TITLE: Sunshine Saviour

AUTHOR: Demon Faith

FANDOMS: Pokemon and Angel

PAIRING: Pikachu/Lindsey

SPOILERS: For ‘Angel’: Underneath

RATING: PG

DISCLAIMER: I own not the cute yellow Pokemon, nor the cute semi-evil man. They belong to other people who would never condone this. Too bad. :)

NOTES: For the Pairing List That Ate Fandom, Round Seven.

I am an evil, evil person – for me, there is reserved a Special Level of Hell

He couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Fingering his necklace absently, Lindsey sat on the sofa and did nothing. This was unusual in itself – there was always something to do, someone to see, a conversation to be had. His wife would need help with some DIY, his son would want to learn some geography.

Now, there was a lull. His family were elsewhere, and he was left in the sitting room, alone. He glanced around for something to do, but he couldn’t see a book or a game in sight. A flash of yellow caught his eye and he turned back, frowning at what he saw.

Crawling along the floor much like an infant, he sat down in front of the thing and stared intently. It was rounded and yellow, a plush toy of some description, with its ears sticking straight up. Its huge black eyes stared straight at him, whilst a red spot on each cheek showed a blush and its arms were spread in a hug. It appeared quite a friendly-looking creature, but Lindsey couldn’t quite imagine how it had ended up in his house.

Picking it up carefully, Lindsey sat it on his knee, and stroked across the stitch of its nose. He could’ve sworn he could see a swirl of something forming in its eyes, but as he peered closer, the door slammed.

“Honey, I’m home!”

Against all rationality, he stuffed the toy down the side of the sofa and stood quickly, brushing down his clothes. The reaction made no sense to him, but he wanted this to be a secret, something between him and the yellow thing. Something about it had struck him, and now he longed to know more. It was so out-of-place, so unusual – it intrigued him.

Smiling at his wife, he gave nothing away, not even when a light-bulb was demanded of him and he felt eldritch fear crawl up his spine. No, he had a mystery to solve, and nothing would keep him from the task.

~

The clock struck midnight, but Lindsey was awake. Something was bouncing on his stomach.

“You’re too old for this,” he started to mumble, but then his eyes flew open and he stared.

“Pikachu,” it said.

Lindsey glanced across at his wife before climbing out of bed, half-convinced he was still asleep. The yellow thing jumped off too and galloped out of the door and down the stairs. Lindsey followed in a daze, trying not to pay too much attention to how very cute it was and how it was stirring feelings of distant recognition that he just couldn’t shake.

“Pika-pika!”

“Yeah, I’m coming. Impatient, aren’t you?”

It closed half-closed its eyes and grinned darkly. “Pika.”

“That all you say?”

Next thing he knew, he had his bright yellow friend in his arms and pointing at itself with one…paw?

“Pikachu!”

Lindsey stroked the soft fur, strangely unable to resist the cuteness, and smiled. “That’s your name? It’s…nice.”

Pikachu screwed up its nose, as if offended. “Pika *pika*?”

“Okay, it’s…interesting. A most unusual name.” Silence. “I like it.”

“Pikachu!”

It jumped down, bounding once more across the floor and to the door of the basement. Lindsey stopped.

“Uh…no…I don’t go down there.”

“Pikachu! Pika-pika!”

There were some wild paw-gestures that appeared as yellow blurs to his tired eyes, and he bent down and clasped them between his hands. “Okay, slow down. What’s so important down there?”

Pikachu tried to free its paws, but Lindsey held firm. They struggled with each other, Pikachu desperate to throw Lindsey and the man holding firm, trying not to be beaten by what had been, this morning, a plush toy.

Pikachu won in the end, by virtue of kissing Lindsey hard and forcing him to let go in shock. He rubbed his mouth awkwardly whilst the yellow monster jumped up and down, grinning all over its yellow face.

“Pikachu!”

Lindsey got slowly to his feet, before glancing nervously at the door. What was there to be afraid of anyway? It was just a basement, the basement of his house, no less. Besides, foul play or not, he’d just been beaten by a small yellow ball of fluff, and that was enough ego-crushing for one day.

