Uxie and the Dragons

17 Years Ago

Uxie, now known as Alex, raced down the road like a demon was after him. There was one of course but no one would see it. All they could see was a young boy running as fast as his little legs would carry him.

Alex was out of breath before he even got close to the temple doors. He kept pushing himself. He’d never had to run before. It was the strangest sensation. His shins burned and his lungs felt like they were on fire. His sides soon joined his lungs. But he pushed himself onward.

He was going so fast that he ran smack into the doors and bounced back onto his ass. “Ow,” he hissed to himself. But then he pushed himself back up hard, pulled the doors open, and ran inside. He shut the doors behind him with a SLAM. He did up the locks and then slid down the door, sitting on the ground with the thick wood against his back and his head between his knees.

Breathe.

Just breathe.

He couldn’t seem to get enough air. His vision kept going in and out. He felt sick. He swallowed multiple times as his mouth filled up with saliva in preparation of being sick. Don’t throw up here. He’s only going to hate me more if I do.

It took too long for Alex to feel well but finally the sickness passed and he was able to breathe (if still too heavily). His legs, while shaky, supported him for the moment. He’d pulled himself up and headed towards the altar. At this time of night, the temple was empty. People were sitting for dinner.

He walked into the pews a few times. His balance was shot since his legs felt so weak. He made it to the large, intimidating statue of one of the dragon gods. It towered over him. He felt dizzy looking up at it and just kept his head down and focused on the thing’s large feet.

“You were not my first choice but I need your help tonight,” Alex said. This particular god hated him. Full on just loathed him. But his temple had been the closest and Alex didn’t have much a choice. He got down on his knees and started a very simplified version of the summoning ritual. His hands were shaking so badly that he almost couldn’t manage it. He had to start over three times. Finally it was done and he waited.

Nothing happened.

No change appeared in the statue or in the temple.

Alex double checked that he’d done it right. He had. The god was just choosing not to answer.

“No!” he shouted. “Please!” he begged. “Please, something really bad is going to happen tonight. You put them in danger! You have to listen to me, for once, just please!”

But still there was no answer.

Alex burst into tears. He didn’t even have any energy left to retaliate in any way against being ignored. Instead he just bent over and cried until he was sick. Dry heaving. There was nothing in his stomach to be sick.

Even after he’d finished crying, the temple was still. He lay there on the altar steps and wondered what to do now. He couldn’t let the little princess die. Finally he pushed himself up. His body was so weak but he had no choice. He was just going to have to try to get there before the demon could.

The candles inside the temple flickered violently. The wind whistling through the halls and pews. Pushing leaves and paper towards Uxie.

It died out a moment later and Taeyang stood beside his brother, his hands inside his pockets and looking a little frustrated. "I don't know why everyone assumes those summoning spells are instant." He said, brushing some leaves from his feet.

"I'm actually learning to be a human, so it takes time to answer. I can't drop everything you know, brother." Taeyang was still bitter over how it had gone down in the past. How Uxie had not seen reason, or logic. He had wanted to help this future come to being.

He had tried to kill their master, which would have broken their hearts. Forcefully breaking a bond between Master and fiend was painful. His brother had willingly tried to do that.

Alex had let go of what had happened in the past a long time ago. He was the calm and reasonable one. To him, they had been the ones not to listen. And it was Mesprit, not Uxie, who had lashed out in anger over what had been done to them.

Alex might have said that but he was too busy trying not to be sick over the steps again. The wave of nausea washed over him. Chills made goosebumps appear on his skin. In the distance, he could swear he heard the call of a fire demon.

He took a breath. "But, tonight is the night. You're supposed to come. The water princess isn't supposed to die."

"my hands are tied, I cannot intervene." Taeyang said simply, he didn't want for her to die either. He really didn't. He wanted to save her, but he couldn't.

"I've been scolded and I have been collared. For my brothers betrayal, I was punished the worst. I'm being forced to watch as my new masters life is ruined." He added, but he walked way momentarily, only to return with a cold bottle of water for Uxie. "Do not vom on my floor. Thanks."

"Punishment," Alex repeated and laughed ironically. He had no idea. He blinked at the bottle of water and reached for it, pressing it against his forehead. "Ahh," he breathed. "Thank you," he said quietly as he held it against his chest then.

