From: Dry (dryad48@aol.commoner) Subject: [PW!] For Me Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2000-12-23 13:50:38 PST [PW!] For Me written by Zephyr* and Dry^ * The hospital smelled of odd medicine and death, but Julia did not find it offensive; she did find it refreshing, in a sense that the hospital can bring balance between the living and the dying. Julia entered James' room; it was colored the same off-white as the rest of the hospital, but most importantly the bed was empty. "James?" Julia asked, hoping he had not run off somewhere. "What? Who's there?" answered a voice behind the curtains. "I'm Julia, Paty and Derrick said you could tell me something about Drew." "That idiot... well let me finish getting ready. Keep yourself busy in the meantime, ok?" replied James annoyed that he had to remember about ATR's old days. A few minutes passed as Julia began to walk around the room aimlessly. "What's taking so long?" asked Julia with an annoyed look. "What?" I can't undo this stupid knot on the hospital dres-gown." "Do you need some help?" replied Julia wanting to get this meeting over quickly. "What no, I can do this myself," answered James as he poked his head out from behind the curtains. "So you play the guitar aye. How about you sing me a song while I attempt to burst through the gown?" "Eh.. ok?" responded Julia anxiously, seeing as she already sang to Derrick she didn't want this day to end up as a musical. Julia opened her guitar case and began to strum the strings thinking of a song to play. "I do not want to I do not need to I do not have to What I did I did for What I did I did for What I did I did for me" With that a loud tear was heard as James appeared to have successfully "untied" the knot. "I feel so lonely Cause no one loves me I feel so lonely Full of self-pity No one cares for me I feel so ugly" Julia sighed as she continued playing, thinking to herself on why all the bad stuff happened to her. "What I did I did for... Make a cut in yourself A little opening for the pain to get in" Julia winced, she remembered the e-mail Drew sent her; and how he really committed suicide and wasn't killed by Team Rocket. "And if you could be true And if you loved me too Then I would not have to No love should come for free What I do I do for No love should come for... What I did I did for me..." James walked out from behind the curtains clapping, "Awesome, you are truly a good musician." "Thanks... so about Drew," asked Julia putting her guitar away before taking a seat. "Well see, the thing about Drew was that.." ^ Derrick stormed out of the hospital furiously. He glanced around looking for signs telling the directions to the forest. It was late and he wanted to get back to the gym in time for.. Well, he wasn't quite sure. All he knew was that he needed to get away from there as quickly as possible. He had enough of Paty, Julia, and James. As he turned the corner, Derrick noticed a familiar beautiful face which belonged to a woman his age wrapped up in coats and warming her hands. Her hair reflected the morning's glorifying angelic blue sky. The most valuable sapphire couldn't compare to her eyes which could burn away his heart just as coldly as they stared. Her skin was as pale as a body in the morgue. "Excuse me," Derrick put his hand on her shoulder as she passed him by. She spun around quickly and angrily, but her anger faded away as she gasped. "Derrick!" she hugged him. It almost seemed like an excuse to help keep warm, but he didn't care. "How are you? I haven't seen you in ages! What are you up to now?" "Well," Derrick started, "I was just going to head back to the forest and.." Aurora gasped. "You live in the forest? It must be so romantic." She kissed Derrick on the cheek. "Maybe I'll come with you." Derrick blushed and began to brag, "Yeah, I own a pokemon gym there." It must have been a big mistake because Aurora's excitement shot out of her. "Oh, so you belong in ATR?" "Well... uh.." Derrick tried to think of a fast recovery but was lost. "Well," Aurora changed the subject. "I have to go now." She seemed dissapointed in Derrick as she big her lip and her eyes looked a little worried. Derrick didn't want her to walk away from him like last time, so he continued to follow her. "So, where are you going?" he asked. "The museum." "Really? I've never been there before. I'll come with you." "Fine." Aurora seemed very frustrated about him, but Derrick dismissed her behavior blindly. "You might not like it though." When they got to the entrance of the museum, Aurora stopped in her tracks and looked out around the crowd nerviously and anxiously at the foot of the steps. "What are you looking at?" Derrick asked as he eyed the crowd also. "Nothing." Aurora walked in and stood at the counter, ready to pay her admission. "Five dolla- well you know the price," the old cashier smiled. Aurora reached into her pockets for the money, but Derrick placed a ten dollar bill on the table. Aurora smiled, but not enough for anyone to notice. The old woman each gave them an admission ticket and stamped their hands. Derrick looked at the picture on his hands. "What... is it?" "It's two Kabutops attacking each other," Aurora explained. "Eh, it looks more like they are just walking together." They started walking down the hallways looking at the exhibits. Derrick hintingly reached out his hand. Aurora noticed it and shrugged. Eventually though, she gulped and placed her palm against his. Derrick couldn't comprehend why she seemed so distant this time. He remembered her being much closer to him, or was it just a mad fantasy? For a while they just walked together and looked at the exhibits not saying anything. There was no fighting like Derrick experienced with the remarkable similar, yet different Julia. "I've been here every day since in moved to Pewter," Aurora mentioned. "But you know what I love the most about this place?" She answered her own question before