Luke stepped over to Magick and smiled, then put his arms around her. Magick wasn�t sure what to say. In fact, she couldn�t even say anything when she tried. Magick glanced down for a moment, confused. Magick looked up again, only Luke wasn�t standing there. The person holding her was Tac.
Magick tried to scream, but still no sound came from her mouth. She tried to use her psychic powers, but that didn�t work either. Tac grinned evilly, then pulled a dagger out of his pocket. He held Magick tightly, then cackled maniacally and pulled the blade across her throat.
Magick suddenly sat upright in her bed, her hand instinctively reaching for her throat. Her heart was pounding and she was breathing much faster than normal. She was also moist all over from sweat. Magick immediately realized that what had happened had been nothing more than a nightmare.
She pulled off her bed sheets and sat on the edge of the bed, the put her head in her hands. She was somewhat in a state of shock from the dream. Magick breathed deeply to calm down a bit and clear her head, then looked around. The room was empty, which was normal.
Somewhat disturbed by the dream, Magick decided not to go back to sleep quite yet. She stood up unsteadily, her hospital gown sticking to her skin. She opened the door to the bathroom and began walking inside, but was suddenly restrained by something. Looking down at her arm, she realized that her IV line was holding her back.
Magick took the IV off the stand on her bed, then hung it up on a portable stand with wheels. She held the stand with one hand and stepped into the bathroom, then slipped off her gown and turned on the shower. When the water was warm, Magick stepped into the shower and slid the door shut, leaving it open a bit so that she wouldn�t pinch off the IV line.
Magick held her face up to the water, letting the warmth of it stream across her head. She ran her hands through her hair a few times, feeling quite a bit calmer now. She turned the dial a bit more, the water heating up as a result. Magick sighed and turned around, the water spraying onto her back and relaxing her tense muscles.
After a few more minutes, Magick turned off the shower. She opened the door and pulled a towel off the rack, then began drying herself off. She heard a knock at the bathroom door, then froze for a moment.
�Is everything okay?� Magick heard a nurse ask.
�I�m fine,� Magick replied. �I just felt like taking a hot shower.�
�It�s a bit early, but I understand. Would you like me to get you a clean gown?�
Magick wrapped the towel around herself, then picked her pale blue hospital gown up off the floor. She opened the bathroom door, then handed the gown to the nurse.
�It�ll only be a minute,� The nurse replied.
Magick nodded, then the nurse left the room at a faster than usual pace. Magick sat down on the edge of the hospital bed, holding her towel at the top so that it wouldn�t slip. She sighed, then looked out the window. It was still dark outside.
What time is it, anyway? Magick glanced at the clock and was surprised to see that it was only 4:30 A.M. She lost herself in thought as she stared out the window at the city, then snapped out of her trance a bit later when the nurse knocked on her door.
Magick stood up and took the gown from the nurse, then began walking to the bathroom. The nurse closed the door to her room, then said, �Would you like some assistance?�
�I�ll be fine. Why do you ask?� Magick replied.
The nurse shrugged. �It�s just procedure. Sometimes it can be difficult to put a gown on with an IV line.�
�Thanks, but I can figure it out,� Magick said.
Magick stepped into the bathroom and closed the door, then pulled off the towel and hung it on the shower door. She put her arms through the gown, then pulled it around herself and tied it in the back. It was a bit difficult to tie with her tail in the way, but she figured it out.
Magick opened the door again, then smiled politely at the nurse. The nurse pulled a stethoscope to her ears, then said, �Back in bed.�
Magick sighed, then climbed into the bed again. The nurse took the IV bag and hung it from the bed again, then pressed the stethoscope to Magick�s back. Magick sucked in a breath quickly, because the stethoscope was cold.
�Breathe normally, please,� the nurse mumbled.
�Sorry, it�s just a little cold,� Magick replied.
�Deep breath,� the nurse said, though Magick already knew the procedure.
The nurse pulled away the stethoscope, then scribbled a few things on the chart at the foot of Magick�s bed. She then checked Magic�s pulse and recorded that on the chart as well. When the nurse was finished, she looked at Magick.
�Is there anything at all that you need?�
Magick shook her head, but then as the nurse was about to leave she remembered something. �Wait, there is something.�
�What would that be?�
Magick picked up her sketchbook from the table beside her bed and held it up. �Could you get me a pencil?�
The nurse smiled, then nodded. �Sure. I�ll bring one to you when I come by on my next rounds.�
�Thank you,� Magick replied. You have no idea how boring it gets in here . . .
