Rompiendo Aislamiento

[ninjaastronaut]

Josh couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't stand the aching hunger in his stomach. He couldn't stand the rain that had been pouring down on him for hours, as if laughing at him for leaving his jacket in the desert. He couldn't stand the blisters that were left on his feet from running for so long. But most of all, he hated being alone.

Of course, he hadn't been totally alone. He had met a few people recently, like the strange man with the long hair, and the boy and girl in the desert. But mostly he had been alone. Running, hiding, living his life alone. It had always been like that and he had always hated it.

The mud from the path caked the outside of his shoes, and filled the inside. The smell of rain pierced his nostrils. That was the only good thing that had happend to him recently; the smell of the ungodly sewers had finally left his nose.

Of course, all that did was make it so he could smell the vomit that had stained his clothes days ago.

Josh had talked to himself since he was a small child, putting his thoughts into words from habit. He was never really embaresed by it, because no one stuck around him long enough to really notice, but it had been there. Along with the lonliness that followed him came an immence increase in this habit. He would talk constantly, to no one at all, about anything. Sometimes he would complain about the pain that covered his entire body, inside and out, and sometimes he would chat about the weather. He would go over conversations he'd been in before, saying the things he wished he would've said the first time, and trying to imagine how they would've reacted.

He suddenly got a bad feeling.

He stopped everything he was doing. He went from a quick jog to stopping immediatly, without making any sound. The mud didn't even splash around. For the first time in hours, he stopped talking to himself, and he listened. Voices, quietly coming closer, along with footsteps.

Josh found his way into a nearbye bush, without even noticing. He hid and cowered instinctively now.

The voices were definately team Imum grunts, they were using the phony tough guy voice every grunt used. There was something different though... he knew one of these voices.

He was more terrified than ever. Anyone in team Imum who he'd managed to remember the voice of must have done something terrifying, to pound it into his memory.

"No, that's not it..." He thought to himself, actually thinking for the first time in what seemed then like a lifetime ago. Regardless of what he had remembered this person from, it didn't stop him from being absolutely terrified.

As they passed, he feared they would hear his excellerated heartbeat.

[♫~Leap~♫]

"You called, Master?"

"Ah, Ilixie. Right on time. Yes; it appears as though I've another mission for you."

This wasn't supposed to be happening. None of it. It was all wrong. She'd gone there for help. She'd gone in a desperate attempt to save herself. Surely, this what not what the people had planned all along? To finally show her someone who didn't care that she was different or slightly mad - someone she could trust - only to throw them back in her face in such a manner as this? Maybe this was just another way that the universe was trying to make her life miserable. Maybe they wanted to push her so close to the edge that she threw herself off that cliff side, drowning in her own misery and finding her death by her own hands an easier escape than fighting back against all her hardships.

Well, whatever the reason, she was certain of one thing. She couldn't do this. She couldn't do this. Of all the things she'd done in her life, this may have very well been the most difficult one. If her deranged partner, Sayryn, would take over, this job would be easier than any other. However, the one time that she wanted his help was the one time he refused. Of course. How could she rely on him? He fit her definition of the word "evil" better than anyone else she'd ever known.

"Another thieft? Where do you want me to take money from this time?"

"Oh, no. Not a robbery. This time, I want you to do something... different. New.

[/b]"[/i]

It was raining. Soft, white noise resounding in her ear drums that would hardly be registered in her mind. Of course, when one is standing in the midst of the downpour, it's a bit difficult to completely ignore the drops of water falling from the heavens above. It was dark. The sun had long past fallen behind the horizon, it's brilliant rays giving way to a blackened world, the dim lighting from the moon the only thing lighting travelera's ways. It'd been a few days sense the organization had planned their last attack on the runaway member, in which two - not, one but two - gym leaders had assisted the target. A stroke of luck, certainly, for said target. However, now, they'd made sure that he was alone before attacking.

Absolutely alone.

"Different? How so?"

"I think it's about time that you attempt your first assassination. I've seen you in action - you're more than ready for such a task."

"An assassination...? Who's the unlucky person?"

Ilixie could remember exactly how she was told to go about this particular mission. At first, she was fairly pleased with herself. An assassination? Those were only handed out to those who were particularly skilled. Did that mean that her master was pleased with her? This could have been a step closer to being freed from Sayryn. Of course, the happiness only lasted a moment as details of the job spilled from the other's mouth. And then... everything was shattered.

"Josh."

And that pretty much left her where she was. Sneaking through what was known as Route One with a variety of other Team Imum grunts. According to her master, the others were there to make sure she didn't run off before the mission was completed or to give their assistance if things got rough. This was her mission, though. She was in charge and she would make the kill. This was probably just a test to see how loyal she truly was to the organization. Would she choose to kill the boy who had been the closest thing to a friend that she'd ever had in her life? Or would she disobey orders and fail Team Imum?

Sadly, she did not know the answer herself.

"Ilixie!" The voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she whipped around to face the grunt who'd called her name. Teal colored eyes narrowed into that of a glare and she saw how the male noticably flinch. However, he went on, reguardless. "We believe that we've found his whereabouts. According to our sources, we should be in attack range shortly at the pace both he and we are going." What was she supposed to say to this? "Yeah, as much as I'd love to help you... I just don't feel like it,"? No, then they'd either laugh or realize she was being serious about not wanting to go through with the mission and she'd have to beat them all senseless so they didn't blabber to the higher ups.

"I see."

Oh, wonderful. Now I sound like a moron. she scolded herself, chewing on the inside of her mouth and begging words to come. "Erm... Continue on as planned." Thankfully, the other grunt nodded in understanding and, within a matter of seconds, the small group was racing towards where they believed their target was supposed to be. Part of her was silently begging him to run while he had the chance, her mind drowning out the talking going on ahead.

Wait a minute.

Talking?

"Quiet!" she spat, slapping the closest grunt's cheek - hard. "The enemy's going to hear you! Do you want to give our position away?" Sure enough, with the length of time that they'd been slipping through the trees, they would have been right on the dark haired boy. He'd been a member of Team Imum before he ran away; there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he would have been able to pick up their voices. "Sorry, miss, it's just -" Before they could finish, she growled, "I don't care about what it was you were talking about." However, their excessive talking wasn't the only problem. She had to get them as far away from Josh as she could.

Because, no matter how much she wanted to obey orders... she just couldn't do it.

"Wait! There he is! Up ahead! He must have taken off when he heard you! Now look what you've done!"

"But I didn't hear -"

"That's because you weren't paying attention! Do you want him to get away?"

