A Heart in Quicksand {Zero}

[Mirun N. O'Hannegan]

The machine began to smoke and Mirun shut it off, almost burning his fingers. He slammed his hands on the table and chewed on his lip, trying to keep himself from losing his cool again that week. This was impossible. He couldn't make this weapon. He had tried everything! He would have to give the report to his bosses that he didn't have the materials. The lab had the best equipment possible for what had happened and Mirun was given every means possible to accomplish what was expected of him but even he had to draw the line somewhere. It was late, he was tired. Mirun hadn't slept in a week and had probably overdosed on his medication a bit. He was thinking clearer than ever, but at the same time that came with the sacrifice of sleep.

"Shit," Mirun muttered. The machine finally stopped smoking, but he couldn't work with it, not anymore. It had to be repaired. Mozart helped in setting the machine up on a pedestal so Mirun could scoot under it with the tools needed. Carefully, the man began to fix the machine, half of his body hidden under it. Mozart watched and kept a wary eye on the machine itself. Apollo, the Rufflet, had long since settled in for a nap that afternoon. Persephone the Houndour and Athena the Buneary had done the same. Only Mozart and Mirun were awake. The dragon wouldn't sleep until Mirun did.


Mirun went limp and laid under the machine, staring up at the parts on the bottom. Ugh, this was impossible. "Come on, sweetheart, tell me what's wrong," he muttered at it, taking apart more wires. Useless piece of crap. Mozart took his eyes off of Mirun and the machine, looking back at the door. He thought he heard in favor of the bubbling concoction of chemicals Mirun left on a burner. The Haxorus sighed and moved to turn it off, carefully removing the vile. There were so many things to remember in this lab it was hard to keep track. It was nearly impossible for even Mirun to focus on all of it at once, but somehow he managed and got things done.

--

Raphael Deluna

[Raphael Deluna]

.

So the realm of the Dark Ones wasn't exactly his favorite place in the world. The capital was better than some areas, in that at least it didn't actively kill people, but it was still pretty eerie. They'd only let him in since he was here on business, but it wasn't like he'd come of his own free will. Vacation in the poison wastelands? No, thank you. Thank Arceus gijinka were relatively immune to magic, or else who knew what might have happened.

Since it was clear to him that he wasn't going to be returning anytime soon- seriously, there was so much poison water between here and civilization, it was obnoxious- he wanted to make the most of his visit. Which meant exploring! He wasn't interested in learning too much about the culture (the war had taught him well enough, he had no interest in the fine details) but he was still curious. Besides, it would help his confidence to talk to a few citizens first- at the very least, it might help him learn to avoid horrifically offending anyone. Fights to the death over culture differences were never fun.

They'd made him leave his fighting Pokemon outside, unfortunately, something about security, like he didn't pack a mean punch himself. On the bright side, at the moment he was left to wander unescorted, so maybe it was a fair trade after all. He was quite content to walk along, sticking his head into whatever open doors he came across. Which was probably... not the safest of occupations, but- well, actually, there was no excuse. He really ought to know better by now.

He only realized his mistake after it was too late to take it back. He'd popped inside yet another doorway, not really expecting to find anything, and found himself face to face with- a Haxorus. Sweet Arceus. It was a freakishly familiar Haxorus, too, and Raphael had a sudden shock of pure terror. That was... impossible, right? It couldn't... It had been so long... But as he tried to duck out gracefully he managed to trip, knocking over what appeared to be a test tube. It hit the floor with a crash and he froze, eyes going wide. "U-u-um. Ssssorry? H-h-hi?" His gaze stayed locked on the dragon as he tensed, ready to run like hell if he needed to. Dammit!


Mirun N. O'Hannegan

[Mirun N. O'Hannegan]

Mozart's gaze moved towards the crash. Mirun had taken little notice and was still cursing under his breath to the machine. Mozart slowly moved, his old bones aching with every small movement, until he was towering over the fallen form. He looked the boy over. Familiar. He bent down slightly, sniffing. Arbok, but not with a hint of other chemicals. Yes, this was the other one. Mozart turned his head to look over his shoulder at Mirun. He seemed to be doing fine, especially since Athena and Apollo had moved to help Mirun under the machine. If it fell, the little rabbit would catch it. She was fairly strong.

"Long time, Raphael," Mozart said, his voice gruff but soft with age. "Surprised to see you here. I thought you... passed with the others." He wasn't fond of this kid, nor of any of the others, but Mirun's pain and constant nightmares about his children softened Mozart's heart slightly. That or he had finally gone bonkers. He peered over his shoulder again, Mirun was still half-way under the machine.

