FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

(Author's Note)

=Character thought=

"Human Speech"

'Telepathy between characters'

-Computer Writing, or on Screen Text-

{Pokemon Speech}

example: "Ni nine tai tails ninetails ine?" is what a human would hear.

{What do you mean you can't understand me?} is what other Pokemon, and certain humans would hear.

|| * * * | | | * * * || = End Chapter

* * * = Scene Change

// // = Major Scene/Time Change

Chapter 8:

The apartments were standing tall, their brick facades covered in dirt. Along the sidewalks traveled a steady stream of people as they went about their day.

Walking up the seven steps to the door, a man with a satchel by his side, a backpack on his back, and a duffle-bag over his left shoulder paused at the door.

Jayden glanced up, blinking a couple of times before taking a breath and hitting the intercom. A few seconds later it clicked and a static filled voice came over intercom. "Hello?"

Jayden took another breath, and pressed the button to answer. "Is this still the residence of Zada Blackfur?"

The static voice came back over. "Only one guy I can think of that'd still call me that. Let me unlock the door for ya." As she said that the door clicked open, and Jayden smiled as he walked in.

There were a couple of kids sitting on the stairs, but Jayden ignored them as he walked up the stairs. The old wooden stairs creaked with each step, the sound reverberating through the long stairway. Jayden walked up flight after flight of stairs, until he was at the sixth floor.

He opened the door, walking into a fairly long hallway. The floor had a dingy red carpet, and the wallpaper in places was starting to peel a bit. Jayden made his way down this hallway until he came to apartment number 24.

Taking a deep breath, he balled his hand into a fist and knocked three times. "One sec!" A voice from inside called out. Jayden stood there, looking down the hallway in either direction. The sound of locks came through the door, and the handle turned.

Opening the door, Jayden smiled as he looked at the woman standing before him. She looked to be in her late-twenties, shoulder-length raven black hair, a kind and soft smile, and a face covered with laugh lines. Her eyes though were a strange light-violet color, but were filled with happiness.

Leaning on the door, she started looking Jayden up and down as well. "Here you are, after five years." She stepped out, throwing her arms around Jayden's neck and pulling him into a deep hug. "I always knew you'd come back."

Jayden dropped his duffle-bag, and returned the hug, his hand running through her raven hair. "It's so good to see you again Zada."

Zada could hear something in his tone. Breaking off the embrace she leaned back, her hands still on his shoulders as she looked him in the eyes. "What's wrong?" Jayden just hung his head, unable to speak for a moment. "Here, come in." She pushed Jayden into her apartment, hefting up his duffle-bag with one hand.

"Sit down over there," she pointed to the kitchen table, "and I'll take care of your bags." Jayden just nodded, doing as he was told. He watched as the woman moved around her apartment, putting his bags on the couch and coming back into the kitchen, and he continued to watch as she put on a kettle of water. "Tea?" She asked, looking over her shoulder to Jayden.

Jayden looked up, mastering his emotions before he answered. "Yes, please." She gave him a comforting smile, walking to a cupboard and pulling out a canister of tea.

She took two tea-pod's (a little metal item that is porous enough to allow water to flow over the tea leaves, but not enough to let the tea leaves flow into the tea) and filled them with tea leaves from the canister. Then she gracefully took the kettle of now boiling water and poured it delicately into the cups.

The soothing aroma of the herbal teas filled the room, making Jayden sigh as he leaned back in his chair. The beautiful woman walked over, a cup in each hand, and set one down in front of Jayden. He picked up the cup, inhaling the aroma for a few seconds before taking a small sip.

Glancing over his cup at the woman, who had pulled out a chair to sit down, he gave a chuckle. "Don't trust me anymore?"

She looked at him oddly, before looking down at herself. "Oh," she gave a light laugh, "it's been so long since a guest knew who I was." The air around her shimmered for a moment, seeming to bend around her. When it stopped, in the chair where the woman had sat now resided a fox-looking creature. Her black fur covered her delicate face, and around her eyes the crimson fur made for natural make-up. A long, flowing crimson-furred braid rested along her back, going all the way to the ground as she sat.

