Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Team Rocket. Does that mean I can’t torture them to death? Mwah ha ha ha …

Author’s note: This story takes place a couple of months after the events in the episode ‘Holy Matrimony.’ Just so you know what’s going on.

Prologue: Emergence.

He tossed in his sleep fitfully, lashing out with his arms and legs. Whimpering low sounds of anger and fear. The sleeping bag he had been using as a loose blanket discarded and lonely near the fire, after having been thrown off after a particularly violent bout of kicking. He continued to struggle with whatever invisible force was torturing him, arching his back, muscles in his arms and legs twitching convulsively. His face, which had up until that point been a mask of distress, transformed suddenly. A dark shadow passed over it, molding his features into something angry and hate-filled. A horrible sneer formed, and his lips curled back to reveal white, perfect teeth, though at that point they seemed more like the fangs of some predatory animal ready to crush the life out of it’s prey. He snarled; a feral noise, the sound making it’s way up from the back of his throat to his lips. His left arm, stiff and coiled, sprung up with the release of a loaded sling. He swung at the empty air above him, his fingers curled like talons, and the snarl on his lips exploded into a scream. The force of his strike caused him to flip over on his side, his face pressed into the ground. His fingers found purchase in the soft grass, and he tore mindlessly at it. The scream died down, and instead he hissed at the ground as he continued to tear at it with his nails, small clumps of dirt beginning to form in the rends he had made.

It was at that point that Jessie woke up.

She wasn’t the only one however; Meowth had been equally disturbed out of his slumber by James’ surreal actions. The little cat turned his wide saucer eyes to her, questioning.

She shrugged silently, sweeping her gaze over her partner. He was curled on his side in a fetal position, his back to her. A thin sheen of perspiration coated his skin, causing slight reflections of the dying flames to dance on his back. His head rested on his right arm, while his left splayed out in front of him, fingers buried in the grass. Every muscle in his body seemed to be tense, stiff with fear or anger. He looked as though he were trying to protect himself from some unseen attack. He continued to whimper; the sounds garbled and chaotic.

She sensed Meowth behind her, but kept her eyes locked on his tortured form.

“What’s wrong wit Jim? Having another nightmare?”

She nodded. It was the third time she and the scratch cat had been witness to this.

“Well, ya betta go and wake ‘im up, den.”

Normally she would have snapped at the cat for ordering her around, but she complied without protest, sliding gracefully out of her sleeping bag to tiptoe noiselessly to his side. The expression on his face startled her, a twisted visage of pure rage. It was bizarre to see his normally placid and gentle face transformed into something so malicious.

At her obvious hesitation, Meowth urged her on. “Go on, Jess. He ain’t gonna bite ya.”

She wasn’t so sure about that. He seemed ready to tear someone to shreds.

Meowth made an impatient noise, causing her to fix him with a quick glare. “ Alright! I’ll wake him up. God, you’re an impatient little swine.” She crouched down, tucking her slender legs underneath her and gingerly placed a hand on his moist shoulder. Shaking him gently, she tried vainly to concentrate on the matter at hand rather than the fact that James was only wearing boxers.

“James.” The meekness of her voice surprised her. She hadn’t realized she was so unnerved.

His eyebrow twitched involuntary, and a low rumble formed in his throat.

She shook harder. “James.”

The rumbling grew louder, until it escaped his lips in a sharp growl. Small flecks of salvia sprayed onto the hand clutching his shoulder, and she withdrew quickly, eyes wide with fear.

Behind her, Meowth sneered. Jessie turned on him furiously.

“Will you shut up!”

The cat guffawed. “I ain’t seen ya move dat fast for ages. What’s da matta? Jim give ya a scare?”

Anger burned at her, and for a brief moment she considered marching over there and silencing the little prick simply by planting her fist between his eyes. She managed to keep a handhold on herself however, and she lifted her nose into the air haughtily.

“Huh. As if you would be any braver. You probably would have shit yourself by now.” As if to prove the fact that she was the more courageous, she turned back to face her partner and gave him a rough shove. “James! Wake up!”

His eyes snapped open.

All was silent for a moment, and then Jessie sucked in a small breath. “James…”

He moved so fast she barely even registered what was happening until his fingers wrapped themselves around her dainty wrist, tightening until his knuckles turned white and Jessie was sure that he had crushed the bone. She would have cried out if not for the look in his eyes.

Unadulterated hatred boiled in his stare. The snarl still locked on his lips, as though it were now a permanent fixture of his expression. Jessie felt the blood drain away from her face, her stomach twisting itself into a knot of pure terror. He had never looked at her that way before, and for the first time in her life she was afraid of him.

Her voice cracked. “James…”

His stare widened. The pressure on her wrist increased ever so slightly.

