Chapter 52

White groaned as she woke up on a hard surface. She tried rubbing her eyes with her fist, but her hands were still handcuffed behind her back.

She opened one of her eyes to see where she was. Her vision was blurry, and all she could see was darkness. After her vision finally cleared up, she was able to see where she was.

White was in a cell with very little light and only one window. The only bright light in the room came from the small barred window in the door. But it was only a few inches high, and let little light in.

She was laying on a hard metal cot in the back of the cell. The grunts had removed her overcoat and laid it on the floor next to the cot. The scars on her arms that were usually hidden by her coat sleeves were now vivid against her skin.

The dress she wore was teal blue and green. White had hidden it using her overcoat because it once belonged to her mother, and her mother's mother before her. It was the only outfit she had, so she wore it under her coat. She had now worn it for almost four years.

The cell was freezing cold and she had short sleeves on. She shivered and pulled her knees up to her chin. The only thing that was colder than herself was her arm.

White's arm seemed to be more swollen and purple than usual. She noticed that her rings were now gone. It was hard to tell since her arm felt numb.

She tried moving her arms, but it only shot pain through her injured one. White winced and tried to shake the pain off. Her arm gave a throb before feeling numb again

White pressed her body against the wall and began to cry. She felt depressed and lonely. She wished she wasn't so alone.

Her mind then wandered toward Amos. Did Amos really care about her? Did he love her? Had he felt this way all this time?

White never considered him as a friend till now. But he was four to three years younger than her, and she might never even see him again. The only people who ever showed her love was Sky Blue and two other dexholders.

One of the two dexholders she had gotten along with just fine, but that was because they both were intimidating and strict. He was the one who gave Mira her Feraligatr, and had been like Mira's second brother.

The other dexholder had a bit more pride than White did, and they never got along. He was the one who had turned her in and took her to Professor Oak. He had witnessed the death of Ray, and had been with White when she was meeting with her grandfather's lawyer. Before White left for Unvoa, he had been a bit more kinder to her than usual.

White had no idea how long she had been in the cell. She was starting to shiver violently from the cold and dampness. She was unable to reach her coat, and wasn't even able to move.

After what felt like a century, she heard movement from outside the cell door. White let out a small hiss and pretended to be asleep. She closed her eyes and tried hiding her face.

White heard the cell door open with a loud creak. She braced herself, expecting someone to start punching and kicking her. She waited for the curses and insults to bounce off the cell walls.

But none came. The room was completely silent. White didn't dare open her eyes just in case someone was watching her.

She tried not to cringe as someone put their hand on her forehead. She wanted to push it away, but was too afraid of moving.

The person seemed to be checking her for signs of illness. The stranger brushed his hand against her burned and cut cheek, and examined her injured arm.

After ten minutes, the stranger finally stepped away from White. White then heard something jingle behind her and she felt the handcuffs fall off her wrists.

"Whitney, get up!" The stranger hissed, shaking her shoulder gently. A wave of shock washed over her.

"N-Natural?" She stammered, "Is that you?"

"Yes, now come on! We don't have much time!" Her brother growled, helping White onto her feet.

She winced and fell back onto the cot. Her legs felt like they were stabbed with knives. White rubbed her leg and looked up at N. If he hadn't spoken, she wouldn't have realized it was him.

He was wearing a long, black cloak, and his face was covered by the hood. White couldn't see his face, which was probably good. She could tell that he was angry with her.

"Can you walk?" He asked quietly. She shook her head. She didn't feel like lying to him.

N sighed and picked her up in his arms. White wheezed as everything started to spin. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt like she was going to be sick if she kept her eyes open any longer.

White couldn't help but whimper and cuddled closer to him. It felt like her blood had turned to ice, and her arm seemed to grow more numb. Her senses seemed to be a bit fuzzy now that something was finally happening. White was still trying to progress everything as N carried her out of the cell.

She didn't open her eyes while he carried her down the hall. White felt safe now that she was with her older brother. It reminded her of the nights when they were younger, when she had the nightmares and had looked to N for comfort.

After fifteen minutes, she felt N set her down on something soft. She didn't try moving as she heard a door shut nearby.