The Zoroark threw her head back, her ears lightly flopping, as she gave a relieved sigh. She opened her violet eyes to look at Jayden, a grin making its way onto her muzzle. "It feels so much better when I don't have to worry about my illusions."

Jayden gave a small, sad, short laugh as he held up his tea. "We all have masks we wear. Some are just more effective than others." He tipped the tea cup back, taking another sip.

"Hear, hear," Zada said, holding her own cup up. She expertly used her claws to grip the handle of the cup as she brought it to her muzzle, and took a sip of her own. The next few minutes were spent in an amicable silence, both enjoying being in the other's company.

Zada was the first to break the silence, setting her cup down with a quiet tink. "What brings you back to New York after all these years?"

Jayden set his own cup down, sighing. "I finally managed to retire," he said flatly.

The Zoroark smiled, the crimson fur at the edge of her mouth traveling upwards. "Are you still traveling with that Riolu you found in Sinnoh?"Jayden's smile faded at the mention of Aura, and his head hung a little. He silently shook his head, and Zada asked "Why? What happened?"

Jayden looked at the table, gripping the tea-cup with both hands. "She was taken from me." He said quietly.

The Zoroark recoiled in her chair a touch. Now that news story of a man being shot in the park, and then vanishing from the hospital just a few hours later made sense. "You're the one who got shot!" She said in a quietly shocked tone. Resting back in her chair a bit, a dawn of realization came over her. "So that's why you came?"

Jayden nodded, ashamed that he had thought of using his friendship for his own purposes.

That's why he looked up in shock when she said "I'll get you whatever you need, just tell me what it is."

A tear was in Jayden's eye, and he hung his head again. Zada just came around the table and held him. For the first time since Aura was taken, for the first time in years, Jayden sobbed. His tears feel freely and many, soaking the fur on Zada's shoulder. She just held him, rubbing her hand gingerly against the back of his head and making soft, soothing rumbles deep in her throat. Gently she rocked him, and he clutched to her like a lifeline.

Eventually, Jayden gained control of himself again. He took several ragged breaths, and let his grip go. She put a claw under his chin, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "Everyone needs a good, cleansing, cry, right?" she quietly asked him. Jayden gave a small nod, closing his red-rimmed eyes. "Now you can think, figure out what you need to do?" Jayden nodded again, this time with more confidence. "Good."

Then she did something unexpected. Still holding a claw under his chin, she leaned in and gave Jayden a gentle kiss. He tensed up for a moment, but than relaxed, even tilting his head a bit. Then she pulled back, smiling sweetly. "Brings back memories, doesn't it?" She whispered.

Jayden gave a weak smile, giving a small nod of his own. "Yeah, it brings a lot of memories back." He looked at Zada, giving a thankful smile, "thank you."

The Zoroark chuckled, giving him a small tap on the nose. "I'll always be here for you Jay. Now," she sat down across from Jayden again, "what all do ya need?"

Jayden thought for a moment, thinking deeply about what he should get. "Information, firstly."

Zada nodded, her braid bouncing a touch, "What kind of info?" She reached into her braid, pulling out a pencil and a pad of paper.

"I need information on some guy called 'the Irishman'." Zada nodded, writing it down in shorthand. "I'll also need some equipment, as most of my caches have been requisitioned by the Agency."

The Zoroark chuckled, writing down some more shorthand. "I can think of a few things you'd like." She looked at the pad, nodding before storing it in her braid again. Standing up again, she paused on her way to the door. She turned, making a motion to follow her.

Jayden stood, following her to the main bedroom. She reached under the bed, pulling out a box. Picking it up and placing it on the bed, she slipped a key into the lock. She moved to the side so that Jayden could look at the box. "I thought I'd lost this!" he exclaimed, his hands hovering over the box.

Zada laughed, shaking her fox-like head. "You left it here, and I kept it safe for you. Every three or four months I'd take her out and clean it, so she should still work."