He could hear the fire demon again. It was looking for him. He took a breath. He was clever. The bottle of water would serve to beat it. Somehow.

Taeyang stared at Uxie. He was beyond astounded by his laughter. "I suppose a back stabbing bastard like you would be amused by my own personal hell, would you?" He said, wondering why he'd bothered to come.

"I'll be off then, as I have no idea why you are here other than to laugh at my pain."

"I'm not laughing at your pain," Alex said. "I'm laughing because, you have no idea, what father intended for you both after all that. You have no idea," he said, having to take heavy breaths as he spoke, "what you were spared from."

He didn't want to fight with Zekrom right then. He didn't have much of a fight in him even normally, being one of the chillest fiends ever. Ah, but being a human hurt. Being hunted while defenseless sucked. He should have stayed with the hunters but he knew something had to be done tonight. If Zekrom couldn't do it, well, he'd have to find another way.

After he dealt with the darmanitan.

"i cannot imagine much worse, right now. Forgive me." Taeyang said, his sarcasm not at all hidden. He was no more in the mood than Uxie was. "Why are you human right now?"

"Heatran," Alex replied, opening the bottle of water and taking a little sip to satisfy just enough of his thirst. "He had me bound." Tears welled up in his blue eyes at the memory of what had been done to make such a thing as that happen. He blinked them away, wiping his face on the torn up sleeve of his hoodie.

"It's why he's able to do what he will tonight," he continued. "His minions hunt me now. Knowledge is a power he does not want his enemies of to have. Plus my death will decimate the seal." He rested his forehead on the water bottle again. The cold sensation was keeping him grounded.

"I can't interfere with Hikari and Drake, but I can do this. Because I'm not like you." Taeyang said and took Uxie's human wrist and moved them both. They were in the sacred shrine of the dragon masters. Surrounded by water. It was very hard for anyone to get here if not the master of dragons himself, or a dragon.

"Ryuu isn't here." He added. Just in case.

Alex did nothing to stop Zekrom from taking his wrist and moving them. He looked around at the shrine. He could smell the water that surrounded it. Of course he knew where it was. "You're protecting me?" he asked, surprised. The twins could hold a grudge. It had been ages and he'd never forgiven them for that curse.

"We are family. I don't forget that." Taeyang said, because he didn't. He was acting all aloof and apathetic. But really he wasn't happy to see Uxie like that.

He went over to the makeshift bed and pulled the dirty and now musty sheets from it. "I will bring you food and fresh sheets. Clothes as well."

Alex did cry then. He didn't cry because he was sad or scared (which he was all the time lately) but because Zekrom was actually being nice to him. As much as the dragon tried to act like he didn't care, the pixie knew otherwise. He knew he did.

Yes, he could have acted just as aloof and hidden his feelings. But bound, he was just terrible at it. They came out whether he wanted them to or not, spilling over now as hot liquid.

"Thank you," he said, hiding his face in his hands.

"Eh." Taeyang said, because watching Uxie cry pained him in serious ways. But he was still hurting for what had happened. He hadn't lost his master after all, but his family had tried. They hadn't cared for reason, or logic. They hadn't wanted to listen any more than Ryuu had.

They were just as bad. He bent down and pat Uxie awkwardly on the back. "I'll be back." He promised.

Alex nodded. He couldn't do anything but trust zekrom. Yes, things had been bad between them for a long time but hr didn't think that the dragon hated him so much as to mislead him this badly.

Tae left then, the only place he knew he could go was to Ryuu. He waited politely for him to finish playing with the little ones. "Master," he said softly.

"No, just Ryuu now. We've been through this," Ryuu chuckled and stood up. "What's wrong?"

"Another of my brothers... They called out for help. I couldn't ignore it, as much as I might have wanted too. He's being hunted by Heatran's allies. He's been bound and so now Heatran is going after Hikari. I can't do anything to stop that, but I can help my brother." Tae explained.



"Of course, what do you need?" Ryuu said, immediately getting into action. "I will see what I can do about Hikari. She won't die tonight." He said, because she was just a baby. He wasn't having that. This time around she would be old and happy in her damn bed.