"No, but -"

"Then run! I'll stay back here to make sure this isn't a trap." Before they could protest again, she hissed, "And, yes, I'm doing this alone. Now hurry before you lose him!" The remainder of the grunsts continued to run ahead in pursuit of her little white lie. Hopefully, they'd continue chasing a nonexistant "person" and Josh would slip away before they returned. But... there was another question. Did she approach him? Did she run away? Did she actually attempt to kill the boy...?

There he was. Ilixie could see the boy, hiding behind a bush. There was no hiding from her watchful eye, however. She could see all. It was then or never. All she had to do was race forward and impale the boy with her pocket knife. But... She couldn't. Grabbing the knife in her hand, she crept closer... and closer... and closter...

And let the knife drop to the earth.

"I-I can't... I can't do it..." she gasped to herself, eyes wide as she watched the blade hit the dirt. Clearing her throat, she pointed to his hiding place and commanded in a strong voice, "Get up. I know you're there."[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

[ninjaastronaut]

They were so close, and mud splashed onto Josh's shirt as they past. He nearly soiled himself. With all of the members that passed him, you'd think that at least one would've noticed him, but they were all distracted by something. For another breif moment, luck was on his side.

Then it ended.

He heard her voice. He still couldn't put his finger on it. He knew that the person had to be important in some way, a way that would engrave that voice into his head in a way he couldn't forget. He was more terrified than ever, he even thought for a second that he would die of a heart attack before he even stood up.

This woman wanted to finish him herself. She wanted to cut him open, to see the blood running down his body. Yet again, he could only imagine himself dying in the most dramatic of ways, like in all the gangster movies on TV.

"well at least I wont die alone."

Then he realized something horrible. Something that made him more scared than dying alone, or dying from a brutal beating, or anything else he could think of at the moment. He wasn't going to die a dramatic death that would be worthy of B- movies. No, he was going to get stabbed. Maybe only once, six times max. It wouldn't be dramatic at all. No one would remember his story. No one would care.

Now he wished he could've had a heart attack. He just wanted it to end, didn't want to wait for a painfull shooting or stabbing, or whatever was in store for him.

But all he could do was cower in the bushes. He was scared. Scared so badly that if he could make a noise under the pressure, he would scream. Scared so badly that he had actually, beyond all of his ressistance, soiled himself. Scared so badly that it infuriated him.

He was angry at himself- and the world- but mostly himself for being so scared. He wanted to do something. If he was going to die he wasn't just going to sit around and do nothing. He'd been cowering and hiding and feeling sorry for himself for much too long now, and he needed to do something about it. He wasn't going to die today.

With a burst of sudden fury, he flew out of the bushes, full sprint, shouting a cry of fear and anger and pain. Adrenhillen replaced the pain in his muscles and organs. He would take on his assailent, do whatever it would take to survive, and if he couldn't live through this ordeal he was going to put up a heroic last fight. A hero's death.

After three steps he realized he was the stupidest idiot on the face of the Earth.

How could he have forgotten this girl? Ilixie, the only person he'd ever been able to call a friend? He immediately stopped running, stopped screaming. The pain fell back into his stomach, feeling worse than ever.

Now that he wasn't sure he was going to die, he realized that all of that hero stuff was stupid. From now on he'd stick to being scared and sorry for himself.

Josh had always had trouble talking to people. As an orphan all people would talk about is how much they pitied him, and he hated that. After he ran away from the orphanarium, he realised that no one wanted to talk to a homeless boy, and he hated that even more. All of this lead up to him being very bad at conversation, and the person he talked to most was himself. Whenever he would talk to someone else he would sound akward, and would regret every sound that came out of him. But now more than ever, he was at a loss for words. He couldn't think of anything to portray his emotions to a second party. He couldn't really figure out his emotions himself.

"Hello. I'm really sorry."

Somehow, regardless of the akward nature of what he had just said, he couldn't think of anything to say that would fit better.

[♫~Leap~♫]

Apologies were for the weak.

Sadly, the female learned that lesson first hand.

As a young child, she'd made many a mistake. What child didn't? Little ones were told that, when one wronged another or slipped up, they were to apologize to the person who they'd effected in the process. The words "I'm sorry" spilled from the mouths of the young over and over again when they were truly sorry for something they'd done or threatened to be punished if they did not apologize for their smal crimes. Over the years, however, the phrase became used more frequently. The tiniest of things were apologized for. It'd gotten so bad that even things that weren't her fault - weren't anyone's fault - came with a "sorry" from her.

The meaning of a word used in repitition so many times begins to lose it's meaning. How much do you mean it? Are you actually sorry? Or has it just become a force of habit? And, if you say it so many times for the little things, what does the word mean when used for the larger things? Nothing. Because, sometimes, sorry just doesn't cut it. The girl could recall a time when she'd hurt someone. Hurt them so bad that they could never show their face to another soul again. Hurt them so bad that everyone - the students, the teachers, her own parents - couldn't stand to be around her. She'd cry herself to sleep at night and scream those two meaningless words at the top of her lungs with tears in her eyes every time her parents looked the other. But the words never reached them. And, the one time it did, she wished they hadn't.

"Shut up!"

The burning in her cheek had been so sudden and painful, all she could do was gasp and stare wide eyed at her mother. The words "what did I do wrong?" could be read in the depths of her blue eyes, though she knew all to well the answer to her own question. Her father tried to hold the flailing woman down as harsh words spilled from her mouth.

"You're not sorry! You don't even know what the word "sorry" means! You're not my child - you're not a child at all! You're a monster!

[/b]"[/i]

Apologizes didn't mean anything, she'd realized at that moment, burying her head in her hands and sobbing in self pity as the two adults walked away. They didn't mean anything at all. They didn't mean anything then, and they most certainly didn't mean anything now, on that very night. So, no. She didn't know what the word "sorry" meant. For how was one supposed to know a definition of a word when said definition didn't exist...?

The grunts were gone.

Ilixie was certain they'd all run ahead, giving chase to nothing and causing the perfect wild goose chase. They wouldn't be back any time soon, with any luck. That gave her enough time to settle this matter on her own. Well, she'd be able to handle it if the boy actually emerged from his hiding place. Had her words fallen on deaf ears? Or was he really so afraid of an unarmed female who had made no attempts to harm him? Whatever the reason, she was beginning to grow slightly impatient with him. Would she have to reach into the bushes and pull him to his feet on her own, possibly giving the boy a heart attack in the process?

Oh, no.

Looked like he had his own fancy way of leaving his hiding place.

Josh burst from behind the vegitation, soaked black hair flying everywhere as a terrifying wail escaped his mouth. She flinched, recoiling and taking a few steps back. He wasn't really going to attack her, was he? Was he...? By the looks of it, he was. And, if it was a fight he wanted, it was a fight he would get. She never noticed how he stopped himself, most likely realizing that she wasn't as much of a threat as he'd initially thought. Instead, her attention on the fist - her fist - that was racing towards his face in an attempt to knock him over.