Michi sighed as she watched TV, wondering when Magick would be released from the hospital. The only reason Magick had been admitted is because she was practically in a coma. Since Magick had woken up, she would probably be released within a day or two.
Michi changed stations to a news channel, then watched to see if anything major was happening. The first few reports weren�t that important to her. One report in particular, however, caused Michi to nearly leap forward off the couch.
�A man simply named Tac has been arrested after he was found to possess dozens of illegal firearms. Included in the cache of illegal weapons was a gun that is believed to be the weapon that was used in the attempted murder a few days ago. Tac is being held in prison without bail until his trial.�
The report continued for another minute or so. After it was over, Michi jumped up off the couch and screamed happily. With Tac in prison, their safety was almost guaranteed. Michi then paused. The news reporter had also mentioned about a trial.
Michi smiled. If Tac was found guilty of both charges, he�d be in jail for a long time. Otherwise he�d just be put in jail for a few years and get a huge fine for the guns.
Michi quickly ran to the apartment door and pulled it open, then ran over to Joey�s apartment. She knocked in the door, but decided not to wait. The door was unlocked, so she pulled it open and ran inside. Melanie was standing there, somewhat alarmed since she had been going to get the door.
�Guess what? Guess what?� Michi said quickly.
Joey, who was sitting on the couch, turned and looked at Michi. �What?�
�Have you been watching the news?� Michi asked, still talking fast.
�We don�t watch the news that often,� Melanie replied.
�Tac got arrested!�
Joey quickly jumped up off the couch. �What?�
�Tac was recently arrested, and he�s gonna go on trial for attempted murder! Even if found innocent, he�s stuck with a huge charge for illegal weapons!�
�Are you serious?� Joey said loudly.
Michi nodded energetically. �Absolutely!�
Joey and Melanie cheered loudly. After a few minutes of talking, they all decided to go visit Magick and tell her the good news. They grabbed their backpacks and put them on, then ran almost the entire way to the hospital. Magick would be thrilled to hear the good news . . .
Tac looked out the window of his cell, then sighed. He looked over his shoulder when someone knocked in the door of his cell. He heard the lock click, then turned around. The guard stepped into his cell, then held out a pair of handcuffs.
�You have a visitor.�
Tac cooperated as the guard put the handcuffs around his wrist. Who would be visiting me? The guard then led him from the cell, holding Tac by his arm. They walked through the corridors of the prison, then eventually arrived at the visiting area.
�You have five minutes,� the guard said, sitting Tac down in a chair in front of a glass window. He stepped back a few steps and crossed his arms patiently.
Tac looked at the person sitting on the other side of the glass. �Who are you?�
�Your attorney.�
�Don�t people typically meet their attorneys in private rooms and not in the visiting area?�
�That depends on the situation,� the man replied. �For now, this will be sufficient. In the future it will be in a separate room.�
�Well, why are you even here?� Tac asked.
�I�m going to be defending you at the trial. The prosecutor has a fairly decent case, but that doesn�t mean I don�t know what I�m doing.�
Tac nodded, then said, �You�d better. I don�t want to spend the rest of my life in prison.�
�Don�t worry, you�re in good hands,� the attorney replied. �I�ll do whatever it takes to prove your innocence . . .�
Magick was thrilled by the news that Michi, Joey, and Melanie had brought her. She had been asleep, however, so she wasn�t quite as energetic in her celebration as the three had been. After a few minutes of talking, the conversation shifted.
�Hey Michi, you haven�t told me anything about Luke yet,� Magick said.
�Oh, right. The doctors say he�ll be waking up anytime now. His wounds have almost completely healed, and his vital signs are showing definite signs of improvement.�
Magick smiled again. �That�s good to know.�
Magick glanced over at Luke�s bed, then sighed. He looks so peaceful. Magick looked at Joey, then said, �So, anything else been happening?�
Joey shook her head. �Not at all. We�ve just been hanging out at the apartment the whole time.�
�Well, Michi brought me my sketch pad, so I�ll have something to do while you�re all away.�
Magick looked over at Luke�s bed again, thinking about when she had ventured into Luke�s subconscious. Then the image of them sitting in the tree and kissing appeared in her mind again, causing her to blush a bit and smile.
�Well, we�re gonna take off now,� Michi said. �Take care.�
Magick nodded and waved, but didn�t take her gaze from Luke�s bed. Luke�s head moved, causing Magick to blink quickly. Did I really see that, or is my brain just faking me out?