Jayden took a breath, reaching down to take hold of the key. With a slow twist of his wrist, the lock clicked open. Gingerly, Jayden lifted the lid to reveal the contents. There in a padded bed lay a Walther P99, and three clips. Zada grinned broadly as she watched him almost reverently pick it up holding the small pistol in the palm of his hands.

The pistol's grip was worn with use, and it fit perfectly into the palm of his hand. His hand jumped a little, and the pistol came to rest in his grasp as he held it out, looking down the sights. His finger rested on the side of the trigger guard, and after a few seconds he picked up one of the clips.

All three of the clips were empty of rounds, but Zada just chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll get you a couple boxes of ammo for you."

Jayden set the pistol back into case, and stood up, bracing his hands on the side of the bed. Turning to thank her, the Zoroark just held a claw to his lips. Leaning in, her claw still over Jayden's mouth, she smiled. "You were there for me five years ago. Now I'm here for you," the hand that was covering Jayden's mouth traveled to the back of his head, cradling him as she gazed into his eyes.

Then Zada brought her hand around, taking his hand in hers, and gave it kiss. As she held his hand, the air around her shimmered and Jayden's sight went double as the Zoroark wove her illusion. The soft fur of her hand turned to the feel of soft skin, and her braid once again was the raven-black shoulder-length hair. The only thing her illusion did not change were her light-violet eyes.

Reluctantly, she released Jayden's hand, and started for the door. She slipped on a bag she had sitting by the front door. Turning to face Jayden, who was standing in the main hall of the apartment. "I'll be back in four or five hours. My home is yours. And," her hand paused on the handle of the door out of the apartment, "try to avoid the neighbors. They don't take kindly to my having visitors."

Jayden nodded, standing there. "Got it." He smiled, giving her his two finger salute.

She laughed again, her hand covering her mouth as she giggled. "It really is good to see you again Jay." With those finial words, Zada closed the door to the apartment and Jayden could hear the locks as they clicked.

He walked again into the main bedroom, gazing on the P99 that sat on the bed. He set the pistol into place in the case it had been in, and closed the lid, although he didn't lock it.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, undoing the ties of his boots. Leaning back, he used his feet to slide out of them, and then leaned over to set them back up. Sliding to the center of the bed, Jayden crossed his legs, arms on his knees and back straight. Taking a deep breath, Jayden held it for a few moments, and than slowly let it out.

Slowly, steadily, Jayden stretched his mind out, feeling the life in the apartments. As he expanded his mind, he could see the movement of life on the road below, the very movements of the wind as it blew.

Then he stopped, withdrawing away from the world. Now he focused inwards, on himself. His own desires, passions, fears, hopes, dreams, joys, and love. He searched himself, now only marginally aware of what was around him. In this trance-like state, Jayden slipped away from the confines of time.

Now, in this state, Jayden did not 'exist.' He only 'was.'

// //

Aura was starting to get used to it here, now that she was no longer held against her will. The cabin was peaceful, despite the storm that still blew outside. She'd come to be friends with the two Pokemon, a Mightyena and a Houndoom.

After the initial conversation between Aura and the Irishman, she'd not seen him. She had heard a car start, and pull away about an hour ago though. The other two in the house, Spike and Tina, she'd become much more acquainted with during the intermission.

Aura was standing at one of the large windows in the living room, staring out into wilderness. Occasionally Tina, the Houndoom, would come up and try to get the Lucario to eat something. Aura couldn't though, still feeling ill from seeing Jayden just laying there, bleeding.

{She's starting to worry me Spike.} The Houndoom said, nuzzling her mate as they lay on the couch. {She won't eat anything.}

{She'll be fine Tina,} the Mightyena said, lifting his head up to look at the Lucario. He stood up, stretching his back legs, than his front. Tina took that opportunity to push him over as he bent down. {Whoa!} he yelped as he tipped onto his side. {What are yo...,} he suddenly burst into laughter as Tina started licking his side, {no! no! Come on!} he begged, gasping for breath.