"What are you growling about?" Mirun asked, raising his voice so he could be heard, but even then it was muffled. Mirun slid himself out from under the machine. It was working again. Athena helped him lower it back to the ground. "Cheap crap," he muttered. Even though it wasn't cheap. It was the best his bosses could do. Mozart looked back down at Raphael.

"You appear to have seen a ghost." The dragon mumbled before he began to pick up the glass, struggling to rise again before he threw it away. Mozart then let out another growl, this one directed at Mirun. The man spun on his heels, but couldn't see Raphael due to Mozart's bulk. Mozart looked back down at Raphael, his eyes were pleading, almost as if the dragon had broken past his pride, but even then they were cold.

--

Raphael Deluna

[Raphael Deluna]

.

Faced with the dragon towering above him, Raphael did the only thing he knew how to do: he froze and stared, years of combat experience be damned. Mozart leaned over to examine him and the gijinka stayed painfully still, hardly daring to breath as he paled significantly. Was this really happening? Maybe he was just... well, okay, the chances of their being another ancient Haxorus hanging around in what was obviously some mad scientist's lair were pretty low, but- his freak out was cut short by the Pokemon addressing him by name. Yeah, must be Mozart, then. Uh, wow.

"The ssssame could b-b-be ssssaid of y-you, Mozart." He had to admit, he was in shock. So many years had passed, and Raphael was sure that the breeding center had been destroyed. He guess he'd just assumed that Mirun and his Pokemon had gone down with it. And, wait- was Mirun?- but yeah, that was definitely Mirun's voice that chimed in a moment later. Damn, but he was one stubborn creature.

The gijinka blinked at the dragon at the strange comment, laughing a bit nervously. "W-well, yeah, I... kind of have?" At least he was getting his speech back under control a bit. His work with Basilisk was good for something, after all. "I mean, I never... I didn't..." He heard movement from behind the large dragon and he couldn't help it, he leaned around the Pokemon a bit to try to sneak a peak. He had to see, if only to check out how the man had aged. Did he even have all of his limbs, anymore? He wouldn't put it past the scientist to irritate someone to the point of getting himself injured, especially if he'd wound up here of all places.

He glanced back at Mozart again, maybe for reassurance, but whatever he saw on the dragon's face wasn't it. He didn't... know how to interpret that look, exactly. It made him nervous, and more than a little sad. He and Mirun hadn't exactly been on the best of terms- hello, he'd been drugged and experimented on against his will- but as crazy as he'd been, Mirun had been a constant, something reliable as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. That had all shattered when the Elders had risen, and... maybe it was foolish of him, but he wanted to see, if only to have the slightest glimpse of the remains of his old life.

So he gave the dragon an apologetic little half-smile before stepping around him, waving a shyly at the scientist beyond. "H-hey, um... Mirun?"


Mirun N. O'Hannegan

[Mirun N. O'Hannegan]

A small shake of the head told the other Pokemon that this was not someone to attack. Apollo nestled down on one of his perches, his eyes narrowing at Mozart just enough to get a low growl. The Rufflet lowered his gaze. Mozart was old, sure, but he was still the stronger one out of all the Pokemon Mirun had. Injuries be damned. Athena was a lot more happy to see a visitor that wasn't a Dark One and began to hop up and down in joy, while Persephone just sniffed the air and sat there. The Buneary giving the Houndour a happy look. A visitor! It was as rare as Mirun leaving the lab these days. He even slept under his desk, curled up in a torn cloak he found.

Mirun's jaw tightened and his blue eyes seemed to be drained of all their life at the sight of the man. His face went even paler than it was, and his palms began to grow sweaty, his hands shaking just a bit. No, no, that wasn't right. He saw this person, and one like him, in his nightmares in his hallucinations. Bloody, beaten, reaching out for help when Mirun couldn't give it. He couldn't remember what made this person so special, he couldn't remember why a sudden wave of protectiveness and love came over him, or why it was such a shock. Mirun opened his mouth to speak but he closed it back. Was this... the original or the copy? He remembered that much... twins, right?

He darted forward, attempting to cling to the other man, giving out a sob. "Dear gods, your alive," Mirun breathed. "Your alive." Another sob raked through Mirun. "Raphael or Angel? Which one? Which one are you?" He moved away, tears still in his eyes. He needed to know which one had survived, which one he still had to find. And the other two... he couldn't remember their names. But Raphael and Angel stood out for some reason. He moved his hands to cup the face, if he was allowed, and gave a sad smile. "Your alive... actually alive."