Magick continued staring at Luke, then his arm moved a bit. Magick quickly sat up and scooted to the edge of her bed. She hurried tossed her IV bag into the portable stand, then wheeled it quickly out of her room and into the hospital corridor.
�Michi, Joey, Melanie, get back here! Luke�s moving!�
Numerous doctors and nurses shushed Magick, giving her stern looks. The trio came rushing back quickly, then they all hurried into Luke�s room. The doctor taking care of Luke came rushing to the room as well.
Magick, Michi, Melanie and Joey all gathered around the bed, but the doctor told them to move aside.
�Excuse me, but only one visitor is allowed at a time in the rooms.�
Magick, Michi, Joey, and Melanie exchanged guilty looks, because they had already broken the rule numerous times. After a brief debate as to who would stay, they finally agreed to let Magick stay with Luke.
The doctor looked at Magick, then at the IV stand next to her. �Aren�t you supposed to be in bed?�
�I don�t care where I�m supposed to be. I�m staying here until he wakes up.�
The doctor sighed and mumbled something, then looked at Magick and shrugged his shoulders. �Fine, you can stay. Just take it easy, because I don�t want you passing out or anything.�
�Yeah, I get the point,� Magick mumbled incomprehensibly.
Magick stood next to Luke�s bed, wondering exactly when Luke would wake up. She glanced at the window, then smiled hopefully at Michi, Melanie, and Joey.
Magick returned her attention to Luke, whose arm was moving again. It wasn�t much, but it was a good sign that Luke�s consciousness was returning. Magick jumped a bit as Luke groaned, then gave him a curious look.
Wake up already, you stupid Raichu. Magick was already getting impatient. After a few minutes, Magick concentrated her psychic powers, her hand glowing brightly. Her intent was to give Luke�s body a mild psychic pulse to jump start his brain.
The doctor happened to glance at Magick, then jumped a bit. �Hey, none of that!�
Magick sighed, then relaxed, the glow fading from her hand. Magick took Luke�s hand in her own, looking at Luke�s face. A few moments Luke, Magick got a shock as Luke�s hand tightened around her own. She tried to pull herself free, but his hand was holding her firmly.
Well, I suppose this is a good sign. Magick blushed in embarrassment as the doctor chuckled. �Hey, it�s not that funny!�
�Maybe not for you,� the doctor said cleverly.
Magick groaned, then looked at Luke again. His eyelids were twitching. Magick pointed it out to the doctor, who smiled.
�He�ll open his eyes soon enough, just be patient.�
Magick looked up at the three standing behind the window, then saw that they were giggling quietly. Shut up, Joey, Magick said psychically.
Sorry. It�s just funny to see Luke holding your hand so firmly.
Magick groaned again, then suddenly Luke�s hand felt considerably warmer. Magick jerked back in alarm, managing to pull herself free in the process. Magick looked at Luke curiously, then remembered about the soul mates thing.
I�d better not do that again. I don�t want the doctor getting freaked out by strange glowing.
Luke�s eyelids twitched again, then his eyes opened a bit. Magick quickly rushed over to the edge of his bed, then smiled as Luke groaned.
�Luke,� Magick whispered quietly. Luke didn�t respond. Apparently he was still not fully awake. Magick said his name again a bit louder, hoping that he would respond . . .
Tac�s attorney was busily shuffling through papers, taking out every bit of information that could possibly help the case. He was fairly confident that he could prove Tac innocent, despite how difficult it would be.
He froze as one document in particular caught his attention. He began reading it thoroughly, somewhat shocked. The paper was an article about Tac�s possible connections to Team Rocket, as well as the destruction of what was believed to be their headquarters.
The attorney took a deep breath, then set the paper aside. His full confidence had just been broken, though not completely destroyed. As long as an additional charge involving the destruction of Team Rocket wasn�t put on the case, Tac would be fine.
A full investigation was already taking place, though nothing had been found yet.
�This never gets any easier,� the attorney mumbled quietly, glancing at the paper again . . .
Luke opened his eyes slowly for the second time. The first time he had been nearly blinded by the bright light. His eyes adjusted slowly to the light, bringing it to a more tolerable level. His vision still wasn�t focused, however.
Luke heard someone say his name quietly, but he couldn�t tell if he was dreaming or not. They said it again, a bit louder, and this time Luke tried to respond. The only thing that came out was a harsh crackle.
The doctor looked up in surprise, then stepped over the sink and filled a cup with water. He walked over to Luke�s bed, then held the cup to Luke�s mouth. Luke didn�t do anything for a moment, but eventually he opened his mouth and took a few sips.