"What do you think you're doing?" she cried, obviously flustered and still a little shaken up. "Y-you almost gave me a heart attack! Last time I checked, that's not how you greet people!" Remembering that she should have been keeping her voice down in case the grunts could hear her and came back, she clasped a hand over her mouth and and backed up just a little more. Curses! Her little outburst could have been summoning them right at that very moment! She waited... And waited... And waited...

Are they... deaf? she wondered, gritting her teeth in the slightest. Were they born with brains at all? Because, honestly, they make me wonder, sometimes...

But there was something else going on. Something more important than questioning the stupidity of her subordinants. He was talking. "Hello," he said. "I'm really sorry." She blinked at him for a few moments, not exactly knowing what to say to that. Ah, he was just as awkward to talk to as he had been the first few times they'd talked. Well, he'd always been a little awkward, but he'd gotten better at talking with her over the time that they'd known each other. Well, maybe.

That was probably just her.

But the blinking session only lasted a moment and she was suddenly filled with anger. She'd always had a bit of a temper, even as a small child, that'd only gotten worse after the incident with Sayryn, gotten a little better after joining Team Imum, only to get a whole ton worse after Josh left her in the dust. This was probably one of her peaks in her temper. To put it simply, this was a bad time to be someone by the name of Josh. ""Hello"? "I'm sorry"?" she repeated in disbelief, her anger plainly evident in her voice. "Sorry doesn't even begin to cut it!" her hands clenched into fists and she resisted the urge to punch him again. "Why? I just want to know why? Why'd you leave?"[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/justify]

[ninjaastronaut]

So there he was. He was standing, still in sprinting position, both looking and feeling like the universes biggest idiot. Regardless of this, he still had to follow his biggest rule, still had to look on the bright side. For the first time in what was probably his entire life, he was glad that it was raining. He was glad it was raining, because it made it hard to see his tears.

Josh had never had to worry about how other people felt. Most people usually ignored him, and if they didn't he tried his hardest to make sure they'd never see him again. If he made a mistake, he would be the one who felt the pain, who had to fix his own problems. He'd never hurt anyone before. He'd never felt shame before.

Now Josh only could wish that Ilixie would kill him. If she killed him he would stop feeling shame, he would stop feeling all of this self pity. "No." He said to himself, under his breath. He wasn't suicidal, and he knew that. He didn't want to die, he just wanted to feel better. But would being dead make him feel better? "No, of course not, stop thinking about that stuff." He stood there for a while.

After thinking about what he must look like, standing there, in running position, talking to himself, he knew that he must be the biggest idiot in the world. The thought of it was funny to him, and he had to hold back laughter. Both crying and giggling, he tried his best to give a good explaination for leaving Team Imum. "I... I couldn't..." Yet again, his brain and mouth were both working against him. He hated it.

"I'm really sorry."

He wanted to punch himself in the face. Could he have possibly said anything stupider at the moment? He bowed his head in shame, hoping she would punch him, kick him, stab him, give him some sort of physical punishment he felt like he deserved. She certainly looked like she wanted to hurt him.

He forced himself, putting great thought into each movement of the tounge and lips, to give a proper reason. He really didn't want to screw up again.

Head still facing his shoes, he started to speak again. "By now I've probably already told you that I joined Team Imum to have friends, to feel like I was a part of something bigger than just me. You, of all people, should know how that feels. But other than you, it seemed like everyone hated me. It might have been because I was weak, or because I was new, but it seemed like everyone wanted me dead. That isn't the kind of feeling I was looking for." He wasn't pausing while he spoke, seldom even taking a breath. Ilixie was getting no time to put her word into the conversation.

Frankly, he didn't care. He was finally spilling his guts, telling the story of why he had left the team, something he had wanted off of his chest for a while now. He continued his great, wait relieving monolouge, "That wasn't even the biggest part of it. Mostly, I couldn't stand the things they were making me do. I started to hate myself. I'd always lived on the streets, lived by myself, so I've had to steal a thing or two. But taking something no one will notice is gone is a hell of a lot different than robbing senior citizens by force. Who wouldn't feel horrible after doing something like that?"

Than a thought struck him. What if Ilixie wouldn't have felt horrible after that? What if she actually liked what this horrible gang made people do?

He didn't know if he should appologize or soil himself again.

[♫~Leap~♫]

She was sick of it. All of. The guilt. The anger. The pain. The emptiness that was left in all of those emotion's wake. The numbness that she'd felt for so long. And, now, everything was being thrown back in her face, all at once and she just couldn't stand it. It was as though her thought process was completely messed up and the only clear thought that she could come up with was that she was sick of everything.

Not one second had passed after she was told that one certain male had gone missing had she felt guilty. Every night for a week she'd go to bed, eyes wide and the question of whether it was her fault that he'd left running through her mind. Had she done something wrong? Had she scared him away? Was there something wrong that she just couldn't see that he couldn't take anymore? Not one minute went by when she begged the universe to tell her if it was really her fault that the only person she could have called a friend in the world had ran away and left her to pick up the pieces with no idea what had happened.

When the guilt passed and he didn't show up, she was left feeling nothing but anger. That boy had built her up over the time that they'd spent together. Even though they were being constantly watched by hateful and judgmental eyes every step of the way, she could actual find it... somewhat enjoying being with someone who didn't entirely care that she was a complete and utter mess and could snap at any moment. Who did he think he was, throwing it all back in her face? Shattering everything that she'd come to find pleasure in?

And then, when she found it pointless to rage at the phantom of a person who she'd always know was there only to tell herself that he was gone and wasn't coming back, all that was left was all over grief. Maybe she was overreacting, spacing out and failing more missions than usual. After all, it was one boy. They weren't even childhood friend or lovers or anything. But that one boy was her only friend and the only person who had made her feel like she'd actually meant something. It wasn't her faul, so she'd no need to feel guilty. It wasn't his, so she'd no need to feel hatful. So who's fault was it?

Sadly, this was a question she still could not find the answer to.

Ilixie had built up a wall. A dam, in a sort of sense. She no longer flinched or faced the ground at the mention of his unfortunate disappearance. She no longer lashed out at those who said that he was a traitor and deserved to die. She never even uttered his name. And then... there he was. Before her very eyes. But this wasn't one of those heartfelt reunions between mission. Now, he was the run away traitor and she was the craze lunatic who had to do away with him.

And she was sick of it.

