Snow fell on top of Inyssa's hat and nose as soon as she closed the door behind her. She shivered and dusted it off with a gloved hand, packed snow crunching under her feet as she walked through their backyard. A pillar of black and white stood on the opposite side; their old evergreen, its usually vibrant green dulled to a pale grey by winter's touch.

"Oh… hey. What are you doing here?"

Shadi sat against the base of the tree, her usually lanky figure blown up into a bulk of clothes and scarves so that her face could only be seen from the nose up. One of her hands was holding onto a can of cola. The other attempted, unsuccessfully, to give form to the bumpy mess of a snowman before her. Inyssa felt the urge to laugh, but she stifled it.

"I thought you were playing with Barry," she said. "It's not time for dinner yet."

"Oh, yeah, I…" Inyssa unconsciously rubbed her hands together, lips pressed tightly. "I started to get a little dizzy from the cold, so we called it for today. Guess I should've bundled up more, heh."

Shadi shot her a knowing look. You're not fooling anyone, her eyes seemed to say, though if she was concerned she didn't show it or voice it out loud. Inyssa had felt dizzy due to the cold. It had nothing to do with how many layers of clothes she was wearing, though, but the fact that lately dizziness and exhaustion had become second nature to her.

Both of them knew the reason. And both of them chose not to call attention to it.

"Well, I don't blame you. I wasn't the kinda kid that liked playing outside much either."

"Hah. Yeah, I can see that," smiled Inyssa. "By the way, that's a nice… Er…"

"Aldrich, my Snorlax."

"Ah… I thought it was supposed to be a Gulpin with a bunch of tumors all over it."

Shadi laughed. Actual, heartfelt laughter from the depths of her stomach. Inyssa was so unaccustomed to the sound that she almost jumped back in fear, the hair on her arms standing up on end. Ever since that night, she'd been more than careful about what she said in her sister's presence.

Today seemed like one of her good days, though.

"I mean… hah, yeah, I can see it," she said, trying to stifle her giggles. "I've never been much of an artist, to be honest. I don't have mom's graceful hands."

Inyssa couldn't help but smile at the sight. Cautiously, she approached and sat at her side, taking her gloves off with a flourish.

"I could help you," she said, then hurried to add. "I m-mean…if that's okay."

And just like that, the illusion was broken. Shadi's smile dropped, and as their eyes met both sisters knew what the other was thinking. Inyssa had said the same thing before, when…

"Sure. Give it a try."

Silence stretched between them as Inyssa began working on the pile of snow. Her fingers numbed at the cold touch, yet she barely noticed, too focused on the wild hammering of her heart in her ears. Why had she said that? Why those words specifically? She knew Shadi didn't like to be reminded of that… mistake she'd made, so the least Inyssa could do was pretend it had never happened. She owed her that. And yet…

She shook her head. No, she shouldn't even be thinking about this. Throwing the matter out of her head, she focused all her attention on the task before her. The snow twisted and molded to her finger's touch with ease. Forming shapes and shaving off what wasn't needed felt as natural to Inyssa as breathing, and she almost shook her head at the fact that Shadi had been having so much trouble with this.

"See? It's starting to take form," she whispered, trying to break the silence. "You just need to twist your fingers a bit; treat it like you're making rice balls."

"…Right."

"You can use your knuckles too. It's like molding clay, only a bit more…"

Her words trailed off as she turned to look at Shadi. She'd brought her knees almost to her face, fingers interlaced in front of them, most of her face covered by the shadow of her hair.

Her hands were shaking.

"H-hey… Are you okay?"

Shadi nodded, and then it was gone. The shaking, the tenseness in her shoulders, the shadow over her face.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she whispered. "Just feeling a bit in over my head… which I admit I'm not very used to. A failing on my part, really."

"O-oh… Is this about…?" Inyssa swallowed, nervousness clawing up her throat. "About that thing y-you're investigating?"

Luckily, Shadi didn't seem irritated at her mentioning it, and simply nodded.

"I might've gotten myself into something a lot larger than I first anticipated," she confessed. "And… I guess even someone like me can freak out once in a while."

It was a gamble. At any other moment, Inyssa wouldn't have even considered stretching an arm toward her sister, grabbing her hand with her own, too fearful of retribution. But if she couldn't overcome her fear to even try to help her…then what kind of sister was her?

Once again, Shadi didn't seem angry at the gesture. Just confused.

"Well… I d-don't know much about that, but I don't think you should be doubting yourself."

Shadi's eyes widened slightly. "Well…"

"You're Shadi Dawn," insisted Inyssa. "You're the Queen of Cinders, the trainer that snatched up the first place in the annual trainer ranking like it was nothing. You're a prodigy. The strongest trainer to ever come out of Twinleaf." She smiled and shook her head. "Whatever or whoever you're up against… I feel sorry for them, really."