{Hmm, how does 'no' sound?} the Houndoom said with a chuckle as she continued to nuzzle his side. Soon Spike was on his back, legs straight in the air as he kicked them. {My, oh, my,} Tina said seductively, {aren't you in a vulnerable position my mate.}

She started to move lower, and than abruptly stopped, head shooting up and ears swirling forward. A deep growl left her throat, and the Mightyena stood up next to his mate. {What do you hear?} He whispered to his mate.

{Not Master's car. Someone else is coming.} She responded. Trotting over to Aura, who was still looking out the window, Tina nuzzled her back to get the Lucario's attention.

Aura turned, wondering what it was. {Yeah?} She asked in a half-awake tone. Her crimson eyes were half-lidded, and she was standing like she was utterly exhausted.

{Aura, someone is coming.} The Houndoom said.

Aura snapped to attention immediately, her dreadlocks flying out as her aura-sight took effect. Looking in the direction the Houndoom's muzzle was facing, Aura gazed out into the night with her life-seeing sight. A growl left Aura's throat as she saw a car with three men driving up, none of them with a friendly Aura about them.

{I'm gonna take a bite and say they're not friends.} Spike said, joining the two females.

{You'd be guessing right Spike,} Aura said while opening her eyes, her dreadlocks falling back down to her shoulders. {Three men, no Pokemon with them,} she cracked her neck, {and they'll be here in three minutes.}

The three canine Pokemon looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do. Tina was the first to start, {If we move out of the house, we have the advantage. They don't have Pokemon...}

{Out of their Pokeballs.} Aura interrupted.

{Yes, indeed.} The Houndoom said, dipping her head in thought. {We should head to the woods. There we'll have the upper hand.}

{Good idea, my mate.} The Mightyena said, looking to Aura.

The Lucario nodded her head, {I agree, we have a better chance in the woods than here.}

With that, the three headed to the door, which Aura opened. Into the cold night air, where the snow was still blowing, the three ventured out. They headed into the wood line, but not so far that they could not watch the house.

The car pulled up, headlights dying as the house came into their view. Aura watched as the three men got out of the car, hands resting at their belts. The men each released a Pokemon, a Scyther, a Houndoom, and a Mightyena. Aura let a snarl onto her muzzle when she saw how impure their aura's where.

She heard one of the men call out "Houndoom, Mighyena, search the wood line." Aura saw him point in their general direction, "make sure they didn't hear our approach." The man then turned to the Scyther and the other two men, "You three, with me." Aura saw the man pull a pistol and kick open the door, followed soon after by the others.

She had no more time to study them though, having two not-so-friendly dogs coming over their way.

Spike growled, and Tina spat on the ground as she said {It's Pokemon like those two that give our races bad names.} Turning to her mate, {Shall we let them met the ground my mate?}

Spike's growl intensified, and he nodded. {Yes my love, let's show the what happens when you enter someone else's territory.} He looked to Aura, and jerked his head to the two approaching dogs. {Care to join us?}

Aura smiled, standing up at her full height. An Aura-sphere in either hand, she gave a confident grin, {Yes, I'll show them not to threaten my allies.}

Spike and Tina rumbled agreements, and all three stepped out of the wood line and into the clearing.

The other Mightyena nudged his friend, laughing. {Lookie here, we got ourselves a chew toy and two bitches.}

The Houndoom laughed at his partners joke, stalking forward. {I'm gonna agree with that.} He gave a wicked smile, his tarnished fangs hardly visible in the light offered by the snow.

Aura did not offer a witty come-back. Instead she leaned forward, disappearing in a puff of snow. She reappeared in front of the Mightyena, fist coming up under his jaw. His teeth crashed together and his head snapped back as he flew up, standing for a moment on his hind legs.

Aura did a cartwheel, grabbing the Houndoom behind his horns in-between her legs. With a twist she slammed the canine onto his back, sending a puff of snow into the air. Now on her knees, she pushed off the ground, her palms glowing with power. She smacked the Mightyena in the chest, sending him flying close to five meters straight back.