Josh looked pathetic. Dried vomit all over his clothes. Still in a position that someone just about to run the mile would assume. Face looking all over dumb. But he'd always looked a little stupid to her and she's always made it a point to tease him about it. Of course, this was coming from the girl with teal hair that reached down to her ankles, even when pulled into two high pig-tails. In a contest of who looked more stupid... yeah, he'd still take the cake. She'd gotten a few compliments on how pretty she looked over the years. Some said she looked stupid, but they were promptly smacked upside the head.

But she didn't care.

Because he was still Josh, doubt looking and stuttering or not.

And that's what she hated about this whole situation the most.

She felt like her heart was about to leap out of her chest and tried to ignore the vomit raising in the back of her throat. The long-haired girl did not want to be there any more. She wasn'ted to run away like the coward she was and never look at this boy again. However, that wasn't an option. Not anymore. If she'd run off with the rest of her fellow grunts, she could have avoided this confrontation. ... It was to late now, though, was it not?

"I... I couldn't..."

This was the answer he was trying to give her? She'd always known that he was no good with words. He'd reminded her on numerous occations that he'd no need for conversing when few people even noticed his presence. But... really? She was falling apart right in front of him, spilling with emotions that she'd tried to lock away, and that was it? "Just spit it out already!" she cried, words not harsh in the slightest. More... pleading than anything. She needed to know. She needed to know that it wasn't her fault. That her inner demons hadn't driven away yet another person who was supposed to be close to her.

"I'm really sorry," he repeated. And this was the moment she couldn't take it any more. Clamping her hands around his shoulders, she literally shook him back and forth and shouted, "Stop telling me you're sorry! Sorry is just a pathetic excuse for people who know they've done something wrong but refuse to do anything about it!" He wasn't one of those people. He couldn't be one of these people. Because she needed him to do something about this. About them.

Because she just didn't think she had what it took to do it herself.

And, then, what he said next was like music to her ears. He finally proved her wrong. He spit it all out.

"By now I've probably already told you that I joined Team Imum to have friends, to feel like I was a part of something bigger than just me. You, of all people, should know how that feels. But other than you, it seemed like everyone hated me. It might have been because I was weak, or because I was new, but it seemed like everyone wanted me dead. That isn't the kind of feeling I was looking for," he told her and her grip on his shoulder released just in the slightest. "That wasn't even the biggest part of it. Mostly, I couldn't stand the things they were making me do. I started to hate myself. I'd always lived on the streets, lived by myself, so I've had to steal a thing or two. But taking something no one will notice is gone is a hell of a lot different than robbing senior citizens by force. Who wouldn't feel horrible after doing something like that?" Who wouldn't?

"Who wouldn't? Who wouldn't? They wouldn't, Josh! Everyone else in this cursed organization! You're supposed to be dead, do you hear me? You're supposed to die to my hands! And not one single person is going to care!" Her feet carried her backwards, stumbling through the mud like someone who was far from sober. "I know it's hard. Believe me, I do. But think about me! I need you! I... I'll loose my mind if I find out that you're dead because you ran away! This isn't a choice anymore, Josh! You can just waltz in and out as you please! You're dead where you stand because you took off! It's either live a slave, or die a traitor, and you picked wrong!"

[ninjaastronaut]

Finally, his thoughts were confirmed by a third party. He was going to die at the hands of Team Imum. He was going to die, "And not one single person is going to care!" He'd said it to himself so many times, but to hear his only friend say it was to much to handle.

He hit the ground with a "thud" and a splash of water and mud. He coiled up into the fetal position, making himself as small as possible. He vomited again, more than should have been possible with how much food was in his stomach. It splashed around in the mud and covered his whole body. The entire time he didn't even blink. Eyes wide open, crying, covered in vomit and mud, he took a few seconds to think.

He wasn't sure he wanted to live anymore. He was so positive that he wasn't suicidal, but his brain was twisting his beliefs and emotions into an incomprehensable mess. He wasn't sure if he was suicidal anymore. He couldn't even remember what he was freaking out about anymore. All he knew was that he was horribly sad, in grief, as if someone had died. His brain didn't even notice the mud, the vomit, it was as if his place in the world didn't even matter to himself anymore.

Then he remembered. He snapped out of it, stopped crying, stood up. Josh looked at Ilixie. Or rather, looked at Ilixie's mud covered shoes. He couldn't bare to look her in the eyes. He started to think clearly again, his brain putting things back into place. Eventually the grunts would return, and he definately couldn't hold them all off. Ilixie probably wouldn't help him if they returned, she'd made that apperant whether or not it was intentional. He needed to get out of there, or he would die.

He would die sooner, that is. He was going to die eventually.

He looked up. He looked Ilixie in the eyes knowing that she probably wouldn't be his comrad for much longer. His friend maybe, but she really couldn't help him. He knew what he had to do.

He reached into his pocket, and grabbed the small ball that was inside. He grabbed her hand and put the ball in it. "Here, take this; It's my Growlithe. I haven't been using it, so I'm sure it's begging for attention. It doesn't like me much anyways."

He looked back down again, ashamed for some reason. "I have to go now." He began to run in the only direction Team Imum wouldn't suspect, back to the base.

Within three steps he collapsed of exhaustion. For the second time in a week. "I'm such an idiot." That was the first thought that came into his mind. The second thought was, "I should probably roll over before I drown in this mud."

[♫~Leap~♫]

Ilixie couldn't breath.

Or, at least, that was the illusion that she'd built up around herself. It felt as though there was something sitting on her chest, prevent any oxygen from raching her lungs and breathing her to life. A Snorlax, if you will, or something of the sort. Like the whole world had been transformed into an ocean and she was the only one who hadn't developed gills. It hurt. Everything. Every part of her body was either burning as though she'd caught on fire or was so achingly numb she didn't think it possible. Why? Why she she feel so down right horrible?

Maybe she had come to create a dilusion for herself. A fantasy where, when the two met again, they could talk and laugh like old times. Of course, that's all it was - hopes and dreams in the form of stupid fantasies that would never become reality. The road that they had been thrown them on made it so their ownly way of colliding was in a manner as such as what was occuring at that moment. As much as she wished it was not true... it was. This meeting was destined to happen, and not much good was going to come of it.

Why did the universe enjoy poking fun at her in so many heart breaking ways?

Obviously, the situation was no better for the nondescript teen before her. She could that eyes were not, in fact, windows of the heart. More like stained glass, letting one to peer through to the other side all while distracted with what was in front of them. But she didn't need to look into his eyes to know that he was struggling as well. Heck, he hadn't made eye contact with her since he first spoke to her that night. Maybe not even then. Because what he did next was all she needed to see.