"You idiot!" N snarled furiously after a minute, "What were you thinking?! They were going to kill you!"

White didn't speak. She didn't feel like arguing with him at the moment, and she didn't want to hear him rant about what she did. But White moved her hand an inch to show him that she was awake.

"You could have died in that cell!" He continued, "You're not exactly in the right condition at the moment! You would've probably died before they let you out!"

"I don't need you to tell me that!" White finally snapped, unable to keep quiet any longer. She heard N snarl and start walking around the room.

White finally had the guts to open her eyes and look at her new surroundings. They were in one of the rooms that the grunts stayed in. She was laying on one of the beds near the door, which N had now locked.

Her brother was standing at the end of the bed, looking irritated. He threw off his cloak and tossed White her overcoat.

She grunted and pulled her coat on. She was surprised that the crowbar and her own cloak were still inside it. Either Team Plasma was really dumb or they thought she'd never reach her coat or the items.

"How did you get on the ship?" White finally asked after a minute, "Why did you come looking for me?"

"First off, don't thank me, thank your Arcanine." N growled, "He shamed me into doing it. How are you able to put up with him?"

"I don't, there is just always someone who takes my side instead of his." She sighed, putting on her cloak.

White then remembered about Mira getting shot in the shoulder. "Have you seen Mira?" She asked N desperately, "Or at least Sky or Leia?"

N didn't reply. White began to think the worse, and that Mira didn't survive or that the three of them had got separated.

"I've seen them." Her brother finally answered, "Mira will live. The bullet didn't go that far. The only bad thing is that some of her old injuries have gotten worse."

"So they did go to you? All three of them?"

"If you mean Sky Blue, Mira, and that other girl, then yes."

"Does Leia know then? About us?"

"Yes she does."

White didn't speak for a minute. Amos had almost killed her when he found out that she had lied to him about N. How had Leia taken the news that her hero had lied to her?

"That girl, Leia, seemed to have taken the news better than that other kid." N said abruptly, apparently knowing what White was thinking.

"Is she mad at me?"

"She's not mad at you, she's mad at me."

"You?" White repeated, "But what did you do?"

"Everything." Her brother sighed, "She said that it was my fault that all this happened in the first place, and she's right. It's my fault, everything is."

"No it's not!" She said, surprised by her own change of tone. White did blame N, but she didn't think it would be necessary to tell him that.

"Stop lying, it is my fault!" N snapped, "I should've just left you alone! I should've done everything myself! None of us would be in this mess if I wasn't a coward!"

White tried to think of something to say, but couldn't. She knew all of this was true. It was N's fault that Mira was dying. It was N's fault that Sky Blue had gotten captured for saving White. It was N's fault that both Leia and Amos now knew her darkest secrets. It was N's fault that she herself was now slowly dying.

"We can't change what's already happened." White finally whispered, "It's done. We can't go back and change the events. No one can."

She looked at the floor as she saw N look up at her. White threw her cloak hood over her head to cover her face. She could feel her face beginning to turn red.

"What's with the sudden change in attitude?" He said coolly, "You've always called me a cowardly selfish kid."

"You are, but-" She stopped in mid sentence.

Someone was coming down the hall from outside of the room. N hissed and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her behind one of the beds.

"Duck down!" He snarled at her, "If we both get caught, we're both gonna die!"

White glared at her brother but did as she was told. She tried not to wince as she laid down on her stomach. Her bones still ached and her back was sore.

A shadow fell across the room. Someone was looking through the window in the door. The shadow disappeared as the person continued down the hall.

"How did you get onto the ship?" She asked again. N ignored her and stood up. White noticed that he was shaking.

"I used your friend's Alakazam." He finally said, "I told him to go back once I was here. Now we can't leave until the ship lands."

"Until the ship lands?" repeated White, "But isn't it still in the water?"

N snorted. "No, this piece of junk is flying now. It's heading toward the Giant Chasm. We'll have to stay put for at least an hour."

White hissed and hugged herself. Being on a ship with N did not sound fun to her. Especially if the ship was infested with Team Plasma members and one killer Raichu.

