~*~ Okies, sorry about the long wait… *bows a hundred times* Things have been kinda busy =^_^;= But now I’ve decided to take a moment and upload for Raine-chan =3 Oh boy, there’s quite a bit going on with her XD;; This’ll be interesting, to say the least. Off we go! ~*~
In this post: Raine, Lux, Shupple, Hoom, Arc
Mentioned: Aberius, Gil
Raine
After offering Lux my help, he didn’t respond. I wonder if he’s too sad to ask right now… I stood up and turned around. The room was in shambles. The very least I could do was straighten up while everyone else is gone. I began to move things into place with my powers. I wasn’t doing very well, though… Oh… eto… why can’t I be better at cleaning at a time like this? No, I can clean fine, b-but… I exhaled, feeling a bit drained. My abilities were good, but I still wasn’t good at using them efficiently. I use up way too much power and need to rest afterwards.
A sudden knock at the door brought me out of my thoughts as the doctor stepped inside. Lux had called out for Hoom and that startled me slightly. The doctor greeted Lux and I sat on a nearby couch and went into deep thought. I wonder what happened between those two… Aren’t they really close? I guess I wouldn’t understand because I’ve never had a… boyfriend… The doctor continued to examine Lux and made him read a chart with letters. He read them off fine, so I thought he was okay, but the doctor said he had memorized them. Oh… I guess he doesn’t want anyone to know… The doctor wrote something on a piece of paper, handed it to Lux, and told him where to go. The doctor left and Lux was sitting there staring at the piece of paper in his hand.
“Tch, this is such a pain in the ass!” Lux growled. This startled me and I let out a small squeak. I felt instantly embarrassed and wished I could stop doing things like that… He looked up at me after that and I lowered my head, wishing I could disappear. Well, I could, but I’d used up too much energy and would have to wait before I could Teleport again.
“So… are you going… to get the glasses?” I asked, trying to get my composure back, but somewhat failing.
“I really don’t have much of a choice now….” he sighed, heading toward the door. “You asked me if you could do anything, well could you just stay here for me just in case someone comes back?”
I nodded in response. I could do that much… right? I decided to make the bed, since that was the only thing I hadn’t straightened. After it was neat, I sat in a chair next to the bed. After waiting for 15 minutes, someone walked into the room. It was a female Banette. She gave me a small smile. My eyes widened a bit as she came closer. Uwah… I gulped. She’s so… cool-looking…! I shook my head a little.
“A-Are you looking for Lux…?” I asked.
“Yeah, do you know where he is?" she smiled a bit more as she responded.
“He's down in the glasses department downstairs,” I told her, and she quickly walked to the door. I guess she’s in a hurry… I looked down at my feet
“Thank you,” I heard the Banette say, which caught me by surprise and caused me to look up again.
“N-No problem,” I said, my face a little flushed. She left and closed the door behind her. I felt happy to receive gratitude for something, even though I hadn’t done much.
So I was alone again… waiting. I sat there thinking about the fact that ever since I found that mansion, more had happened to me in a few days than in my whole life… I froze for a moment as my thoughts trailed back to that horrible incident. That was not something I wanted to include as things that happened to me…
Flashback
I had been out in the fields that day. I thought it was just another lovely day. I was happy and even though I failed a lot at many things, I was still loved. I thought that was enough… and it was for me.
I was 14 and didn’t have many cares. I used to get teased a lot for failing, but even though I’d felt sad, my parents would cheer me up and tell me it didn’t matter so long as I tried my best. So I continued to try my best and eventually, the other kids stopped teasing me and some even talked to me. I’d made friends. Even I was getting along with my peers, I still had trouble when I tried to talk to one of them… Lynex… He was a Linoone and he was 2 years older than me. He had shiny fur and was tall with broad shoulders. His eyes were the most beautiful shade of crystal blue… Whenever he’d talk to me, I’d stumble over my words. I didn’t fully understand what these feelings were. One day, I talked with Mother about weird feelings like Beedril buzzing in my head and Butterfree flapping in my stomach. She explained that those feelings meant I liked someone. Really…? I liked Lynex? I guess it made sense… but what was I going to do? I only felt more self-aware, now…
I had gone out to the fields because it was my special place. I sat there thinking to myself about Lynex… Should I tell him that I like him? Or would that be too weird? Taking a deep breath, I smacked myself on the cheeks twice. I smiled and decided that it was enough that I knew now and that I’d have more time to decide what I’d do. I stood up and twirled around a few times to clear any weird feelings I had.
Suddenly, I heard a twig snap behind me. I whirled around and saw him. Lynex was standing there looking down at the twig he had stepped on. Then he looked up at me and put a hand behind his head and grinned awkwardly.
“Oops, sorry, didn’t mean to startle you, Raine. I was just… caught up in watching you dance…” Lynex said.
My heart skipped a beat. I wasn’t entirely ready to talk to him, especially after I’d said I’d give myself a little time to figure things out… “Uh-Uh… N-No… it’s fine… Um, hi…” I mentally smacked myself around. I sounded so… uncool. He laughed slightly and I internally shrank.
“Ahaha, hi.” He said with a smile. “Um, listen, Raine…?”