The boy collapsed in a senseless heap to the muddy ground after her words spilled from her mouth, curling in on himself as though it was his final attmept at saving himself from some unseen monster. Her eyes widened in confusion, wondering what on Earth had caused him to do such a thing, demanding, "What are you -" Her words were cut off and she turned away when he because to vomit all over himself. It was a pathetic sight. She didn't know if she could bare watching him any longer.

"It's all my fault... isn't it?"

After what seemed like forever, movement in the corner of her teal eyes caught Ilixie's attention and she whirled around to find that he'd gotten up and was still staring at her shoes. Honestly, did he think it possible to look her in the eyes? He stood there for some time, speaking words that could only be heard by himself in his mind and shutting her out with ease. What, though, was going on through his mind? Sadly, she could not possibly fathom the thought process going on in his mind. And then he looked at her - actually looked her dead in the eye - and something she never saw coming.

"Here, take this," he commanded, fishing through his bag and handing her a duel-colored sphere. Wait, that wasn't right... It couldn't be... But, no matter what she told herself, it was. It was a Poke' Ball with a very familiar creature inside. "It's my Growlithe," he explained, though it was not necessary. "I haven't been using it, so I'm sure it's begging for attention. It doesn't like me much, anyway." She stared at the Pokemon for a few moment before looking back at him with wide eyes.

She begged, "What are you - I can't take this from you!" However, he was already talking. "I have to go, now." Without warning, he tore off and away from her... but not in the direction she was expecting. The Team Imum base... That couldn't be why he was headed in that direction, could it? No! The boy was mad if he thought he was going to go to the heart of his worst nightmare! "No! You idiot! You can't leave me again, you just can't!" She prepared to give chase - because she was not letting him run away from her again - when something else caught her off guard.

Josh collapsed to the ground, to exhausted to carry on.

Wild eyed and confused, the grunt screamed, "Josh!" and raced to his side. Was he really so weak that he couldn't even run three steps without almost passing out? He didn't seem that weak to me... she though, eyes raking over him. Sure, he'd been on the run for quite some time, but hadn't anyone showed him a bit of mercy and lended him their assisstance? Sadly, that was unlikely. The former Team Imum member had generally been overlooked by anyone and everyone. Even in a weakened state, he was unlikely to gather attention, which made it less likely for someone who actually cared to notice him.

Falling to her knees at his side, Ilixie tried to prop him up by stuffing her hands under his limp frame and pulling him closer to her. The rest of the her patrol would be back any second. They would be complete and utter morons if they hadn't realized that she'd tricked them by that point in time. "I won't... I can't... I can't do this..." she murmered, squeezing her eyes shut and and tightening her grip on him. "I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." She'd said that apologies were for cowards whoe wouldn't do anything to fix their mistakes. But maybe that wasn't true.

because it was also for people who knew that they knew they couldn't do anything.

[ninjaastronaut]

With Ilixie's help, Josh did his best to get a firm footing on the ground. This didn't take very long, because at this point he was used to recovering from such falls. His face was covered in mud and vomit. His shirt was covered in mud and vomit. In all, he was probably more mud and vomit than he was man.

Oh god, how could she stand to touch him?

Looking back down at the ground, his seemingly dramatic exit ruined, he thought, "I really need to stop pretending I'm in some cheesy movie." Or did he say that one out loud too? He looked at Ilixie, and she only seemed partially confused, so he must of just thought that one.

"Hey, you said 'sorry'." He said in the cheeriest voice he could muster up. (Frankly, it wasn't that impressive. "Well, I guess you see things from my side now." He was actually smiling. Poking fun of his friend and former comrade, he almost forgot about all of the horrible things happening around him. Almost.

He turned away from Ilixie, knowing that what he was about to do would be disgusting. As if she probably wasn't used to it by now. He used his hands to the best of his ability, trying to remove all of the mud and vomit from his face. Hey, at least the rain was there to help him with that part.

He realized something, for what was probably the thousandth time in a week, he needed to get new clothes. This realization had practically become a part of his routine, yet he never got around to it. "Well, I guess I do have bigger things to worry about right now." He snickered under his breath. Somehow, it all seemed so small to him right now. None of it seemed to matter to him in the slightest.

It was as if he was watching one of those cheesy movies, and it was a great relief not to be inside one.

He turned back around, somehow smiling through all of the circumstances that told him he shouldn't smile. Arms spread out wide and shoulders raised, he asked, "So what now?" Not to himself, but clearly and distinctly to Ilixie. And he was legitimately curious. This movie was really interesting, and he wanted to know how it was going to end.

Somehow, it seemed like Ilixie had already seen the movie.

[♫~Leap~♫]

Why was he so happy?

The mood of that not was not supposed to be cheery. They were a puppet on strings and a boy with on foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. Rain was still falling from the heavens, soaking them both to the bone, and both were covered in vomit and mud. The arrival of an entire patrol of grunts that would surely attack him and possibly her as well was no longer a matter of "if", but, rather, "when". Their fragile lives were at a breaking point - no, that was a lie. Her's had already been stattered. Now, they were just stomping on the shards - and yet he had the idea that he could act so stinking happy in front of this girl.

Was he mad?

He must have been as crazed as she, because there'd be no way in heck that she could muster enough glee to act in such a manner as he. This was just another thing she was growing to hate. It was almost as though he'd completely forgot the fact that his life was at stake and there was little a thing either of them could do about it. Or maybe he just didn't care. Given into his fate and just accepted the fact that he was going to die at the hands of the people who had once called his teammates. No... No. No! That couldn't be it! He couldn't be giving in! Because if he gave in, she would...

Ilixie didn't even want to think about such a horror. If he gave up... then what? They'd catch up with him and he'd let them tear him apart bit by bit without any sort of struggle. Just the thought made her want to vomit. Of course, her clothes were already so filthy, she didn't want to ruin it beyond repair. And what were the chances of the two running into one another any time in the future? She wouldn't be able to fend the others off again, even if only for short amount of time. Oh, gosh, she was going to loose him, wasn't she? She was going to loose him and there wasn't the slightest hope of her getting him back.

"Hey, you said sorry," Josh pointed out. It was plainly obvious that he was trying to sound as peppy as possible. It was a failed attempt, but an attempt, none the less. "Well, I guess you see things from my side, now." See things from his side? Boy, if what she thought was going through his mind really was, she refused to see things from his persepective. A smile lit his face her own sparked with slight surprise. A grin? Was he actually that cheerful that he could muster such an expression? Something about that almost made her all the more mad...

... But something about seeing him smile again...