She expected Shadi to either smile or roll her eyes at such a cheesy declaration, but she did neither. Instead, she simply gawked at her. She studied Inyssa with her eyes, almost as though she were trying to find the sarcasm or doubt in her voice, yet she found neither. Then, something dark and cold crept up her expression.

Had it not disappeared a second later, Inyssa would have recognized it as guilt.

"… Thank you."

Shadi looked down, a sad smile swallowed up by the fabric of her scarves. A sigh left her lips.

"You're a good kid, Niss."

Inyssa beamed. It was hard to contain the yelp of glee trying to escape her lips.

But Shadi didn't share her enthusiasm. Her own declaration saddened her, in a way. The way she was looking at Inyssa… it was as though she was seeing her for the first time, and whatever it was that she found in her eyes disturbed her greatly.

"Hey…"

Inyssa perked up. "Yeah?"

"The things I've… What I do sometimes, and what I did before…" She bit her lower lip, taking a second to gather courage in order to get the words out. "I'm s…"

However, she caught herself just then. Closing her eyes, Shadi took a deep breath and wiped all doubt and guilt from her expression. When she opened them back up, no warmth remained in them.

"You know I wouldn't do any of that if you did as you should… right?"

Inyssa's smile dropped dead.

"Y-yeah… of course," she said. "I know it's because I'm not good enough. B-but… I'll keep trying, like I told you!"

It didn't look as though that was the answer Shadi had wanted to hear, though she herself didn't know what that answer would've been in the first place. So she nodded, and looked away.

"We should probably head inside," she said. "Mom's been getting better lately and I wanna keep the streak going with some nice dinner."

"Oh, y-yeah," nodded Inyssa. "Good thing that I… finished the snowman already."

Only then Shadi noticed it, raising an eyebrow at her sister's craft. It wasn't much bigger than a Bidoof, yet its shape was unquestionably that of a Snorlax, even its slanted eyes and tiny claws clear as day. She couldn't help but whistle.

"Well… if you don't make it as a trainer, then you've got a nice second option right here."

Inyssa smiled awkwardly. "Heh… I'm glad there's something I'm better than you at."

Shadi nodded absentmindedly, a sad smile forming on her lips.

Stolen story; please report.

"Yeah, me too."

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Shadi collapsed in a heap under the sill of the door, hair slick with rainwater and frost covering her tattered clothes all over. Inyssa jumped back, placing her hands over her mouth. For a second that felt like an eternity, her sister didn't move.

Then she started to cough. Water splattered under her mouth as she pushed herself up with one hand, her entire body shaking with cold and effort. Every cough was amplified by the accompanying thunder of the storm behind them, rain and snow pelting the town with all the fury nature could muster.

"I… did it…"

"W-what!? H-hey… here!" Inyssa knelt next to her, hands shaking, eyes wide with fear. "Are you okay!? What…!?

"Heh… I did it!"

Rising to her knees, Shadi threw her head back and let out a laugh of pure triumph, arms extended at her sides, water starting to pool around her. Inyssa stood back, aghast.

Shadi had left the night previous. There was an important task she needed to take care of, and she trusted Inyssa with the responsibility of taking care of Johanna and the house until she got back, which she assured her would be the next afternoon.

But then said afternoon came, and Shadi was nowhere to be seen. Inyssa spent hours pacing in front of the door, occasionally taking a peek out of the window, fingers pushing against the glass with fearful longing. Finally, when it was almost five in the morning and she was starting to fall asleep on her feet, someone knocked at the door.

Inyssa had barely opened the door when her sister fell through.

"I… can you stand? Do you want a towel?" asked Inyssa, unsure of what to do, feeling like a complete idiot. "I mean of course you want a towel but…"

"Don't you w-worry," said Shadi, slumping a bit forward, chest rising and falling with the rhythm of her uneven breathing. "It's… all good now. Snowpoint was more productive than I could've hoped for." Another chuckle left her lips, her shoulders shaking from it instead of the cold for once. "Things have finally started to pick up."

Inyssa gulped. "T-then did you find what you were looking for?"

Shadi shone her a tired smile. Their eyes met, and for a second she could have sworn her sister's eyes flashed a pale blue. A trick of the light, clearly.

"Yeah… there isn't much that could make this day better," she said. "Though that doesn't mean I wouldn't welcome a towel right now."

"Of course! I'll bring one right away!"

"Oh… and after that I'd appreciate some coffee," she added. "Make it as pure as you can. It's still a couple hours before the store opens and I can buy the energy drinks I need."

"A…Alright?"

By the time she got up and headed for the bathroom, Shadi was already up and fiddling with her Poketch. She heard the first part of her message before leaving the room.

"I got it, Fantina. Call me as soon as you hear this."

