From: Corynn <corvus@my-spleen.u.washington.edu> Subject: [PW!] Prologue Date: Sunday, July 25, 1999 3:20 PM Rumiko sighed deeply as she came over a hill in the road to see Celadon city before her. She was surprised to find that seeing home did not make her feel very happy. She had never left home before this. Always she expected that she would miss her bustling city and the lovely gym she trained at. She expected that her heart would dance for joy inside her when she returned. Now though, her heart weighed down on her like a cold stone, as if it were dead. Celadon was busier than usual, with lights keeping the city bright despite the setting sun and loud music echoing through the streets. Rumiko recalled someone mentioning "PokeStock" back in Fuscia city. She made her way through the city using the back roads in order to avoid the crowds. At the moment, she did not want to risk running into anyone she knew. She felt too miserable. She had been alone since she left Fuscia almost two weeks ago and she was feeling rather comfortable that way. For a long time now, Rumiko had been avoiding people so much that it seemed she had even lost contact with herself. She felt numb, unable to stir any feelings in herself or even know what she was supposed to be feeling. At first, she had not believed it, when she read in the news about a young woman who had been found dead in the wilderness, murdered. A woman who had been identified as the daughter of an important Pokemon doctor in Fuscia. It was undeniable, however, that the woman was Karasu. Though Karasu’s family had no idea who Rumiko was, she traveled to Fuscia and located them. Still, she had been too late for the funeral. But there was Karasu’s grave, with a small plaque in the graveyard with nothing more than her name and her birth and death years. No one would remember Karasu for what she wanted to be known as, a great Pokemon trainer, but not a run-of-the-mill one. Karasu’s dream had been twisted, to be infamous for her thievery. When Rumiko saw that plaque and thought this, she finally admitted to herself that Karasu was really gone. Misery took hold of her then. Karasu’s family had been kind and let Rumiko stay with them for a while as she dealt with her sorrow. They would not talk about Karasu’s attempt at becoming her own sort of Pokemon master; not even to tell Rumiko what had happened to Karasu’s Pokemon. Finally, she found out on her own from the local police that they had not been with Karasu. Apparently, the were stolen by the murderer. Now Rumiko found herself entering the gym. It was quiet since it was very late by this point. She quickly made her way to her room, only nodding slightly to the other trainers who greeted her on the way, trying to welcome her back as cheerfully as possible. She entered her small room, letting her travel pack slip from her shoulders to the floor and lay heavily on her futon. The room smelled musty from lack of air. Tomorrow, Rumiko thought, I will go back to training. That will help me feel better. She closed her eyes tightly against tears suddenly formed in them and began to run down the sides of her face. Something seemed wrong. She felt that it was wrong to just go back to life, to try to make everything normal again. A new feeling was stirring inside her. She thought about Karasu, about her dying without having completed her goals, of the Pokemon that she had loved, even though she had stolen many of them, in the hands of her murderer. Most of all, she thought of that murderer running free, with no fear of the police. Probably Team Rocket, the police had told her. Someone clever enough not to leave any clues as to his or her identity. They doubted this person would ever be brought to justice. Rumiko was angry, and the feeling she had was something she never could have imagined feeling before. She struggled with it a moment, feeling guilty of it. Finally she admitted to herself what it was. Hate. Such an intense hate, that only one thing could possibly quell it. Rumiko sighed, her mind was made up. Karasu had always begged her to leave Celadon, to travel together. It was a shame, she thought, that it was not until now that she would take Karasu’s advice. Finally, Rumiko fell asleep. ~~~~~~ TBC _____________________________________________________ Corynn Remove my-spleen to e-mail me. suisui