"Are you alright?" N asked her. White looked up at him. He was leaning against a wall and was watching her carefully.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired." White lied. She looked away from him and put her head in her hands. She didn't want to let N see her start crying.

White felt her body start shaking again. She was warmer than before, but she was still cold. It was like the sun had disappeared from the world.

She then felt something bump her arm. N had sat next to her and put his arm around her. White gave a small sob and began to cry into his shoulder.

Loneliness was taking over her. It felt like years had passed since she had any kind of contact with anyone. But her brother was with her now, and she was grateful.

White huddled close to N for awhile. Neither of them spoke and that was fine with her. She didn't feel like talking to him anyway.

Her shaking became more from fright than from the cold. She was scared of what the future held, or if she had a future at all. Death had finally seemed to have cornered her.

White remembered when she would daydream about getting married and having a family. (She never cared about getting married anymore, and plus she was four years old when she had dreamt her last marriage-involved daydream) Now it felt like she would never reach adulthood or even see the next week.

Her shaking seemed to be bothering N, because he soon put his cloak over her. She calmed down a little bit, but continued to breath heavily. She had to bite her lip to keep herself from sobbing.

"You'll be fine!" N told her soothingly, the desperation in his voice, "We'll get out of this! Everything will work out!"

If he only knew, White thought bitterly, hating herself for not telling him about her medical problems. She still didn't want to tell him, but she couldn't keep her arm and her breathing problem hidden for much longer. She would have to tell him sooner or later, just not at the moment.

The ship suddenly gave a violent lurch, and it tilted to the left for a small moment. White squeaked and clutched at N's arm. She heard him wince, but she didn't let go.

She reluctantly let go of him as he stood up and walked toward the door. White pulled his cloak closer to herself, feeling the little warmth and strength she had regained leave her.

"Come on!" N hissed, glancing out the window and walking back to her, "We're going to leave the room, so make sure you stay close to me! I'm sorry but I'll need my cloak!" He added hesitantly.

She glared at him but handed him the cloak. N threw the cloak over himself, and White noticed the Team Plasma badge pinned to the front.

A small yet loud crack came from White's leg as she tried standing up. She winced sharply and leaned against one of the beds. She tried to hide any signs of pain as N glanced at her.

"What just cracked?" He asked shrewdly. "Nothing!" White hissed, pain breaking out in her leg. She waited for N to turn away before looking at her leg.

Her leg always did that whenever it unlocked from its position. It felt the same when it locked in a position, but unlocking was a bit more painful. Even after ten years of this, White never got use to the pain.

She looked back up at N to see that he was withdrawing the handcuffs from his cloak pocket. "White, I know you don't want to do this, but you'll have to put these on!" N muttered, trying to put the handcuffs back on her wrists.

"Don't put those on me!" White yelped, stumbling away from him. Her brother sighed and stepped closer to her.

"You got to put them on! It would look suspicious if you didn't have any kind of restraint."

"But it hurts my arm! Please, isn't there something else?!"

"No, there isn't!"

White bit her lip and stared at the handcuffs. She didn't want to put them back on. Her arms were stiff enough without them.

"Here, sit down and hold out your bad arm." N finally said, pushing her gently on the bed. White obeyed and held out her arm.

N tore off a piece of his cloak and tied it around White's wrist. He then pulled her gloves out of his pocket and handed them back to her.

"Put those on." He ordered her. She glanced at him and pulled her gloves on. Her hands felt a bit warmer, but not by much.

White held back a protest as her brother put the handcuffs back on her wrists. The fabric tied around her wrist and the glove cushioned the weight of the cuffs a bit. Her arm still hurt, but at least it wasn't as bad as before.

N helped her to her feet and held onto her by her arm. White felt like she was being escorted to prison.

The hallways were deserted, but White stayed close to N. He kept a firm grip on her upper arm, but not too tight. N's hood was pulled back over his face, so no one was able to identify him.

They met nobody else as they walked down the halls. White was too scared to look at anything, so she stared at the floor.

Footsteps soon echoed in front of them. N stopped so suddenly that White bumped into his side. She tried not to wince as his grip tightened on her arm.

