Scattered Lights

[classy_cat18]

I know that I said that I was going to take it easy with the suspense, but after many edits and rewrites, it turned into this. Oh well, it's still finished!

Chapter 9 – Night Falls: Shonta’s Evening

Shonta’s POV

(Day 2, Evening)

Kiba wasn’t very strict when it came to house rules, but she did have one unusual rule…

“Daemons must stay in Daemon or Pokemon form at all times.”

So I was lying on my stomach in the living room, flicking my Raitah tail in the air out of boredom. My Daemon form was more human so I used it. I didn’t feel right walking around the house like an overgrown housecat.

Lord Dairyuu was back in his plushie body, sitting beside me with a stony look. He seemed to be in deep thought so I didn’t bother him. Besides, when I tried to talk to him, he just kept staring into space like his mind was in another world.

Things got calm quickly after the awkward discussion concerning Hayate’s sexual orientation, which was good because I the list of questions I had for him and Kiba were growing by the minute.

The first question…

“When’s dinner?”

“I’m working on it right now,” Kiba answered from the kitchen. “Why don’t you relax outside while I’m cooking?”

I stretched and walked through the screen doors to the back porch. Hayate was already outside in his Daemon form, another cigarette between his lips as he gazed towards the setting sun. He put the cigarette out as soon as he saw me. “Feeling better?” he asked me.

I nodded before sniffing an unexpected scent. I hadn’t noticed it before since I was outside at first. “Ocean? Are we still near Slateport?”

“Not really. We’re east of Slateport, between there and Pacifidlog. The twins’ family owns this island so it’s nice and private.”

Geez, everyone’s rich these days. “How do you know Kiba and Tsume?”

“I was home-schooled at their house when I was a kid, after I got kicked out of private school. Their parents are cool; they had a sort of ‘Daemon pride’ mentality so they actually spent a lot of their time in their Daemon forms and expected me to do the same.”

Now I knew why he was so comfortable in his Daemon form. “I guess they didn’t go out in the public a lot.”

“They went out sometimes. Kiba has ways of hiding her Lucario features so not even other Pokemon can detect them, like all that makeup.”

“To hide her scent?”

He chuckled. “She uses a lot, but it’s mainly to give herself an emo look and divert suspicion.”

“Tsume doesn’t use makeup.”

“No, he uses the Kai Terra Crystal to block his scent. There’s another Knight I know who does it since her Daemon form looks so human. It was, um…” He dug his fingers through his long hair before his green eyes lit up. “Oh yeah, Joi! The Chansey Daemon!”

“The Kai Clear Knight? That’s her Daemon form?”

“Does it really surprise you?” Dairyuu asked me as he climbed onto my shoulder. “Naturally pink hair is not common among humans.”

“Everything about Daemons surprises me.” I plucked him from my clothes and set him on the porch.

“Don’t let it give you a headache,” Hayate advised me.

“Now what about Hotaru? What do you know about her?” I asked the redhead.

He sighed heavily, a puff of smoke escaping from his lips. This time there was no cigarette causing it. “Hotaru’s a mystery. I only saw her while she was married to Uncle Daichi, which was only about five years. Then she disappeared, leaving Uncle with a bratty kid…who he shipped off to my parents in Lavender Town so he could attend prep school.”

Dairyuu and I looked at each other then looked at him. “Then why do you hate her? I mean, besides the fact that she dumped Riku on you.”

“Because she hates me. She said so herself. I’m the only one in the Iwata family with a criminal record and she sees me as a stain on the Daemon race.” His tone was harsh, and his eyes seem to burn with emerald fire. “I’m only not working for her because I’m not worth it.”

My ears drooped as I looked up at him. It felt inappropriate to ask about his criminal record, and asking more about Hotaru would probably make him snap. “Well, the mood just curled up and died,” I grumbled.

“Hm? I don’t understand that,” Dairyuu said to me.

“She’s saying that I killed it,” Hayate clarified. “Anyway, you’re in the care of the pride of the Kuro clan. Kiba and Tsume’s ancestors actually dug the Sinnoh Underground.”

My eyes widened. “No way.”

He grinned at me and continued. “They’re the masters of the earth, which is why the Kai Terra Crystal has never left the clan. In fact, those two Lucario made this island.”

That’s pretty awesome. Dairyuu neglected to tell me that the Kai Terra Crystal was responsible for the Sinnoh Underground. I closed my eyes and enjoyed a brief breeze. The warmer weather in south Hoenn was a pleasant change from the cooling weather in Johto.

“Yo! Tsume!”

I opened an eye to watch a male Lucario walk by me as Hayate waved. Tsume just nodded and walked out onto the grass, his naginata resting on his shoulder. Hayate, Dairyuu, and I intensely watched him as he twirled the polearm weapon with pawlike hands. “He’s good with that,” I commented quietly.

Tsume’s expression didn’t change as he practiced, save for a twitch of the ears when he suddenly stopped. A short second later, I felt whatever put him on edge. Hayate and I both growled, and Dairyuu climbed on my shoulder. “He’s here,” Tsume said calmly.