"O-okay, so maybe I was... slightly wrong about the whole apology thing," she stammered, slightly flustered. "But that's only because... you were using it wrong!" Oh, boy. He might have looked like the biggest idiot in the word, but she certainly won the prize for sounding like the greatest moron. "I mean... I mean..." What did she mean? One moment she'd been screaming her lungs out at him, the next, he was trying to act like some super hero, and now, she was making herself sound like a fool. "Like I'd ever see things from your side, anyway. Your brain's messed up."

Of course, her's was worse.

Much worse.

The boy turned around and, imagining that he was going to run off again she threw her hand in his direction and grabbed his shoulder. He wasn't leaving her again, right? What was with him and leaving her behind with nothing more than, "I have to leave" or, worse, nothing? Did he want to torture her more than need be? Of course, her fears were proven wrong when his hands brushed down his face and he successfully whipped the majority of the mud and puke off of the flesh on his head. It was disgusting, watching all that grime fall to the ground in a muddle heap. Again, she had to prevent herself from vomitting herself. However, her grip on him never loosened out of fear of what he would do if she let go.

The black-haired trainer muttered something she couldn't quite catch under his breath before turning around, effectively shaking her hand off of him, and smiled once again. There was something seirously wrong with this boy. He hit his head on a rock when he collapsed to the earth, didn't he? Stretching out his arms, shoulders raised slight, he surprised her for yet another time that night. Was he... offering her a hug or something? Part of her wasn't sure she wanted to touch him more than need be while the other wanted her to throw herself into his embrace. However, when he started speaking, she realized that was stupid and he would never want to give her something like a hug.

"So. What now?"

This question was a little difficult to answer. After all, she was as clueless as he and still shocked that he could remain so happy throughout all of this nonsense. So, the teal-haired grunt muttered, "I don't -" And then... a sound. Just the slightest sound of a twig snapping under the force of something - or, rather, someone stepping on it. She froze, eyes widened and her track of sight flew every which way in an attempt to find out if what she was thinking was true. So. The question was... what now? "We run," she commanded, face twisting into a bitter scowl and back straightening.

Placing her delicate hand in his own and giving it a squeeze, she began half running, half dragging the boy with her. By now, she was quite agile and had a little strength in her, so the dragging part wouldn't be to terrible for her and her boots barely made a sound as they collided with the mud. Josh, on the other hand, could be a problem. He was still weak, as made painfully apparent when he feel over earlier. He'd easily give their location away. Hopefully, though, they could get out of hearing range of... well, whatever she had heard, grunt or wild Pokemon.

As to what came afterwards... she would never be sure.

[ninjaastronaut]

"What are we doing?" Josh wondered to himself as he felt the tug of Ilixie on his hand. He looked around, and noticed the trees and the ground and everything else moving past them. "Oh, we're running." At first he was quite content with that. He figured that Ilixie had probably heard something, and now they were running away from all the Imum grunts. Josh really didn't want to run from them anymore, but he didn't do anything to stop them.

Then another thought struck him. "How am I running?" Looking down, he saw his own feet, as if detached from his body, actually making and effort to keep up with Ilixie. They weren't doing very well. For a moment he considered cheering them on, to give some sort of moral support, and almost instantly he realized how stupid and pointless that would be. He let himself get dragged through the mud and rain, only hoping his feet wouldn't manage to screw up again and land both him and Ilixie into some painful mess.

Even though Ilixie had told him she didn't know what was coming next, he still felt like she somehow would lead him there. Like a guide or something. All Josh had to do was wait for what came next.

Josh thought about saying something, realized it would've been stupid and rude to say, and then went ahead and said it anyway. It's not like he could seem any stupider, right? "I don't think you made a very good decision." He told Ilixie, panting in between words. "It would've been easier to explain if you'd just offed me!" Saying these words didn't mean that he wanted to die. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to die.

But didn't he, just for a while?

He was joking, of course, and he really hoped she'd realize this. By this time, she was almost fully dragging him, and his feet were doing more gliding across the mud than they were running.

Soon after he realized how much of a sensitive topic this might be, and added, "You don't figure you could forget that I just said that, do you?"

(I may add on to this later, but probably not.)

[♫~Leap~♫]

There was a sickening sense of forebodying in the air.

That moment in a horror movie where everything is quiet. The heroes are still. There was absolutely nothing going on whatsoever. And yet... you know. You know something's going to pop out at them, scaring you more than it scares the actor on television. You knew it was going to be there. You close your eyes and duck your head under a blanket and tell yourself there's nothing happening on the screen, but you know that it is inevitable and that there's nothing you or any of the fictional characters can do to stop it.

And that was exactly what was looming over her own head.

The grunts would be there any moment. Ilixie had known this sad fact ever since she decided to ingage in a conversation ever so stupidly instead of doing the smart thing and killing him off or running away herself. Sadly, that was something she couldn't fix now and they would all have to live with her idiotic mistake. The snapping of a branch had her on high alert, now more than ever, however, and her head turned every which way at the the slightest noises. Even the rustling of leaves in the wind caught her attention, causing her eyes to dart in that general area and grow as wide as they possibly could out of fear it was something that was going to lash out at them. It was only a matter of time, she knew. Did Josh, know, though?

The answer appeared to be a no. The black-haired trainer appeared to be in some sort of daze, his movements sheepish and his expressions telling her that he had almost no idea what was going on. When had he stopped his normal thought process? Was it whenm he fell to the Earth, possibly suffering brain injuries, and was refusing to think properly? Whatever it was that was causing him to act to foggily, it was a bad time. Possibly the worst possible time he could have chosen of all. They were on the run, for goodness sake, and he was choosing this time to break down and make her do all the work? Maybe it would have been easier to do away with him. The impale him with that pocket knife that she had -

Her pocket knife. Her pocket knife! She'd left it behind in the mud on the road! What would happen if the other Team Imum puppets returned to find the mud shaken due to their fall and the knife on the ground with it's owner missing? Those imbicules would probably assume something completely and utterly far fetched. Oh, she must have up and disappeared. Oh, maybe she saw a squirrel and ran away. However, while trying to think up what they would be thinking up about her, she thought another thought. The splattered mud and the left behind knife - already drawn and ready for stabbing someone if need be - would give them the impression that there had been a struggle.

If they could play it out right, the scene would look a little something like this. after sending them off, the teal-haired child found the target and prepared to kill him as ordered. The target promptly fought back, doing everything in his power to save his life. They struggled on the ground, the girl dropping the knife in the process. After over powering her, the target took off and into the brush, headed toward the nearest town. Intent on not letting him escape, she quickly gave pursuit and chased him through the woods. If she managed to get him to that nearest town in time, she could say that she lost him. Perhaps he threw mud or something into her eyes, obscuring her vision and making it quite difficult to see what was before and around her. From there, she would have flailed around aimlessly and, by the time the mud was gone from her face, the boy was gone from the scene.