Zinzolin was now standing in front of them. He was looking from N to White. He looked suspiciously at N after a moment.

"What are you doing with this prisoner?" Zinzolin asked him coldly. White looked back at the ground again as Zinzolin's gaze landed on her.

"Ghetsis wanted to see her, sir. Interrogation." N said convincingly. Zinzolin raised an eyebrow.

"I don't remember Ghetsis mentioning that he was going to interrogate Miss Gropius." He said snidely.

"I am only transferring her, sir." Her brother replied, "I am not provided with this information."

White was panicking now. Zinzolin didn't seem to believe N. If they were caught, they would both die.

"Very well." he growled finally, "Continue on your way."

N bowed his head as Zinzolin passed them. They didn't move until they were sure he was gone.

"How did you do that?" White asked N in disbelief. He didn't answer, but gave her a small push to tell her to walk.

"Have you ever wondered where I get all my information from?" N finally whispered, guiding her down the hall.

"Do you mean you have been here before?"

"I have been here before, yes. No one really notices me, but the Shadow Triad get a bit suspicious."

"Don't they recognize your voice?"

"Not really."

"I've underestimated you then..."

She saw N smile as they turned a corner. Zinzolin was the only person they saw. White was beginning to think that he was just as lost as she was when she first got around the ship.

An alarm suddenly went off after ten minutes. White yelped and looked at her brother. From what she could see of his face, he had turned pale.

"Come on!" N hissed, pulling her down the hall. She winced as the handcuffs dug into her wrists.

Voices were coming from behind them. Her disappearance had not gone unnoticed. Zinzolin must have reported her being out of her cell.

They stopped in front of another room that had no windows at all. N opened the door and pushed White inside.

"Do not leave this room until I come back!" He growled, removing the handcuffs from her wrists.

"Where are you going?!" White asked desperately, "You can't leave me!"

"It's better me than you!"

"What about Zekrom and your other pokemon?!"

"I hid Zekrom and I don't have any pokemon! More people will miss you than me!"

White bit her lip and clenched her fists. She didn't want N to leave her again. She didn't want to be alone.

"Please don't leave me!" She suddenly sobbed, hugging her older brother. N flinched but didn't try moving away. White buried her face in his chest and cried quietly.

N put his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "I won't be gone forever, dead or alive." he whispered in her ear.

"But you're all I have left! You're my brother! You're supposed to be there for me! Please don't go!" She gasped, crying harder than ever.

He didn't reply to this. White started to tremble as the voices became louder. N looked over his shoulder and turned back to White.

"You're my younger sister, and I am now making up for those eight years." He said quietly, brushing the hair out of her face.

Before White could say anything else, N had let go of her and left the room, shutting the door behind him. She heard a click as the door locked.

She leaned against the door and slid onto the floor. She heard someone yell from outside. White tried not to cry as she heard a Plasma patrol rush past the room, yelling about catching N.

White put her head in her hands and cried. She didn't want N to leave. Ghetsis would kill him if he was caught. He was the only family member she had left.

She didn't look at the room she was in until she looked up five minutes later. It was just like all the rest of the rooms, except this one was darker.

Forcing herself to move, White staggered over to one of the beds and collapsed onto it. She sobbed into one of the pillows on it and wailed.

She felt like she officially had no life to live up to. Her arm was infected and would kill her. Ghetsis knew her weakness and would use it against her. Now if her last family member was captured, he would be killed and it would be because he tried saving her.

It felt like a year until White stopped crying. Something tapped her lightly on the shoulder. She yelped and looked around at the thing tapping her.

Seth had slid next to her without her knowing. He was tapping her shoulder with his tail. A handkerchief was dangling from the end of it. He gave her a small smile and handed her the handkerchief.

"How did y-you find me? How did you get in here?" White stammered, taking the handkerchief from the Serperior. Seth shrugged and pointed at something across the room.

The air vent lid was off of the vent. Apparently he had gone through the small tunnel to reach her.

"We liked your idea about hiding in those things." Seth hissed with a smirk. White gave him a forced smile and blew her nose on the handkerchief.

"Where's Di-Di?" She asked after a minute. Seth blinked and glanced at the air vent.