Tsuki teleported in front of me, followed by Xatu and another cloaked person. Tsuki bowed to me. “Mama has a present for you,” he said cheerfully. He held out a hand to the stranger next to Xatu, who took it and was led to me.

I looked nervously at the stranger as he or she kneeled on the grass and bowed low. “Um…is this the…present?” I slowly asked.

Hayate groaned and covered his eyes. “Holy hell.”

Tsuki took off the present’s cloak, revealing a young, pale-skinned girl in a dark blue yukata (summer kimono). She had long, pointy ears and two bat wings. Her black hair was in a simple ponytail with a dark blue ribbon tied to it. A Zubat Daemon?

Dairyuu had on the same expression as me: wide eyes and a dropped jaw. “Speak,” he instructed the girl. She stayed silent and still. Dairyuu glared at her and raised his voice. “I told you to speak!”

“She’ll only obey Rebecca-kun,” Tsuki said.

Hayate slapped his forehead and yelled in frustration. “KIBA! THAT BITCH HOTARU GAVE SHONTA A SERVANT!” he roared.

“WHAT!” I cried out. I looked down at the girl. “Please tell me he’s wrong.”

She finally sat up and blinked her big violet eyes. “He’s wrong.”

I sighed in relief and laughed shakily. “She’s not a servant.”

Hayate narrowed his eyes. “She just said that because you told her to,” he grumbled through his teeth.

A whimper escaped me. “Who are you?” I asked the Daemon.

“I am your attendant, milady,” she replied sweetly.

“Yeah, I got that. What’s your name?”

“Whatever you decide, milady.”

My tail bristled. “I meant your current name.”

“Whatever you want.” Her small smile never left her face.

Kiba came out and gaped at the new girl. “Holy freaking shhhh…” She covered her mouth and forced herself to stop.

Tsuki giggled and tugged on my shirt sleeve. “Do you like her? Do you?” he asked me excitedly. I could see bright purple eyes and a big grin through the darkness under his cloak.

“I don’t need a freaking servant!” I shouted while pointing at the nameless Daemon. “Take her back!”

The Daemon looked from me to Tsuki, who shrugged, and then looked back at me. “You don’t have need of me, milady?” she asked me, sounding upset.

I hesitated before shaking my head. “I can look after myself.”

Tears formed in her eyes. “I understand.” She reached inside her sleeve and pulled out a black sheath, then slowly unsheathed a short sword.

Kiba gasped and grabbed Hayate’s arm. “A tanto. She’s going to…”

I yelped in shock and yanked the sword away from the girl, accidentally cutting myself in the process. “Were you going to commit seppuku?” Dairyuu asked frantically.

She ignored Dairyuu’s question and sadly looked at my bleeding hand. “You injured yourself.”

“Don’t change the damn subject!” I snapped.

She nodded once and bowed again. “I was raised to serve you, milady. That is my purpose. If you are going to push me away—“

“I wasn’t suggesting you disembowel yourself! Is this Lady Hotaru’s orders?”

“This was my decision.” She lamely reached for the tanto but I pulled it out of her reach. “I would be honored to serve the future wife of Lady Hotaru’s son.”

Dairyuu huffed and looked at me. “So what will you do? Letting the girl end her life seems merciful right now,” he suggested.

I yanked him off the ground and stuck my face close to his. “This is ludicrous!” I hissed. “There is no way her life is revolving around me!”

“You’d be surprised what people would live for.” He struggled out of my hold.

I groaned and looked helplessly at my new servant. I’ve been dragged into a world of insanity, led by the Queen of Egotistical Psychos. I really didn’t have a choice; no way was I letting this girl ruin my conscience. “I need to give you a name, right?”

She sheepishly looked up. “You don’t need to, milady.”

“Too bad, because I need to call you something. Didn’t your friends, your family or Lady Hotaru call you something?”

“Dusk, milady.”

Hayate let out a snort. “What kind of name is that?” he mumbled to himself.

I ignored him. “Dusk it is.”

She let out a tiny gasp. “Thank you!”

My wounded hand was yanked from my side by Dusk. “It’s no problem.” I tried to get my hand back, but she insisted on nuzzling and kissing the cut on my palm. It was only slightly creepy until she started licking the blood off like it was honey. “Hey, stop!”

She immediately let go of my hand and bowed again. “Sorry!”

I rolled my eyes and covered the cut. Great, I’m stuck a creepy vampire. “Tsuki, Dusk will need clothes if she’s going to stay with me.”

“And a friend,” Kiba added. “I remember that she spent time with another Daemon her age.”

Tsuki giggled excitedly. “Mama will be happy! Dusk’s friend will be here in the morning!” He and Xatu teleported where they stood.

The rest of us stood in the backyard in silence for a moment before Hayate chuckled. “You’re finally getting the big family you wanted,” he said to Kiba in amusement.

Kiba glanced at him, not angry in the least, and blushed. “Otou-san said that Tsume and I were enough. I wanted at least six more siblings!”