Then she did a backflip, landing hard on the Houndoom again and making him cry out in pain. She stood tall on top of him, before giving him a final kick to the head and hopping off.

She walked back over to Spike and Tina, who just stood there dumbstruck. Aura rubbed her paws together, some snow that had clung to them falling off. {I was a little pent up you could say.}

All Spike could manage was a weak {damn, ain't never seen a Pokemon move like that before. Outside of the Championships that is.}

Tina's head was on swivel though, swinging back down the driveway. {Master's coming!} She said excitedly. The Houndoom looked to her two partners, {We should get to him before he gets here.}

Aura nodded, {We'd best hurry then.}

With that, all three of the Pokemon dashed into the night. The snow and wind still blowing, leaving only Aura being able to see. Spike and Tina followed with their sense of smell and hearing guiding them.

* * *

The Irishman had been driving for almost an hour-and-a-half, and was looking forward to a good nights sleep. He glanced out the side window, blinking as the snow passed by his window. Fixing his gaze on the road in front of him again, he shifted his truck into 2nd gear to power through the snow.

Something was catching his eye though. The snow was coming down pretty hard, and these tracks seemed as fresh as when he'd left. Things just didn't feel right to him. Reaching over to the glovebox, he opened it and pulled out his .45 Colt semi-auto.

Setting it on the center console, he looked forward again, a deep frown on his face. Suddenly a figure jumped in front of his truck. The Irishman slammed on his brakes, his right hand grasping the pistol as he barrel-rolled out his door.

Rolling several times, he swung around and brought the pistol to bear on the darkness in front of him. His eyes narrowed, as he swung the pistol back and forth, looking for a target.

{Master!} He heard, and the Irishman gave a deep sigh, clicking the safety on his pistol. He hardly had time to turn before the big black and grey dog tackled him to the snowy ground. {There are several men searching our den!}

"They what?" The Irishman sat up, pushing the Mightyena back. "Who is?"

{We don't know Master,} the Irishman turned to look at the Houndoom was walking out of the wood line.

"Well were the hell is Aura?" The Irishman said in a panic.

"Right here, Irishman," the Lucario said as she stepped out of the wood line to stand next to Tina. She gave him a slight bow of her head, and the Irishman sighed in relief.

He stood up, slipping the pistol into his waist. "Did they announce themselves?" The three Pokemon shook their heads, and the Irishman gave a curse. "Guess he couldn't wait for results, or just wanted to cut me out it seems." He scratched the back of his head, "Although it's damned odd they found me so quickly."

Looking up to the sky in thought, the Irishman was quiet for some moments. Giving a sigh. "Damned, I was hoping not to have to head back to the city so soon." He shook his head, "Looks like it can't be avoided though." He walked back in his truck, opening the back seat door. "Hop in you three, no time to get back to the house."

The Mightyena and Houndoom jumped into the back, and curled up together. As Aura made to get in, the Irishman put his hand on her shoulder. "I want to say something first." Aura looked at him, stepping back down. "It took me close to a month to track Jayden, and that was when he was leaving a paper trail. Now that....I happened," he nervously cleared his throat, "I have an idea who he'll go to, but I'm going to need you to trust me."

Aura looked at him, before putting a paw on his chest. She gave him a comforting smile, "I've seen your very heart. I think a little trust on my part is warranted."

The Irishman smiled, taking her paw within his own hand. "Thank you," he whispered. "Now you want to sit in the back or the front?"

Aura thought, and hoped into the front, sliding into the passenger seat. The Irishman nodded, and got into the truck. He put it in reverse, and backed up. Then he threw it into gear and drove out, never looking back.

// //

Jayden snapped awake when he heard the lock of the front door open. His aura-sight searched the figure opening the door. A deep sigh left him, and he slid off of the bed, rolling his shoulders as he did so.

The door opened, and Zada walked in announcing "Hey Jay! I'm back!" As Jayden stepped out of the bedroom, his rested gate made Zada smile. "Good, you got some rest," she gestured to the two suitcases behind her. "Now can you grab those?"