"She's coming. She and Tiny had the stupidest argument."

There was an explosion of noise as two pokemon flew out of the air vent. Di-Di and Tiny were rolling around on the floor.

"You idiot, do you want everyone in Team Plasma to hear us?!" Tiny was shrieking.

"HOW ABOUT YOU WHEN YOU WERE LOCKING RAICHU IN THAT CLOSET?!" bellowed Di-Di.

"I was quieter than you!"

"OH YEAH?!"

"Yeah!

"OH YEAH?!"

"Ever thought of dying young?!"

"YOU AND WHAT ARMY?!"

"Me, myself, and I!"

White covered her ears. The Gorebyss and Espeon's shrieks were growing louder. Seth rolled his eyes and slid toward the fighting pokemon.

"Beast and Gorebyss, PLEASE SIT IN YOUR SEATS!" Seth screamed, throwing each of the pokemon on a bed. Tiny spat but didn't try attacking Di-Di. Di-Di snarled and curled up in a ball.

"Thank you!" He hissed, looking back at White. She bit her lip to keep herself from laughing and crying.

"So, catch us up to speed. What are YOU doing out of your cell?" Seth asked, "We weren't even able to open the door!"

"WHY ARE YOU CRYING?" asked Di-Di sympathetically.

Tiny snorted loudly. White glared at Tiny. The Espeon was a real pain at the moment.

"N got me out." She finally said, wiping away the tears. Tiny scowled, and her pink fur stood on end.

"What's "Ne-Ne" doing here?" She asked coldly.

"Ne-Ne?"

"My little pups call him that. The nickname fits him perfectly, don't you think?"

Seth and Di-Di snickered loudly. White didn't say anything. Her view on her brother was changing, so she didn't know what to do or say about his nickname.

"So where is Ne-Ne?" Seth asked, still smirking. White frowned and glared at him.

"Don't call him that, Seth!" She scolded the Serperior. Seth seemed to be forcing himself to make an apologetic look. White scowled at him before continuing on.

"They found out I was gone when N released me from my cell. We were spotted, N put me here and told me not to leave. And... and..."

Next thing she knew, she was crying all over again. She saw Tiny facepaw as she buried her face in the pillow. Seth looked startled and moved back a few feet.

Di-Di however jumped over to her and nuzzled up to her. White felt the Gorebyss pat her clumsily with her tail.

"So he got captured?" Tiny asked, raising an eyebrow. White shook her head and looked up at the Espeon.

"No, but he could be!" She sobbed, "Ghetsis will kill him! He's... he's all I have left! I can't lose him! He's my brother!"

"Well I'll find him." growled Tiny, standing up and padding toward the air vent.

"Now where do you think you're going?" Seth sneered, blocking Tiny's path.

"I'm going to find Ne-Ne, ok?"

"Why?"

"Because he has my babies, DUH!"

Tiny then pushed Seth aside and squirmed through the air vent. The three of them watched the air vent for a minute.

"She really shouldn't have put her faith in him." Seth sighed, turning back to the other two.

"White, I'm sure he'll be alright." Di-Di said in her most quiet voice. White nodded and rubbed her eyes.

Seth slid onto the bed next to her and rested his head on her lap. Di-Di curled up next to her and didn't speak.

White petted both the pokemon absent mindedly. She wasn't going to leave the room yet. She felt sick and tired. If N was already caught, she didn't want to cause trouble. He was trying to protect her, and she didn't want to make his actions wasted.

White soon laid back down on the bed and curled up between Di-Di and Seth.

Oh God, please protect my brother for me, she prayed before falling asleep, if you could ever help me, please help N.

~~~

Ello.

Yeah, I updated. I'm leaving town for the weekend, so I tried to finish this up. When the last chapter was posted, about 7/10 of this chapter was already completed.

AND GUESS WHAT?! NE-NE IS GONNA DIE. WHAHAHAHAHAHA. (Not really, idk) WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO N?! Again, I have no clue :3

So good night. I have a good idea for the next chapter, but this guy's POV/flashback will be difficult. Sorry for the stupid ending.

Good night!