight and grim smile from the goddess of peace.

"Really? Touko said that?" He was shocked that Touko would care enough to want him alive. "Tell her thank you...please," he added for politeness, as well as a bat of the eyes.

Concordia hastily turned away, her eyes downward. "N is…currently…" Her voice trailed off.

Lightning's ears perked up. "Yeah? N is…?" He sent a glare towards Concordia, trying to get her to answer him. "Please, tell me."

Too polite, Concordia noted. She knew the difference between the honest type and the not-so-honest type, and even the patron saint of liars and fakes.

"Nagisa-san," Concordia started with a sigh, "N is…hurting Touko." Her voice was saddened, but also afraid. "I'm worried for her. I know she is a strong fighter, but N breaks people, no matter how tough they are."

"Like you," the blonde-haired cut in, raising an eyebrow.

Her eye raised to meet his. Those dark blue eyes were full of anger and understanding. "Yes," she agreed after a hesitant moment. "As much as I love and care for him, this is getting out of hand. But Anthea refuses to allow me to convince him to change."

"What, exactly, is making him act this way?" Lightning asked carefully.

Concordia bit her lip and shook her head. "I'm not supposed to speak about the fusion, Nagisa-san."

"My name is Den – Lightning," he corrected. "And…this…fusion? What is this?" His eyes glimmered excitedly and hopefuly.

"No, no, no, please forget that!" she cried. "Ghetsis will have my head!"

Lightning turned away as he took Concordia's hand in his, hoping that he still had that charm in him from nearly ten years ago. "Promise, I'm not gonna say one strike of a word of this."

"Den-Light-san?"

"Lightning," he told her again, his voice gruff.

Concordia gripped Lightning's hand tightly and spoke soon afterwards. "Lightning-san, if I tell you about N, will you help me?" She wanted desperately to be able to trust this man, even though he looked so scary. But again, she was distressed at the moment and needed someone for assistance.

He suddenly smiled wide, adrenaline pumping through his veins and pure excitement in his eyes. "Now we're talkin'. Let's make some sparks fly!" Perfect, he thought. Now I've got something to work with.

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"Stop – stop touching me!" Touko screamed at the top of her lungs, tears running down her cheeks.

"Hush, young girl." His voice was a mix of both distaste and hate. "I always get what I want." N knew that was a total lie, yet he chose to believe in it. The older trainer never was in charge of his life – he simply went along with the path predetermined for him by his father.

Not this time, he told himself with influence from his inner voice. This time, I call the shots.

[end of chapter six: working relations]

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"I'll keep singing this lie if you keep believing it...
The best part of 'believe' is the lie. I hope you sing along and you steal a line. I need to keep you like this in my mind, so give in or just give up. Are we growing up? Or just going down?"

Sophomore Slump or Comeback of the Year –Fall Out Boy

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A critical point in this story, eh? The original idea to how this turns out was changed, fortunately, by my awesome beta-reader aerococonut. In addition to that, she's also helped me out with some grammar issues I've never heard of. NEVER. So give a round of applause to aero-chan! Yay!

*coughs* Which means I'll have to step my game up being her beta too. (I promise. I'll work hard!) Check out her story 'Learning the Art of Friendship' because it's like…ten times better than this in my opinion.

As a little preview to the next chapter, we're not going to jump right into the situation at N's castle. Oh no, we're going back to Touya, Cheren and Bel, who are currently residing in Undella Town, due to the persistence of Touko's mom…

Cheers!

~anime-heroine

PS Sorry for the super late update!