The fear in her gut exploded into desperation. She struggled vainly in his iron grip. “ Dammit James! Wake up! Let me go! Please! Just let me go!”

Meowth pounced onto the young man’s head and screeched painfully into his ear. “Let go ‘o Jess! Ya twit!”

Something seemed to snap, and he blinked a few times, the glaze that had permeated his eyes finally lifting. The mortal pressure on her wrist stopped, and he finally released her. She squirmed away from him and quickly stood up, cradling her hand to her chest and shaking with anger and fear.

“You asshole! What the hell is your problem?!”

The snarl had long since disappeared, and normal James looked up at her in confusion. “What?”

“You were having another nightmare. I go to wake you up and you nearly break my wrist!”

His face fell shamefully. “Oh God…” He smoothly stood and approached her carefully. “I wasn’t aware….I’m so sorry Jessie.”

Meowth hissed. “What are ya? Some kind ‘o psycho?”

“I…” He shook his head slightly, trying to clear the fog of sleep. He couldn’t recall what had happened that had made him hurt Jessie. He couldn’t even remember what he had been dreaming about, although he had the distinct impression that it had been very unpleasant indeed. He looked at Jessie again, pleading for forgiveness. “Really Jessie, I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.”

She felt her temper melt away at the sight of his apparent remorse, and she sighed softly. “It’s all right, James. It was my fault for pushing you and startling you in the first place. And besides…” she added, letting her hand drop back down to her side. “…You didn’t hurt me that badly.”

“Let me see.” Before she could protest, he had covered the distance between them and was standing just a few inches away from her, her hand clutched gently in his own.

She tried to say something, but found for the second time that night that her mouth had turned dry. Not from gut wrenching fear, but because scantily clad James was standing less then a foot away from her. She could almost feel the heat radiating off his skin, which still shone in the dim light. He was holding her hand very close to him, and a stray thought entered her mind. If she moved forward a bit, just the tiniest fraction, she would be able to press her palm against that wonderfully smooth chest and savor the feeling of his naked skin against hers. The image caused a shiver of pleasure to run down her spine.

He looked at her askance. He must have noticed her swooning. “You okay?”

She felt her face flush with embarrassment, and hoped to God he wouldn’t notice. “I’m fine.”

He smiled, either missing the fact that she had been fantasizing about him or choosing to ignore that fact completely. “Yes. It certainly seems that way.” He lowered his head and placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand, causing more shivers to run through her. When the feeling vanished he was eye level with her again. “Tough little girl, aren’t you?”

She feigned a pout, looking like a small child in the middle of a temper tantrum. “I’m not little.”

He laughed. “Yes, yes. Of course you aren’t”

She reclaimed her hand, hesitating about whether to ask him the question that was gnawing at the back of her mind. She decided to plow on, her tone now serious.

“Just what were you dreaming about anyway?”

He frowned. “I don’t know.”

“Are you sure?”

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I can’t remember what they’re about. I just remember feelings. There are no images to accompany them though.”

She was silent for a moment, then she said softly; “Do you feel angry?”

He blinked in surprise. “Yes! I feel….angry. And afraid too, I think. There’s another feeling….but I can’t seem to place it….”

“Hatred.” Came her whispered response.

“Pardon?”

“Nothing.” She smiled weakly at him, masking the worry burning in her mind. “Let’s just forget about it okay? I’m tired.”

“Okay.” He lowered his head slightly and pecked her on the cheek. “Goodnight, Jess.”

She whispered goodnight to him as well, avoiding the narrowed gaze of their cat Pokemon companion as she sealed herself back into her sleeping bag. Meowth always seemed to be able to read her like an open book, and she guessed his surreptitious glances were because of her earlier reactions to her partner. Or perhaps he could sense the uneasiness she felt. This was the third time they had both watched him in his seemingly disturbed sleep, but tonight was the first time either of them had tried to awaken him. And the simple reason for that was because they had been too frightened to do so. Watching James during his nightmares was reminiscent of witnessing someone under demonic possession. Unsettling, to say the least.

Jessie buried herself deeper into the soft fabric, but sleep did not come easily to her that night. Something was wrong with James, and she had the terrible feeling that what had occurred tonight was just a small preview of what was to come.

Sleep also eluded James. It was troubling to think that he had hurt Jessie. What was even more vexing was the fact that he could not remember what had caused him to do it, nor could he recall the other two nightmares that Jessie and Meowth claimed to have seen him experience. He sighed, and closed his eyes in a vain effort to fall into slumber. No point in mulling over it now. They would sort it out in the morning.

And inside him, the black thing seethed.

To be continued…

Gotten you interested? Well, stick around for the next chapter. (When I finally manage to write it!) Please review! Constructive criticism is allowed, but flames will be used to toast my marshmallows.

See ya later!

Signed,
SiS.