He gave her a knowing smirk. “Do you want to be their onee-san? Or their okaa-san?”

She didn’t answer that question.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As night finally came, my exhaustion fully reared its ugly head. I curled up and fell asleep in the living room shortly after dinner, my stomach stuffed with stir fry and fish. I somehow knew that Dusk didn’t leave my side while I slept. No one tried to wake me up, but I could feel a blanket being draped over me at some point in time. Hayate’s scent disappeared shortly afterwards.

Something made me wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. My only guess was that I had a nightmare, but I couldn’t recall it. Dusk was still sitting by me, looking very worried. “Are you alright?” she asked me shakily.

“I guess.” I looked at the sleeping plush body of Dairyuu, and then at a digital clock on a nearby wall. “Two a.m. Why aren’t you sleeping?”

Dusk blinked innocently. “I was too restless, milady. I was so excited about meeting you today that I haven’t been sleeping at night. I develop nocturnal behavior when that happens.”

I understood that. Artemis was the same way, so Dusk would also soon go back to sleeping at night. I hope that’ll be pretty soon, because it feels creepy to have someone watching me while I sleep.

I stood and looked over her young appearance. “How old are you?”

“Um…” She scratched behind one of her ears. “Nine, I believe.”

“Nine?” I reeled back. “Holy crap. That’s not even old enough to go on a Pokemon journey. Are you…related to Lady Hotaru?”

“No. She found me abandoned years back. She sheltered me as well as several others. She’s a savior for young Daemons like me.”

I seriously couldn’t decide what I thought of Lady Hotaru. Daemons had gotten a bad reputation in the past, so it was gracious of her to at least take them in. But to make them into servants…

“I need some time alone,” I whispered.

She cocked her head to the side. “Do you need assistance?”

“I don’t need an attendant.” Before she could reply, I kept talking. “I do, however, need a companion.” She merely nodded and stayed where she was.

I walked through the first floor hallway in search of the bathroom and went through a door that was partially open. The strong scent that reached my nose told me that it wasn’t the bathroom, but Tsume’s bedroom. Wrong room. If Tsume is territorial, then why did he keep his door open?

There wasn’t any movement or sound coming from the lump under the covers. At first I thought that he was still sleeping. But then, I reasoned that I would at least hear his steady breathing as he slept. He was awake and holding his breath, probably waiting for me to do something.

“S-sorry,” I stammered.

“You’re awake,” he said quietly.

“Yeah. Had a nightmare, I think.”

He rolled on his back and sat up, showing his bare torso. “Your room is across the hall.”

“Yeah, okay. Thanks.” I didn’t move, my yellow eyes still on his red ones.

“Do you need anything?” There was no emotion behind his voice, but I could tell that he was annoyed.

I licked my lips. “Hayate seemed to be angry at Lady Hotaru for…for making you…”

“She did not make me into anything.”

My hand tightened on the doorknob. I could almost detect anger in his voice. “So…what did she do? What did you do to be working for her?”

He sighed and slid out of bed, standing next to his naginata. At least he was wearing pajama pants. “I merely am fulfilling my part of the contract.”

“What contract?”

“She saved my life. I willingly gave it to her. It was the appropriate price.”

My mouth worked before my brain could tell me that I shouldn’t say anything. “Was taking away your emotions part of the deal?”

A sudden growl shocked me into movement as I stumbled backward to the other side of the hallway. Tsume’s eyes burned with anger. His teeth were bared. “I fulfill my duty without question, without doubt. This is my decision. Kiba knows this.”

In a flash, he crossed the room and pressed the blade of his weapon against my neck. “Do not fight your duty, cub. You’ll only be met with pain.”

I whimpered as he applied pressure, drawing a little blood. Is he threatening me? Or just warning me? My body trembled until he pulled the blade away, then slumped to the floor in submission. My tail was tucked between my legs as I squatted. My ears drooped. I panted as though we had actually fought. How can he be like this now? He was emotionless all this time, even when he fought with Hayate!

“Your instincts know that you’re just a cub here, regardless of the rank of our crystals,” Tsume continued as he glared down at me. “You have no right to question me.”

“May I?” Dairyuu’s authoritative tone rang from the hallway’s entrance. His plushie body was still, but his ghostly Daemon-like image stood beside it. I could see Dusk through it. “My age and position far exceeds yours.”

Tsume lowered his naginata and kneeled on one knee before him. “What do you wish to ask?”

“Why do you harm my vessel?”

He bit his lip and looked apologetic. “I apologize, Lord Dairyuu.”

The dragon’s eyes narrowed. “I was not asking for an apology.”

“She needed to be reminded of her position—“

“And so I will remind her in the future,” Dairyuu interrupted. “You may go now.”

Tsume nodded and returned to his room. I let out a long-held sigh of relief and walked back to the living room. “Why did he listen to you?” I asked Dairyuu. “He works for Lady Hotaru.”

“Yes, but he’s also a Kai Terra Knight. That also puts him under my command.”

I went back to my spot on the living room floor and lay there silently for an unknown amount of time. I wasn’t even aware of my falling asleep.