Derrick could reply. "Nothing ever changes. When I came in here for the first time, the Kabuto fossil was there, the Omastar was here, the Aerodactyl was up above. Now, I memorized where everything is. Everything was just as it was, frozen in time, never changing. The Kabuto fossil is still there. The Omastar is still there.. Even Mrs. Parker still works the register. My favorite part is up next," she sighed. "Well," Derrick commented. "I guess it is nice that the only thing that changes are the people who look at these exhibits." "No..." she muttered. "...?" Derrick looked at her. "..." They started walking through a one-room exhibit on the Ice Age and Aurora's eyes lit up. Derrick assumed that this exhibit hasn't changed, just like the others. Only here, you wouldn't imagine in your head the fake figures moving away from you because unlike the others, they are frozen in the moment. As they walked all the way through that particular exhibit, Aurora looked back for one last glance towards it, as if she wanted to go back and stay there forever. She sighed and put her head on Derrick's shoulder. When they left the museum, the sun was setting, and their arms were wrapped around each other. "Well, I have to go home now." "Can I walk you home?" Derrick asked Aurora. "Where do you live?" "I'll walk myself home," she answered. "Why don't you head back to where you're staying?" "Can I see you again?" Derrick asked. "Sure, how about the park?" He nodded. "At nine at night?" He nodded. "OK, great! So it's a date!" She lightly kissed him on the lips, then turned around and walked away. "Ohh....." She started walking a little slower as if she didn't want to get there yet. "A date.." Something Derrick hasn't experienced in a long time. He would have been very excited for himself, but he knew he had nowhere to stay. He wondered if his previous landlord would take him back in. No one in the right mind would have stayed in that apartment building anyway. Derrick's joy dropped when the landlord told him there were no more rooms available. There was nowhere left to stay and he needed a good night's sleep if he wanted to have a good time tomorrow. He grumbled to himself and sat down on the steps in front of the building. He must have fallen asleep because the next time he opened his eyes, he was in the hallway at Paty's feet. She was carrying two big brown bags. "What are YOU doing here?" He asked her. "I was about to ask you the same thing. You see, I live here with James, but you, you where freezing outside the door." "Please let me stay with you guys, just for a few days!" Derrick pleaded. "Well, maybe, if you do me a few favors." "Like what?" She handed him one of the bags. "First, you can help me carry the groceries up. Second, you can join ATR again," she grinned. "Can't we compromise?" "Maybe, but let's not discuss it now. These bags are heavy." Paty knocked on the door with her free hand and James opened it. He seemed to have fully recovered. Before entering, Derrick took a quick glance around their apartment, until he saw Julia sitting on the couch, then he dropped the bag he was holding. "My beer!' James shouted. "What are you doing here?" Derrick asked her. "James invited me back here," she explained. "What about you?" Paty smiled. "He's in ATR now." "No, I haven't decided yet. I just have nowhere else to go for the night." James shook Derrick's hand. "It's good to have you back." "What?" "You are now officially in ATR again." "What? Huh?" "Isn't it exciting? Think about it. in just a few days we'll have rockets begging for our mercy. Bwahahahaha!" "....Anyway," Paty pointed to the door on the left side of the room. "You'll sleep in that room." "And Paty and I will sleep together.. heh heh," James added. Paty slapped James. "Oh, and I guess that means you'll have to share the bed with Julia, heh heh." Julia slapped Paty. "I'll sleep on the couch, thank you." "Anyway, thanks for the hospitality," Derrick said as he entered his room. "Oh, and I'll keep that offer to join ATR in mind," he lied. He closed the door behind him, lied down on the bed, and sighed happily. "I saw you going into the museum with that one ex-ATR," Mariah, Aurora's partner said as she entered their apartment. "He's one of the last three we need to get rid of," she explained. "Think of how high we'll be placed if we get rid of the boss' leftovers for him," Mariah grasped Aurora's hand. "But he's an ex-ATR, like you said, so..." "SO WHAT? He still knows too much! You don't actually have feelings for that fool, do you?" "...No." "Good, 'cause I have a plan already worked out. Joe and I found out where James and Paty live, and they don't have any police guarding them, so we'll take care of them at nine 'o clock tomorrow night. They have someone else with them, but she shouldn't be too much trouble. In the mean time, you go find that Derrick fellow and ask him out on a date. And when the timing is right.." "I... kill him..." Aurora looked to the ground as the words choked her. "Exactly," Mariah grinned wryly. "He doesn't know you're a Rocket, does he?" "No. I don't thi-" "Perfect." Aurora began walking to her room slowly. "Tomorrow is gonna be the turning point of our lives! No more slumps for us. We'll be on top and giving orders to everyone else. Can you imagine how great it will be?" "Imagine what? We are going to kill people who have done nothing to us! We don't have to do such evil things to get on top! We could own our own business, or, or.." "Aurora, get a hold of yourself! Do it for the team! If he finds out you're a Rocket, he'd abandon you anyway! Who were the only people to take you in? This is the only way things will be. This is the only way we will ever become more than what we are. Society has no place for us. This the way life us. You get what I'm saying? Aurora?" "I... I get it." Aurora closed the door behind her. "But what about for me..." She sat down on her bed and began to cry. To Be Continued