Mozart had taken a few steps back and watched. He wanted to say something, to explain what was going through Mirun's head, but the human was suffering from shock. Explaining how this was in fact shock would be difficult, but Mozart trusted that Raphael was intelligent enough to get it.

--

Raphael Deluna

[Raphael Deluna]

.

Raphael spared the other Pokemon a cursory glance- nobody else he recognized, which sent a pang of longing through him, though of course nothing else could have been expected- and dismissed them after a moment, turning his attention back on Mirun. It wouldn't do to be distracted. Mirun at the best of times had been unstable; this war couldn't possibly have made that better, judging by the strangeness in Mozart's eyes. And, all speculations aside, the scientist did not look good. He clearly hadn't been eating right, and there was something off about his face, and... oh. He could tell the moment the older man recognized him, the way his face went even paler. Oh, this was not going to be good.

He was shaking, his mouth opening and closing, though for a few heartbreaking moments he seemed incapable of speech. Oh. Oh, Mirun... Raphael's eyes went wide and he took half a step back, suddenly anxious, though of course it was too late to call it off now. Before he could say anything more the scientist darted forward, clinging to him, and though the gijinka couldn't help his flinch (one didn't survive war after war without developing a love-hate relationship with touching, especially unexpectedly) he calmed after a moment, running his fingers through the man's hair in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

The embrace was short lived, however, as the scientist pulled back to gaze at him in disbelief. It was... heartbreaking, really. For several long moments it was all Raphael could do to stare, and he dared not speak. Mirun cupped his face in both hands and the gijinka raised one of his own, intertwining his fingers with the older man's and mirroring his sad smile. "R-r-raphael." His first instinct was to pull the other into a hug, but he wasn't sure how that would be received, so he contented himself for now with just the one hand. "Yesss, I'm... I'm here."

He took in the man's strange, broken look, the manic gleam in his eyes, and choked slightly on his next words. "It'sss... Arceus, Mirun, I didn't... When the center burned, I- I'd assumed- I'd have come sssooner had I known, I sssswear." He doesn't know what happened to Angel- hadn't even thought of his clone in a long, long time- and he isn't sure whether or not to bring that up. Instead he settles for squeezing the other's hand and conjuring the best smile he can bare to muster (it still comes out thin and strained, but given the circumstances he's not sure the other will even notice). "I... sssee you've found yourself another lab, huh? That's... nice."

He doesn't know what to do with himself, isn't sure of the protocols for this. He can tell that there's something wrong going on in Mirun's head- Arceus, how would he even get his medicine in this day and age?- and he'd turn to Mozart for guidance, if he thought that might not set the man off. As it is... well, he'll just let Mirun take the lead, see where it takes them. He owes his father figure that much, at the very least.


Mirun N. O'Hannegan

[Mirun N. O'Hannegan]

His heart swelled in love and relief. This wasn't a dream, wasn't a nightmare. This was real, it was something that was happening now. He had grown used to the opposite being true, of always being stuck in a state of delusion, but this was actually here. His smile flickered at the mention of the center. He remembered the center, and another place, but everything else ran together. It was all a blur, nothing more than a troubling fog that Mirun wouldn't piece together. He had tried everything, even experimenting on himself, to try and bring clarity to what he couldn't get from his own head.


"Just a place to sleep really," Mirun said. "I don't do much here." After he made tons of weapons he was just waiting for more orders, waiting for the day when they would give him more things to do and say 'do this and you'll get your herbs back'. he was given herbs, yes, enough to keep him stable to function, but when it came time for a job they were rationed heavily, almost to the point where Mirun would have to work fast and complete what was wanted in order to maintain his own sanity. With every breakthrough in the deign he was given enough to last him a week. That was it.


Mirun tried to pull Raphael into another hug, closing his eyes tight. He felt hot tears stream down his face. He didn't know what else to say, but he could hear Mozart giving a soft rumble. It wasn't time for the medicine, Mirun had already taken it, so he just stood there, relishing in the heat of another person, of someone he knew. Or, felt like he knew. Mirun just didn't want to be left alone again. He had gone so long in fear that everyone he loved had died, it was a relief to see someone had survived and seemed to have all their limbs. Mozart watched and was growling at the other Pokemon. Apollo ignored the growls, but Persephone was up in an instant and trotted over to the two, sitting down by their feet. She stared up at Raphael before giving a bark at Mirun. The man didn't budge. It was only when Mozart actually pried Mirun off did a whine of protest come from the older man. He was cold now. The dragon gave Mirun a long look, as if he was scolding him.

--

Raphael Deluna