So distracted was Inyssa by the sudden mention of that name that she didn't notice the odd way the shadows behaved as she turned on the bathroom lights, uncoiling and crawling into themselves as though they had a mind of their own.

----------------------------------------

"That's quite the heated discussion they're having in there, don't you think?"

The sound of the girl's voice made Inyssa jump, the book she was reading almost slipping from her hands. Nervously, she looked toward the other side of the sofa. She sat still as ever, back straight as a plank and hands resting over the lace-like fabric of her violet skirt. Her eyes of the same color continued to stare blankly at the wall. She hadn't said a word over the course of the past ten minutes, just sitting at Inyssa's side while Shadi and Fantina argued in the other room.

Inyssa didn't know what to expect from the daughter of one of Sinnoh's most powerful and renowned Gym leaders, but this Sanbica girl really wasn't it.

"I… ha, yeah" She put the book down, swallowing. "Hope it's nothing bad…"

"Bad is subjective when it comes to people with such a varying palette of grays as paint for their broad strokes," said the girl. "But… yes, I hope the same."

"R…right." Inyssa blinked a couple times, unable to take her eyes off her. "Er… oh, do you know what this project of theirs is about? I asked my sis but…" Her expression froze for a moment, pain flashing behind her eyes. "…She didn't tell me anything."

If Sanbica noticed the sudden falter in her voice, she didn't comment on it. Inyssa doubted she even noticed what room she was in. She constantly looked as though her eyes could see into the fourth dimension.

"I'm in the same boat. Mother is a very secretive woman, even when it comes to the mundane and unimportant," she said. Then her eyes went slightly wide, and an eerie smile stretched her lips. "Same… boat. Hah! That's a good one. I'll have to write that down when I'm back home."

What the hell was with this girl? Part of Inyssa wanted to pick her book back up and hid behind it until she went away, but unfortunately the politeness instilled in her by Johanna prevented her from doing so. Stifling a sigh, she shone Sanbica a smile and attempted to continue the conversation.

"So… are you a trainer? You seem old enough," she commented. "Interested in surpassing your mom?"

Sanbica rolled her eyes, giving her a shake of the head. "Oh, dear, no. There's many things I've surpassed mother on, but Pokemon training will not be one of them." She puffed her chest out proudly. "Very soon I'll be able to leave home and use my abilities to earn all the money I could ever want."

"A-ah… So you're a woman of the coin," said Inyssa, trying to keep her smile up. "Well… there's all kinds of people, I guess. I wish you luck on that."

"I make my own luck, but thank you."

"By the way, what do you mean by abilities?" she asked. "You mean Contests or something else?"

At that, Sanbica flashed her a smug smile and turned her head to the side, looking toward the door leading to Shadi's room.

"I mean this."

"Wh–?"

Suddenly, it felt as though an electric current boomed through the air. Inyssa gasped, a sudden weight setting in her stomach at the sight of Sanbica's eyes dulling completely, all light disappearing from them.

When she spoke, her voice sounded different. Heavier, colder.

"She is the calm surface of a winter lake during a moonless night. An endless sheet of black, cold as the space between the stars and just as likely to suffocate you. Nothing can escape her grasp."

A strong shiver ran down Inyssa's spine. "W-what are you…?"

"And yet a simple touch is all it takes. A ripple to disrupt her and a light to shine her through. For there is nothing to fear when it is two against the darkness."

Sanbica closed her eyes, and the eerie feel vanished from the room. When she opened them again they'd gone back to their usual hue. She turned to Inyssa with a smile, seemingly unaware of the look of utter shock on the girl's face.

"Well?" she asked impatiently. "Did it rhyme?"

"W-what?"

"What I said while I was in that trance," explained Sanbica. "Did it rhyme or not?"

Inyssa opened her mouth to reply, but no words came to her. So instead she shook her head.

"Ah, damn it." Sanbica let out a sigh, leaning back on the sofa. "Can't seem to get the hang of that part. Guess I just gotta keep trying. You can't have a good prophecy unless it rhymes, don't you think?"

"What the hell are y–?"

The door flew open. Both girls looked over their shoulder to the sight of Gym leader Fantina standing under the sill of the door, her back toward them. It took Inyssa a moment to realize she was talking, too entranced by the woman's beautiful dress as well as the figure underneath.

"…then I'm afraid we're done here," she said, trying to keep the heat from her sultry voice. "I agreed to help you with your research as long as you kept taking care of Johanna, but this is a step too far."

"Are you lecturing me on taking things too far? Ha! You have to be joking."

"This is no laughing matter! Talking about this things hypothetically is one thing, but to actually go down such a path…" She inhaled deeply, shaking her head. "If this goes wrong, you won't get away with just a slap on the wrist. You're playing with forces you don't understand, and if you want to continue risking your own life like this then I won't abide by it anymore. I will not be responsible for Johanna losing someone else dear to her."