Flashing him a look, eyes still twisted into a dark look, she decided that this was the story she would tell her fellow Team Imum members once she got the boy to safety. If one thought about it, the story made sense and it wouldn't take much to make them believe that the story was the truth, even it it really wasn't. Alright. So. They're new mission was to get to the town, have him hide for a bit, rest for a bit, and then start up on the run again. Seemed easy enough in her head. Sadly, this brought up two problems in her mind. Things were always easier in one's mind than they were in real life. Would Josh be able to stay safe for long enough? And, secondly annd more importantly...

What would Ciello think?

"I don't think you made a very good decision." The statement coming from behind the Team Imum grunt was very broad. As much as she would have loved to question him about whatever he meant by that and which decision was he not entirely agreeing with, she found that she could not bring herself to do so. Of course she couldn't. The better question was, what decision that she'd made was right? That entire night had been full of poor choices and terrible decisions, most of them on her part. So, no, she didn't ask which one he was questioning her about. Because, quite frankly, that statement applied to almost every choice she'd ever made. And then, what he said next made her skid to an abrupt hault, mud splattering every which way in the process. "It would've been easier to explain if you'd just offed me!"

As much as Ilixie wanted to deny this statement, to swear that it wasn't true and that he was simply upset... Josh was right. In fact, everything would have been easier if she'd just taken that night, leapt through that bush, and stab him in the heart - literally. But... She couldn't do that... could she? Was she that terrible a person that she would destroy the only person who'd ever been by her side in life? And, the awful answer was... yes. Yes, she was that terrible of a person. But she didn't. By some stroke of luck, she hadn't thrown that sharp blade into his flesh, successfully sealing his death.

It would have been easier if she'd just killed him from the very beginning.

"You don't figure you could forget that I just said that, do you?" the nondescript child added after a bit of thought on his part. But she had no time for words. Not when she and the mud below their feet were the only factors working to keep the boy moving. She was already growing fatigued and the amount of time that she had left to run was a complete and utter mystery on her part. The back of that mind of her's screamed at her to do the same thing to him - scream. Tell him to get his butt in gear and start pumping those legs instead of making her do all the work. She was so focused on trying to make him run himself without using words that she completely missed something crucial.

Letting his hand go so that the boy in the jacket would not follow her down, Ilixie found herself soaring through the air for just a breif moment before crashing into the ground once again that night. A tree root. A pathetic tree root that stuck out of the ground just enough to catch her leg and send her flying and falling to the earth in a very painful fashion. For a moment, she lay in the mud in a daze, struggling to focus her thoughts and wondering why she was just to dizzy. However, when her head cleared from the impact, she was painfully aware of one sharp pain in her left ankle. Craning her neck for a better look at her ingury, she found the body part sticking out at an awkward angle. There was no denying it. It was sprained.

Trying to get up on her own, she was forced to surpress an awful wail of pain, clasping her hands over her mouth in an attempt to prevent the sound from escaping and sending her colliding with the Earth once more. Wincing, she propped herself in a sitting position and turned her gaze to the only person who'd care. "I-I'm hurt! You have to help me up so we can keep going!" They had to get to the nearest populated area, they just had to. Otherwise... Otherwise... She didn't even want to know what would happen to them both if the other caught up with them.

[ninjaastronaut]

Josh simply couldn't believe it. He didn't fall. No, he didn't fall, but Ilixie did. This was the last thing he would've expected to happen. To even more of his surprise, he'd managed to catch himself instead of plummeting to the ground in a similar fashion. His landing wasn't very graceful, but he was still standing.

Before he even thought about it, he was turned around, looking to see if Ilixie was alright. She said something to him, but the words seemed slurred, incomprehensible. His vision was blurry. Something was wrong with him. Probably dehydrated.

His brain kicked back into gear, he needed to get moving. His arms and legs reattached to his mind, he commanded them to move towards her. It felt good to move his own legs again. Through blurred eyes, he tried his best to see if Ilixie was alright. He couldn't see much, but he could tell that one of those feet was messed up bad. She wouldn't be walking anywhere.

This was just great. What would he do now? He wasn't happy anymore. He wasn't calm anymore. He was scared, and angry. He was in no shape at all to carry this girl, he could barely carry himself. He didn't want to die, but more importantly he didn't want his only friend to die. He would need help, and unfortunately, he knew the only place he could get help from.

He finally reached Ilixie, and felt around Ilixie, hoping he would grab the right thing, and nothing... inapropriate. Eventually he found it. Hoping it was the right one, he pressed the button on the pokeball. A flash of red light nearly blinded him, and he was greeted by a new blob of color, orange, and a low growl. that was his Growlithe alright.

"Yeah, yeah. I know that you're not the hugest fan of rain, but I really need your help right now. It's a shame you aren't evolved, or I could just throw her on your back." Honestly, he had no idea how a two foot tall, dog like creature could help her carry this girl, but it was the only thing he could think of. Hey, he was thinking clearer than he was before.

Placing his hands under her armpits, Josh tried his best to pull Ilixie into a standing position. It didn't work at all. He had no strength. "Come on, Growlithe, help me out for once!" Even his own voice sounded muffled, hard to understand. Looking at his pokemon with eyes that were steadily becoming less clear, he realized a few things. "He can't help me. He's had just as little, if not less to eat than me. And he doesn't even have hands."

Josh really hoped that he'd said that out loud. If he'd only thought that, then even his thoughts were becoming muffled to him. Could this be what dying of dehydration was like?

It didn't matter. He needed to get Ilixie out of here, and as soon as possible. This really couldn't last for much longer, it had already seemed like a lot of time had passed.

He basically dragged his growlithe over to Ilixie, placing the knee of her bad leg onto his back, and with strength that seemed to come out of nowhere, picked up the rest of her. This couldn't be comfortable for either of them, but frankly he didn't care.

He tried his best to start pulling them forward, and to keep his pokemon from running off and spoiling the whole thing.

[♫~Leap~♫]

Injuries were a terrible thing. They always had been and, as much as one would hate it, always would be. It was a fact of nature. Who enjoyed getting hurt on accident? Who told themselves that they wanted to tear themselves apart, limb by limb, for the sheer sake of feeling the pain that came along with it? No one in their right minds would think in such a way. Injuries dragged innocent people down, preventing them from doing necessary tasks and got in the way more than an electric fence that blocked a thief from stealing their heart's content of wealth. It was just common sense, truly.

