From: Nick -New and Improved- (ncnc123@aol.com-see-sig) Subject: [PW!] A New Journey Begins! Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000-12-02 22:08:38 PST "Where are you going, Murasaki? Splash asked the girl in front of him. "I know I'm sick, but please don't leave me because of that. I need you. I love you." Splash's eyes started to fill with tears, and he began to cry, his fingers tightly wrapped around the metal bars of the cell he was standing in. "No," The girl softly replied. "It's not because of you, Splash. I'm going on a journey, but I'll come back and see you soon." "All right, Murasaki," Splash said, as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "I'll miss you, but as long as I know your coming back, I'll be able to keep on living." "Good-bye, Splash," She said, as she turned away from him. "Do you remember what we talked about, last time I was here?" "No, Murasaki?" Splash replied. He seemed genuinely curious to know what she had to say. "What is it?" "I'm not Murasaki, remember?" She said. "I'm Hito. Forest's friend." Splash was silent for a moment. The silence seemed to be an eternity for Hito, as she waited to see if Splash remembered. It hurt her. It hurt her to see someone who looked so much like Forest so sick. But of course Splash looked like Forest. He was his brother. "I'm sorry," Splash said finally. "What were we talking about, Murasaki?" Hito sighed. It was the same reaction that she had gotten last time. Splash refused to acknowledge that she wasn't Murasaki. He called every female Murasaki. Everyone, including her. It was sad, really. He was only 16. And he would be spending the rest of his life in jail, never having a chance at a real life. He would be in that jail forever. Plagued by visions of Murasaki in every woman he saw. "Nothing, Splash," Hito said as she headed towards the door. "I'll see you soon." "Bye Murasaki," Splash called out as she left the door of the cell and into the main police station. She gave a quick nod to Officer Jenny on her way out, and stepped outside. Hito took a deep breath of the fresh sea water air as she walked away from the Porta Vista station. She had first come to this town after she heard that Splash had killed Shock. It had been a total surpass. And so soon after Forest's death too. She got a hotel room in the city, and had been staying there the past few months. She'd gotten a job at a restaurant, Ryu's Ocean House, waiting tables, and had visited Splash just about every day. Maybe she had just wanted to make sure that he was all right. Forest's brother. That was what she told herself. But a little bit of her, a tiny part of her heart, had wanted to help Splash recover. Maybe he would have been able to replace Forest in her life. And then it would be like it used to be. But Hito knew that wasn't possible. Splash wasn't getting any better. And it had been a stretch in the first place for her to have even think that that would happen. No one, not even someone who looked just like him, would be able to replace Forest in her heart. It just wasn't realistic. And so finally, she was giving up. She was going back to the mainland that night. After that, she didn't know. Viridian City, her hometown, held too many memories for her. Of good times. Of her parents. And of Forest. He'd been a great help after they'd passed on. He was an orphan too. Well, now really. He'd been adopted. But his birth parents were dead. Just like her's were. Maybe that was why Hito became so attached to him. He had been through a lot. Not just with finding out that his birth parents were dead. He found out that his mother was a kidnapper, the people he thought were his grandparents were not them, and that he had two brothers, Shock and Splash. All that must have been a huge bombshell to have dropped on drop on Forest at once. And Hito knew that what she felt when her parents had died was nothing compared to what he had felt. The sound of a large foghorn drew Hito from her thoughts. She looked around, and saw that she was on the dock, where the boat that would take her to the mainland was waiting. Despite the light fog that was rolling in over the area, the boat was just about ready to set sail. Hito quickly tried to remember if she had to do anything else before she left the city, then boarded the boat. She'd quit her job the day before, and had paid off her bill at the hotel that morning. There was nothing else that Hito had to do. No friends to say good-bye to, except for Splash. And he wouldn't even notice she was gone. Not too many people were on the deck of the ship, which was just fine with Her. She didn't feel like having any conversations with anyone. She stayed on the starboard side of the deck, opposite from a blonde haired woman, who was conversing with a man who seemed to be ten or so years younger than the woman. After listening to the conversation of the slightly overweight woman and the younger man for several minutes, Hito began to get tired of the chitchat and go below deck. Despite the fact that the two were on the other side of the ship, Hito could hear the two, who were talking rather loud. Downstairs wasn't too crowded either. There was one of two other random people below, sitting in some rather uncomfortable looking chairs. Hito took a seat in one of them some distance from the others, and stared out the window looking at the water for the rest of the trip. When the ship finally, docked, Hito went above deck and walked off the boat. She was in a whole new city. But where was she going to? Where was she heading? TBC......?