"…Then yeah. I guess we are done here."

"Shadi…"

"I'll do it myself if I have to. Goodbye."

The door was slammed shut on Fantina's face. The Gym leader curled her hands into fists, and even though she stood with her back to them, Inyssa could perfectly imagine the look on her face, and shivered. Fortunately, it didn't take her long to regain her composure. Relaxing her shoulders, she turned and faced them with a smile.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that, Inyssa."

"I… yeah, it's fine. Don't worry."

She nodded, then addressed her daughter. "Sanbica, we're leaving. Say goodbye. Oh, and Inyssa…" Their eyes met for a second. She could tell there was something Fantina wanted to tell her. "…It was a pleasure. Take care."

Inyssa could do little but stare as the woman left through the front door. Sanbica hopped out of the sofa with a flourish and followed suit, holding her hands behind her back.

"I… bye, then!" Inyssa waved from her spot, trying to keep up her smile. "Hope we meet again!"

Sanbica stopped under the sill of the door. She looked over her shoulder with a knowing smile.

"We will," she said. "Though by then neither of us will remember the other."

"What are y–?"

The door closed behind her, cutting Inyssa's sentence short.

----------------------------------------

"Shadi… I'm s-sorry. I'm so s…"

Inyssa froze on the spot. The wet towel she was holding began to drip onto the floor.

"M-mom…"

Johanna lay sprawled on the bed, eyes tightly closed and sweat dotting what little could be seen of her face and hands. A pale flush clung onto every inch of her skin. The only exception were her knuckles; they were a marble white from the strength with which she held on to the fabric of her sheets. Her limbs shook spastically.

"I…"

"I'm right here," said Shadi. "Can't even tell your daughters apart anymore? Well, it doesn't really surprise me."

Shadi stood on the opposite side of the room, mixing a pinch of white powder into a glass of water, her face expressionless.

"I-I… I'm g-gonna make it up…" Johanna inhaled sharply, lips pursed into a white line. "It w-won't… I'm n-not gonna relapse… again… I s-swear."

Shadi's eyes twitched ever so slightly. Her mixing became more vigorous.

"Yes, well. I'd be inclined to believe you if you hadn't said that same thing the past two times this happened," she said. "But it's fine. It's not like you actually care, do you?"

Inyssa bit her lip. "Shadi…"

"A mother who cared would just… stop drinking, easy as that." Her pitch went up slightly at the end of that sentence a bit of heat slipping into her voice. "But no, you can't even do that. So go ahead, keep relapsing, and I'll keep bringing you back from the brink. It's not like I have anything better to do."

Unconsciously, Inyssa's hands wrung the towel so strongly a splash of water fell at her feet, catching Shadi's attention.

"S-stop…" she said, her voice quivering. "Sarah said we needed to be nice to her…"

Shadi rolled her eyes and placed the spoon on the ant table next to the bed, walking toward her with the glass of medicine still on her hand.

"Look at her." She tilted her head toward the bed. "Does it look like she can hear us?"

No… it really didn't seem that way. Johanna kept holding onto the sheets, arms and legs tensed up like coils, eyes tightly closed. Her breathing was so heavy it was a miracle she could even hear herself talking.

"She's going through the worst of the abstinence tremors," explained Shadi. "Delirium tremens."

Inyssa set her jaw, her lower lip shaking. "S-still…"

"If there's anything you'd like to get off your chest, I suggest you do it now. She won't remember any of it after tonight."

Her nails dug into the fabric of the towel. There were. Deep down, Inyssa could feel the familiar sting of that burning, noxious cloud of anger trying to expand from her stomach outward, consuming her whole. There was so much she wanted to say to Johanna. So many awful, hurtful words. So many truths as sharp as knives. And she'd be the one stabbing them into her, finally, after so long of…

She caught herself just before opening her mouth. Taking a deep breath, she stumbled backwards and set her jaw, shaking her head strongly.

"N-no… I can't," she whispered. "It's not right."

Shadi scoffed. "But forcing us to take care of her is?"

"That's not…"

"Whatever. Suit yourself." Shadi dismissed her with a shake of the head, turning toward Johanna. "Go get another wet towel. You already wrung all the water out of that one. Can't even do that right, it seems."

Inyssa felt a pang in her chest. Her lips began to quiver.

"I'm sorry…"

"Wanna make it up to me? Go get another fucking wet towel," snapped Shadi. She shook her head again, then turned to Johanna. "Come on, open your mouth. I mixed some sugar into the vitamins and lorazepam in the water, so it should go down more easily."

Johanna parted her lips, still shaking from head to toe. "S-Shadi… I'm s-sorry…"

The girl's fingers paled with the sudden strength of her grip against the glass of water. The green of her eyes turned cold and pale.

"…Just open your fucking mouth."