"Fresh clothes for a teenage boy around this tall and this skinny," Tae said and showed Ryuu with his hands how tall and wide Uxie was now. Not a lot obviously. "And fresh linen's. As he is staying in the temple you used to stay in."



"Ermes, my love, could you get the fresh linens and help Taeyang pack a food parcel for the poor thing?" Ryuu asked as Jiyong stormed into the room, you could just tell from the look on his face that shit was about to go down.



"Uxie. You are having us help with Uxie." Jiyong said, utterly disgusted by the situation. It was just plain wrong. "Did you forget what he did?"



"No, brother. Never." Taeyang replied.



"Calm, calm." Ryuu said and held his hands out to both of the dragons. "He did what he had too back then, if I can forgive and forget. So can you."

"Of course I can," Ermes said. "Poor thing." She knew who Uxie was. As a Guardian, she was aware of all of her allies in keeping Heatran sealed. Which meant she knew what Heatran could do now that he had managed to seal one of the Lake Guardians. It worried her but there wasn't much she could do about it right now other than get things for the poor pixie. She didn't want to think about what had been done to bound him like that.

But as she stood up, Jiyong came in and it was obvious a fight was about to happen. She didn't know the history between the dragons, her love, and Uxie. "What am I missing?" she asked quietly. Uxie was not a mean god, nor vindictive. She couldn't imagine what he had done to upset the dragons.

"Oh, you know that Uxie and the others cursed Ryuu and that's why Megumi is dead and he's very much immortal." Jiyong said, massively disappointed.

"It's not all their fault, I did some terrible things back then. I was making bad choices and doing bad things to try and scramble at saving the world from becoming what it was." Ryuu said, trying to keep the peace. "I'd have Uxie here, except it's not so well protected from fire fiends. He's safest where he is."

Taeyang was quiet. He didn't want to encourage Jiyong to fight him. But he couldn't say nothing, "he's still our big brother..."

Jiyong made a sound and walked out of the room angrily.

Ermes was quiet. She remembered the basics of what had happened to lead to all of that. She'd just forgotten who it was that had cursed him and why. That part just hadn't seemed as important somehow as he'd never really held any anger or grudge against them. Just pain at the loss he'd suffered.

She watched Jiyong leave. "Well, the past is past, right? Even if he wasn't your brother, we cannot allow a Guardian to fall into Heatran's hands." That was part of her job as well, to keep him sealed. Uxie was a part of that.

"Do you have a psychic friend, Ermes? We must alert both Morgan and Nani of something being wrong, Hikari is being targeted." Ryuu asked, he was just not going to dwell.

"Oh that would be good too. I said to Uxie I'd be back soon, I think it will help him knowing we've done what we can to prevent her death," Taeyang said, even if Jiyong didn't want to help. He couldn't ignore.

Ermes frowned. "My psychic friend is Uxie," she said. "And I don't know that I should contact his siblings because that might bring them out of hiding..." Which is what they had to be doing. "But...I might have another. Let me try something," she said. She wasn't going to just give up. A baby certainly didn't deserve to die tonight. And as a Guardian she was meant to protect people from Heatran.

Ryuu nodded and then directed Taeyang from the room. "He can borrow some of the teenagers clothes. Let's go pick some out."

"Okay," Taeyang said and he would wait for Ermes. She would find them when she was done. Hopefully they could do something.

Ermes went through all of her contacts until she found someone who could warn Nani and Morgan about what was coming for their daughter tonight. The whole story couldn't be given in such a short message but at least the warning had been. What happened now, without being there personally, Ermes wasn't sure what she could do.

She felt like she should go. A dragon with control over weather and water. She could easily defeat one of Heatran's agents. But she was also pregnant...So she could imagine Ryuu telling her no.

Ryuu and Taeyang returned to Ermes, sheets and clothes in a bag ready to go. "Find someone?" He asked. Because no, he wouldn't let her go.

Taeyang was quiet. He wanted to go make sure that Uxie was okay, but this was just as important and for him.

"I did," Ermes said. "The message has been sent. Hopefully the warning will come with enough time." She looked at what they had gathered for Uxie. "I could send water fiends to guard the house if you think that might help."