Raising himself to his full height, he pushed open the door and stared hesitantly down the stairs. A hand shot out of the dark, grasping his neck, and he choked.

“It is not time yet.”

Lindsey felt himself being pushed backwards by the hand, but the loud crunch of a bite and a yell from the direction of the hand stopped his swift exit. He managed one punch before he was let go, falling inelegantly done the steps into the solid darkness.

He landed on his right hand with a distinct crack, and he gritted his teeth through the flare of pain. The looming shadow was illuminated by torches, and it looked…evil. Lindsey shuddered as the thing neared him, but a flying ball of yellow hit the demon clear on the head, before bouncing on the floor and standing protectively between Lindsey and the monster.

“Pika-*pika*.”

Pikachu sounded distinctly angry now, and made its position clear – it blew a raspberry at the demon. Lindsey blinked.

Spinning like a demented Frisbee, Pikachu kicked the demon in the face again, screaming some unintelligible war cry. Lindsey struggled to his feet, cradling his hand close to his chest, watching the little monster fight. Damn, but it was good. Lindsey admired the surprising grace of movement from Pikachu, still trying to shake off the familiarity of the creature.

Suddenly, it seemed Pikachu had had enough. Crouching close to the ground, it fisted its paws in front of itself and started to chant: “Pika…pika…CHU!”

Bolts of lightening flew haphazardly around the basement, and Lindsey ducked just as he saw the demon fall back, smoking. Huh. Lindsey ran over to Pikachu to make sure it was still in one piece, and the little yellow monster smiled at him tiredly. “Pikachu.”

Then, quite solemnly, it moved to the door – not the basement door though, but one that was distinctly different. Most notably because of the flames behind it. Lindsey eyed it with trepidation, but Pikachu beckoned to him and he had to follow.

Pikachu began explaining again with its hands, this time much slower, but all Lindsey could make out was ‘neck, door, go’. That wasn’t entirely helpful and Lindsey said so, prompting Pikachu to start its explanation again. Lindsey cut him off, grasping a paw with his good hand. It was then Pikachu noted his injury.

“Pika-pika?” it said with concern, drawing the hand carefully towards itself. Examining it shrewdly, Pikachu then bounded towards a cupboard and pulled out a roll of bandage, before heading back up to Lindsey. Gesturing for him to sit, Pikachu gently took the wrist and started to bind it, tenderly caressing the already-swelling skin as it worked.

Finally, the task complete, Pikachu leant over and kissed over the bandage. “Pika?”

Lindsey nodded, his hand still cradled by soft paws. “Yeah, that’s much better,” he whispered.

Pikachu reluctantly let go of the hand and motioned for Lindsey to stand again before facing the door. It mimed the turning of a handle, and Lindsey obliged with a shaking hand, opening the fire door to the room. He took a hesitant step forward, but then turned, crouching in front of Pikachu.

“I’m afraid,” he confessed, and Pikachu took his hand again, a half-smile on its face and the dancing flames playing in its big black eyes. A soft paw stroked his cheek, before moving down to his necklace. And pulling sharply.

The world spun crazily, a flood of memory surging around him, and he would have fallen backwards if it weren’t for Pikachu holding onto him. He regained his senses just in time to see Pikachu placing the chain around its own neck. Lindsey reached for it, crying out, but Pikachu shoved him backwards into the fire.

His last memory of the place was the single tear staining yellow fur.

~

“LINDSEY!”

He shook his head violently, as the high-pitched squeal came closer. For one absurd moment, he thought it might be Pikachu, but then realised it couldn’t be – the creature was calling *his* name.

“Oh God, what happened to you? Are you alright? Oh no, your wrist is hurt, let me see.”

Lindsey stared up blearily and saw…yellow. Big round eyes met his, and he blinked, a small smile creeping over his lips. Recognition solidified before his eyes, and the nagging feeling subsided.

“Hi Eve,” he said.