Looking For Balance Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Life of Marcia

White walked with N feeling bad she couldn't tell him all she learned from Arceus as they walked.  She loved him but she had promised Arceus not tell a soul of their meeting and she understood why the God wanted no one to know, it wasn't like anyone other then N would believe her anyway.

N glanced at her noticing she had been really quiet since they had left the temple.  He wrapped her arm around her as they walked through the mountain range of Sekra in northern Fiore looking for any signs of life living out here at one time or another.  N looked over at him asking, "Are you sure your alright, White?"

"Yeah I'm fine," she said quickly looking at him with a smile kissing his cheek then noticing Zoroark had stopped in front of them looking around.

N followed her gaze to his friend asking, "Do you sense something Zoroark?"

Zoroark nodded going to all fours starting to run into the Forest.  N sighed grabbing White's hand following the pokemon toward an old cabin in the woods with lots of pokemon around it.  The pokemon seeing them all ran away hiding in the forest they seemed frightened of them.  N frowned as he went to the door knocking.  The door swung open revealing an old woman with long gray hair and dark hazel eyes.  The woman saw N first hugging him tightly saying, "Is that really you N?  I haven't seen you since you were 3."

N looked at the woman in shock before it clicked in his mind looking down saying, "Johanna.... your the one sent off with Marcia. Our nanny, the only one who cared about us after mother died."

The woman nodded moving away with a nod smiling moving back saying, "Come in come in, it's cold outside and I can warm you two up."

N looked at White who just shrugged mouthing to him, 'She may know what we are looking for.'

N nodded as they went inside sitting down as the woman went over to make some tea.

The woman came over pouring three cups of tea handing one to N then to White as she sat down as well across from them smiling at them asking, "So who are you, young lady?"

White looked up at the woman not used to people not knowing who she was by now slowly responding after taking the cup of tea offered to her, "My name is White, and your Johanna correct?"

The old woman nodded smiling gently taking a sip of her tea before saying, "Yes you are correct, I took care of N until he was 3 and raised Marcia since she was 1 pretty much."  

White noticed a sadness in the old woman's eyes as she mentioned Marcia.  N noticed this as well asking, "What happened to my sister, why isn't she here?"

The old woman looked at N sadly before slowly responding, "She left 4 years ago in the middle of the night.  She left a note saying she had found her calling within her dreams.  She had been having these dreams for about year about a pokemon calling out to her from a distant land.  She hadn't told me much about it just that this pokemon begged for her to come to it.  I tried to raise her to forget about Unova and the stories your father drilled into your two heads.  As she grew up though your sister began to become distant from me and the pokemon we helped in this forest together.  She never made friends at the school near by in town always preferring to hang out with Zorua over anyone else.  She often told me that she would prove to your two's father that she should have been the Hero she had heard him speaking to you about when she was old enough to find him and you, N.  Her heart became cold and more and more she reminded me of that bastard of a father you two share.  When she turned 18 I knew that soon she would disappear sometime without telling me where she was going, I saw it in her eyes.  I had guessed she was heading to Unova, I had never told her that I had heard Ghetsis and you were defeated in your plans by a young trainer.  I figured it would drive her over that edge too soon and I didn't want her to leave at all.  I thought of Marcia as my own daughter, N, I couldn't bare that she would leave with no plans of ever returning."

N and White listened before looking at each other then back at the old woman.  N took a deep breath asking, "White can you wait outside while I talk to her about what is going on?"

"Yes of course," White said nodding heading outside leaving N and Zoroark inside with Johanna.  She leaned against the cabin rubbing her forehead her eyes closed trying to clear her mind.

"Hey White, is that you?" A familiar male voice met her ears as she looked up seeing Cheren there.

"Cheren?  What are you doing in Fiore?" White asked in confusion looking at her old friend noticing something off about him but she couldn't put her finger on it.  She had the feeling it was the same thing she felt off about him several times during there last few meetings especially the last one where he confessed his feelings for her.

Cheren came up close grabbing her arm looking at her face his eyes black as the night sky saying, "Looking for you, when I heard from your mother about that letter you received from N I had to find you so I tracked you here.  I was worried about you, how can you trust that man after all he's done?"

"You don't know him, Cheren," White hissed pulling her arm from his grip looking into his eyes in confusion something was definitely different about her old friend but what, "You don't understand, he cares about me and I care about him."

"Then what am I chop liver?" Cheren asked grabbing White's wrist dragging her away from the cabin forcefully before grabbing her other wrist pulling her close, "I'll prove to you, I'm the one your meant to be with."

He pulled her close kissing her deeply his black eyes looking into her own blue eyes as he kissed her deeply for quite a bit before pulling away whispering, "Don't you see, I love you more then anything White."

"No you don't," White said staring up at him his eyes being so closed clicked in her brain, "Because you're not Cheren, Cheren has blue eyes that are full of knowledge not distant black ones like you do.    It was a good illusion Zoroark, but tell your mistress that you need to work harder on it."

"No need," A woman's voice came from behind her as the illusion of Cheren disappeared revealing a Zoroark with a faded red bow on her neck that had a small speaker attached to it.  

White quickly turned around seeing a woman that was couple years older then her around 22 with long green hair and emerald green eyes, "Marcia, I take it."

"That would be correct, you're very impressive.  Though I shouldn't have expected anything else from the Hero of Truth," Marcia said with a smirk, "Though it did take you a few months to realize the Cheren you were hanging out with was an illusion.  That is quite sad.  I had been sure that having Cheren confess to you and scaring my little brother away with the Shadow Triad would keep you two apart."

White clinched her fist going to grab Reshiram's pokeball from her bag but stopped as Zoroark grabbed her arms holding her hands pushing her to the ground in front of Marcia.  She glared at the woman hissing out, "What did you do with Cheren?"

"Oh don't worry, the current champion is quite well in my castle.  My men are taking really good care of him," Marcia said coming over leaning down in front of White placing her hand on her chin forcing White to look up at her, "Though it did take some time to convince his pokemon to follow my orders but no normal pokemon can resist me."

"What are you going to do with me?" White asked gulping as she was forced to look into Marcia's eyes that scared her like no other had.

Marcia sighed shaking her head saying, "You've forced my hand, dear White.  I didn't want to have to resort to this but I'm going to have to force you and my little brother apart. Your going to be joining me at my castle though so don't worry I treat my guest well though I will have to take your pokeballs from your bag.  I can't have you trying to fight Kyurem and me alone, even if you can't take us with just you and one half of the Great Dragon."

She looked up growling as we both heard N's voice ring out through the forest.  How far had Zoroark dragged me from the cabin?  N called out, "White, where are you?"

She sighed then a devious little smirk appeared on her face as she leaned over squeezing my chin whispering, "Call out to him, White.  Call out to my dear little brother."

White looked at her not wanting to do what this woman said but she had little choice calling out, "N, I'm over here."

"Oh, alright," N said running through the forest with his Zoroark following behind him coming into the clearing stopping in his tracks seeing White there on the ground with Marcia in front of her.

"Hello and goodbye, N," Marcia said with a smirk calling out a Gothitella, "Teleport us, Gothitella."

N broke out in a run calling out reaching for White as she disappeared in front of him, "White!"