However, Ilixie had also learned this easy to learn lesson in her younger days. Injuries popped up on her tiny frame at a frightening pace. Cuts showing up faster than she could apply a band-aid to each and every single one. Bruises showing up when she'd lead to believe herself that they old one had passed. It was as though her skin was made of paper and her bones made of glass. Pale flesh ripping and tearing when met with something even as dull as another human's fingernail and bones so easily shattered when making impact with any object heavier than a book. The other children at school took advantage of this all to much, throwing anything they could at her and watching her fall to the ground with so many spots that were in pain that she could not count them all with her fingers.

The ankle that she had rendered absolutely and terrible useless just moments in advance were no exception to this rule. In fact, he she had to rate this injury on a scale, it's results would leave it as her worst one yet. Not pain-wise, of course. She'd had three of her ribs broken when one boy smashed her into her locker and proceeded to stomp on her limb body after she crashed to the hard floors below her until a teacher passed and he and his friends made a run for it. However, the timing of this couldn't get much worse.

She was on the run with a boy who was dieing of dehydration and could possibly be killed herself for assisting him when she was supposed to be putting an end to his life, instead. Now, she couldn'teven get up on her own two feet without someone practically carrying her. And, once she'd gotten used to standing on one leg and prevent the other from touching the ground, think of all the noise she would cause by bouncing up and down and trying to keep up with the boy who hadn't even been able to run more than three steps without collapsing no more than ten minutes in advance. So, yes. She would have to dub this the worse injury she'd obtained so far and there wasn't little to nothing they could do about it.

Of all the things she could have thought after that, however, she chose to focus on something other than the fact that the enemy was gaining on them and that it felt as though someone was ripping her leg off, sewing it back on with a needle, and ripping it off again. The Team Imum Grunt was incredibly thankful that Josh had not plummetted to the Earth in the same manner that she had. He'd managed to catch himself somehow while she tripped over the root and was absolutely fine. He'd spun around to face her, probably trying to see if she was alright. It didn't take for him to start moving towards her, though he never did respond to her command.

Before she knew what was happening, the boy was feeling around her frame and her face flushed a bright pink. "What - What are you doing?" she asked, obviously flustered. However, when pulled away, she noticed that he had just been looking for the Growlithe he'd given her and she hadn't given back. She shielded her eyes just in time to protect them from the bright red flash that signalled someone releasing their Pokemon and watched as the puppy Pokemon snarled at it's owner. "Yeah, yeah. I know you're not the hugest fan of rain, but I really need your help right now. It's a shame you aren't evolved, or I could just throw her on your back."

Sending out a Pokemon was smart, but when it was a fire-type in the middle of a rain shower and it was almost as weak as it's trainer, the idea could be debatable. The female contemplated releasing her own Pokemon out to assis... but she couldn't possibly fathom what he was going to do with the dog-like being. And then, suddenlt, he arms were under her's, trying to lift her up and into the air... only to fail miserably, leaving her falling back into the mud and splashing more mud everywhere. Darnit. She loved this outift, black and teal with longer sleeves than what she usually wore and teal gloves to match. She'd have to ask Ciello if he could lend her some money to purchase another attire similar to it.

But clothes were the last thing that she should have been worrying about at that moment. "Come on, Growlithe, help me out here for once!" the black-haired runaway demanded, fumming at the cruel fire-type who refused to assist in any way. She had no idea what she could have done to help in this sort of situation. If anything, she could have easily made everything worse. So, instead of pleeding with the Pocket Monster as well, she kept her mouth shut and watched as he muttered to himself. "He can't help me. He's had just a slittle, if not less to eat than me. And he doesn't ever have hands."

Within a matter of moments, the teen had dragged the Growlithe over to her, draping her leg over it's back and hoisting the rest of her frame up. Realizing that she couldn't just sit by and make them do all the work, she searched frantically for a certain sphere that contained something that would help immensely. "Tarka!" she cried, flinging the Poke' Ball in the air and trying to use as little movement as possible to make it less difficult for the trainer and his Pokemon. As the Houndour appeared, amixture of pain and confusion lit his face. "I'm fully aware that it is raining, so don't look at me like that. You're just going to have to bare with me," she commanded with a glare and the duel-type straightened instantly, easily keeping pace with the three others. "I need you to assist Josh's Growlithe. And hurry! We're almost out of time!"

Ilixie had no idea of how the dark-type would be able to help his fellow canine-like Pokemon, but she'd have to leave that up to him. Instead, she looked up at Josh and asked him, "Do you know which direction the nearest town is? If we can make it there in time, I need you to abandon me at the town entrance and make a run for it. Hide for a few hours - maybe a day, to be safe - and then go rest at the Pokemon Center. Got that? If you don't want your head cut off and mounted to Lorelei's wall, that's what you have to do to stay hidden."

[ninjaastronaut]

Josh stumbled forward to the best of his ability. Something was going on, he could tell that much, even with his senses as mangled as they were. The blurry blob of a single being that he, his pokemon, and Ilixie had seemed to mold into was moving, changing shape before his almost useless eyes.

He heard Ilixies voice again, still slurred, impossible to understand. Yes, this was definitely dehydration. He'd felt this before, in the desert. Light flashed, but Josh's vision was so bad he couldn't tell what it was. Probably lightning. Ilixie talked a bit more, but not to him, to something else. Maybe she was talking to herself, just as Josh did with himself frequently. He saw the blob move more, he felt movement at his feet, nearly causing him to fall. No, it wasn't lightning, and Ilixie wasn't talking to herself, either. She'd summoned a pokemon and it was now trying its best to help them walk.

"What can it do to help?" he asked pointlessly. At least it was trying, right?

Josh, by this time, had basically come to the conclusion that either the Team grunts had lost them somehow, or they weren't looking for Josh and Ilixie at all. With the two of them being this loud, moving this slow, and being stalled for all that time after Ilixie fell, they would have to be the slowest group of people to ever live if they couldn't catch up. So basically, Josh had stopped being worried about that for a moment.

He still couldn't see. He could still hear, but his brain didn't like to focus on sound very much, hence the communication barrier. What he still could do quite well is smell. Of all the senses to pick, why smell? And it truly was horrible. The rain itself had its own smell, that wasn't horrible on its own, but it did turn the vomit on his shirt- which had previously been dried- back to a more "fresh" state. Also, it hadn't been that long since he'd last soiled himself, and that didn't help. Seriously, how could Ilixie not vomit while she was around him? Josh would've forgiven her if she did.

And so he hobbled along even more, hoping he was going in the direction Ilixie had intended them to go. Speaking of which, she was talking again. To him this time. Josh still couldn't understand any of it, but he didn't want to be rude, so he didn't interrupt her. She actually took a while to finish this time, and Josh was even slightly impatient by the time she finished. Anyway, he told her this, "Sorry if you were talking, but I really can't understand anything your saying right now."

Then he realized he was throwing that "sorry" word around again. How stupid.