�He�s still a bit slow to respond, but he�ll be okay in a few minutes.�
Magick nodded, then looked down at Luke. �Luke, wake up,� Magick said quietly.
Luke blinked in attempt to focus, but his eyes still weren�t working properly. He closed his eyes for a few moments and opened them again, then noticed that his vision was clearing up slowly.
I guess I�ll have to be patient, Luke thought.
As Luke�s vision slowly came into focus, he could see the figure standing over his bed more clearly. He still couldn�t identify the person. After a few more seconds, Luke recognized the familiar shape.
Although his vision still wasn�t focused, he knew only two people that had Mew ears. He knew that it was more than likely Magick, because she would want to be the one there when he wakes up. Luke coughed, then smiled weakly.
�Magick?�
Magick smiled, then touched Luke�s cheek tenderly. �Yes, it�s me.�
Luke�s vision was still out of focus, but Magick was now unmistakable. The black hair and ears were a dead giveaway. Luke looked around the room slowly, then again at Magick.
�I�m glad you�re awake,� Magick said.
Sensing that Magick would like to be left alone to talk with Luke, the doctor scribbled a few things on his chart, then walked out of the room. He glanced at the three looking through the window, then smiled and went to check up on other patients.
Luke wasn�t sure what to say, because Magick had already explained the situation with Tac to him. He looked up at Magick, who was at a loss for words as well. They both smiled, then Luke yawned.
�So, how are you feeling?� Magick asked.
�I don�t feel like anything right now,� Luke replied. �I guess they�ve got me on some painkillers.�
Magick smiled. �That�s not surprising. After all, you did get shot.�
�Yeah, and speaking of which,� Luke said, trailing off as he lifted the blanket. He looked up at Magick, then smirked. �You might want to turn around.�
Magick nodded, then turned around. She wasn�t sure why, though. Luke lifted his gown and looked at the cotton padding wrapped around his stomach. There wasn�t any blood, so the dressing must have been changed recently. Luke stretched his gown out again, then pulled up the sheet over himself.
�Okay, you�re fine,� Luke said to Magick.
Magick turned around, then looked at Luke. �What was that all about?�
�I didn�t think you�d like looking at the wound,� Luke said.
�You�re right,� Magick said while nodding. I bet that�s not that only reason.
Magick blushed a bit, unnoticed to Luke. She then sighed and glanced around. Luke, on the other hand, was thinking about what Magick had said to him before breaking the psychic link.
�Hey Magick, I just remembered something.�
�Oh? What�s that?�
�Right before you broke the connection with my subconscious, you said something to me. I remember you telling me to ask you about it when I wake up.�
Magick smiled, knowing exactly what Luke was talking about. She sat down on the edge of his bed, then took his hand. �I remember that too. I�m sure you�re wondering what that was all about.�
�That�s exactly what I�m wondering,� Luke replied.
�Well, it�s something that only happens to a Mew. In this case, it happened to both of us because I was there.�
�You still haven�t explained why it happened,� Luke said.
�Well, just let me continue. Mews don�t just spontaneously fall in love like other Pokemon or humans do. Mews spend most of their lives looking for the one other Mew or whomever is their exact match. In other words, their soul mate. Once their search is over, they spend the rest of their lives with them.�
�How exactly does a Mew know when it�s found its soul mate?� Luke asked, curious as to what Magick was getting at.
�Well, first a feeling of warmth spreads through both individuals. At the same time, a glowing aura of psychic energy encompasses the two individuals. That is how a Mew knows when its search is over.�
Luke was quite surprised by this. �Wait a minute. What you�re describing is the exact same thing that happened when we kissed.�
�Right you are,� Magick whispered.
Luke didn�t know what to say. His mind was racing. Magick and I are soul mates? Is it really possible? I love her, but I never knew that we were meant for each other since birth.
Magick�s hand began glowing as she and Luke continued to hold hands. Sure enough, a sensation of warmth spread through their bodies. At the same time, a glow surrounded Luke and Magick.
Michi and Melanie looked on in amazement, but Joey only smiled. �Magick found her soul mate,� she said to Michi and Melanie, who only exchanged confused looks.
Magick smiled even more. �So, do you believe me now?�
Luke smiled up at Magick, then said, �Without a doubt.�
�You�d better get some sleep, Rinku. You probably need it.�
Luke looked at Magick curiously. �What did you call me?�
�Rinku; the sweet soul. I can�t think of a better person that I could�ve been soul mates with . . .