Jayden nodded, grabbing the two and hauled them into the apartment. "Where do you want 'em?" He asked.

"Bring them into the kitchen," Zada answered. Jayden lugged them in, seeing that she'd dropped her illusion. Looking up at him, she nodded and gave him a big smile. "Got you a couple of things that should cheer you up a bit." Jayden's eyebrows raised a touch at that.

She unzipped the first bag after she set it on the table. Reaching in, she pulled out a very futuristic looking gun. "This, my friend, is the P90 submachine-gun. All plastic design, ergonomic grips, fifty round clear-plastic magazine that gets fed from the top." She smiled broadly as her hands ran over it. "And easy assembly/disassembly, here," she clicked a part out with a claw, "here, and here." In her hands were three pieces that used to be a working gun. "Just snap 'em back together like so," the Zoroark did so, "and it's ready to fire."

Jayden took it, holding it with his left as his right hovered over the weapon. He was grinning like a kid on Christmas morning. "She's a beautiful girl, ain't she?"

"That she is," Zada said with a chuckle. "But she's not the only girl in here." She pulled out several pieces of a rifle, setting them on the counter even as Jayden chuckled. "You know what this is, right?" She said with a smirk.

"This is a Barreta .50 Caliber Anti-material sniper rifle, albeit broken down." He picked up a piece, "and this here is a silencer for it." He set it back down on the table, "Where do you get this stuff Zada?" He asked with a small laugh.

The Zoroark grinned, tapping Jayden on the nose. "Gotta keep some secrets," she slipped the rifle parts into an army-green duffle-bag, along with several clips and ammo. She set them to the side, and opened up the next suitcase. "What I have here is enough ammo to storm the White House, and then some."

Jayden let out a low whistle as he looked it over. Reaching towards it, he picked up a case of .40 Walther ammo for his P99 pistol. He smiled, pulling out the three clips and started snapping in rounds. Zada laughed, working on the P90 clips. For the next few minutes the air was filled with the soft clicks of bullets being snapped into clips.

Once everything was set, he looked at the still almost full suitcase of ammo. He opened his mouth to speak, but Zada cut him off, "I got you a ride. I know how attached you were to those Humvees of yours, and I," she put her claw on her chest, giving an exaggerated idea of self-worth, "found you one."

She reached into her braid, and pulled out a key. She gave a light toss to Jayden, who caught it deftly. "God bless you Zada," he said with a smile.

"Now one last thing." She reached again into her braid, rummaging around for a moment. "Ahha, here it is," she pulled out a file, handing it to Jayden. "There's almost no info on this 'Irishman,' but there is a record that this guy put out a contract on you." She gave a sigh, scratching the back of her head. "Seems it was some Senator," she gave a sharp huff, "never did trust politicians."

Jayden nodded, tucking the file under his arm. "I don't know how to thank you for all this Zada."

The Zoroark grinned mischievously, making a slow, sultry walk over to Jayden. Taking him lightly by the neck of his shirt, she leaned in close. When she was mere hair's breadths away, she paused. "I still owe you one, in case you forgot." She let him go, and he stood by the door. "Always remember, my house is yours. And you shall always have a friend," she gave him a sly wink, "and maybe something more in me."

Jayden set his bags down, and gave the Zoroark another deep hug. "I won't forget this." Leaning back, he gave her a kiss on the cheek and picked his bags up.

As Jayden walked out of the apartment, bags and suitcase in hand, Zada closed the door behind him. She walked into her bedroom, smiling at the fact that Jayden's scent permeated the room.

She fell onto the bed, bunching the sheets up around her and breathed deep. "You'll always be my first, even if your heart belongs to another." Surrounded by his scent, Zada fell into a deep sleep, smiling to herself as her dreams were filled with what had been.

|| * * * | | | * * * ||

So how's it going? Come here often?

*looks at the bar behind me* what'd you like to drink, to quench your thirst?

legal: Pokemon isn't mine it belongs to those who own it

this story line is mine though (Jayden, Aura, the Irishman and others) are mine. please ask me before using them.