“Yes…?” I responded. He seemed like he had something important to say.
“I was wondering,” he looked down and shuffled a bit, “if you would come with me somewhere for a moment?” He looked back up at me with expectant eyes. I thought my heart would stop… Why would I pass up a chance like this? And right after I realized my feelings. It seems too good to be true…
“Um, sure…!” I replied, my heart beating fast.
He reached out his hand to me and I took it. My heart was going to beat clean out of my chest as he held my hand and led me through town. I hadn’t even cared where we were going… only that I was with him and he felt the same way. I could sense excitement from him. But… it felt different from my own… Is it because he’s a guy? The sun was getting lower as we continued walking. It looked like we were near some warehouses. We went inside one and it was dark. I started to feel reluctant.
“We’re finally here, Raine,” Lynex said, looking down at me with a smile.
“Y-Yes… So, what was it you wanted to tell me?” I replied, my heart pounding. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Something didn’t feel quite right…
“Oh, well I just wanted to tell you how beautiful you look tonight…” my heart skipped a beat as he said that.
“R-Really…? You think so?” my face was burning now.
“Yes, I really do. But you know…” Lynex stepped closer, “I think you’d look even more beautiful…” closer still… “if you were…” Lynex was within a few inches of me. He looked down with a calm and beautiful expression. Suddenly, I saw his face twist into a grin and it didn’t look friendly. “If you were tied up in chains,” he finished.
Before I could process what he said, I was grabbed from behind by people I hadn’t sensed. I struggled against them trying to break free. N-no! I don’t like this! Stop…! They began tying my arms and feet with rope. I was then placed on a chain with a hook that latched into the ropes around my back. I was just dangling there. The men were laughing and I began feeling a surge of emotions and feelings coming from them all which I had never felt before. But the strongest came from the boy in front of me… The Lynex that I’d trusted and had fallen for. I didn’t understand what was happening. He stepped closer to me again, and because I was dangling there, our faces were within an inch of each others’. He grasped my chin, hard, and made me face him. Then he smirked in a twisted way and kissed me roughly. I’d wanted him to kiss me, but not like this, this isn’t what I’d wanted at all…
“Raine, my dear…” Lynex said as he pulled away, licking my jaw line, “we are going to have some fun now… Don’t worry, it won’t hurt for too long. You start to enjoy things soon enough…”
Tears streamed down my cheeks as the figures started closing in… and the rest… is too hazy…
End Flashback
I shuddered slightly and felt warm, salty tears rolling down my cheeks. I hated remembering… I can’t go too far without violently shaking. I lost memory of things for a while after it happened. I’d been told I was saved before anything too horrible happened, but… My trust had been broken. I was a girl who trusted everyone and knew little to nothing of bad things in the world. And in an instant, he took it away… Lynex betrayed me, although I don’t think I could say betrayed since we weren’t close enough for that… I… don’t really want to get close to another man because the same thing will happen…
Breaking my thoughts, the Banette from earlier came in, carrying Lux on her back. Without thinking, I got up and went over to help him to the bed. We placed the oxygen mask on him and let him rest for about an hour or two. Seeing he was still asleep, I decided to heal him a bit more to help his progress. The doctor came in not too long after and asked to check Lux’s vital signs. I sat down and let the doctor work. When he finished, he asked if we were okay with staying with Lux. Shupple answered that we had it covered.
“By the way,” she added, “do you know about what happened here?”
“Well, when he wakes up, he should tell you. You seemed like a very worried friend,” the doctor told her and then left.
“U-Um… Y-You seem really worried about Lux...” I said. “I-I can tell you what happened…”
“Please,” she replied with a small smile.
“W-Well…” I started and then proceeded to explained everything that happened earlier with the fight between Gil, and Hoom’s interference in it.
“A Thunder Punch into Hoom’s stomach?” she said, very shocked. I just nodded in response. She began crying a bit and I continued to tell what had happened up until the point she appeared. After I was done, I waited a minute and resumed using Healing Wave on Lux. I didn’t fully understand why I felt the need to help so much… Was it because I felt guilty for the prank from before? Or was I afraid of him? Yes, I was afraid, but I felt like there was something else, too… But I’m not sure what it is…
Shupple, as I had learned her name while we were talking, got up and began to use a move on Lux. It didn’t take her long and she got up to open the window. Then she used another move. It seemed to lighten the burden on Lux’s emotions each time she walked between him and the window. We had been working for a while and a lady came in with Lux’s meal. Since Lux still hadn’t awoken, Shupple ate his food. She offered me some, but I declined and continued to heal Lux. I was way past my limit, but I wasn’t about to give up.
Then there was a knock at the door. Shupple stopped using her move and went to open the door. I was expecting a doctor again, but Shupple stepped back slightly as if she were pushed by something. I looked down and noticed a little boy hugging her.
“Hiya, Ghosty!”
“Hey, Cedric!”
“Where’s blue kitty? Is he awake yet?”
“Is that a Ralts? CAN I CATCH HER?” Cedric asked, his whole body shaking with excitement.
“W-What?”
“Just play along. He’s having fun. Please?” she asked.
“What shall I do, Master Cedric?” she asked with a smile, and he pointed at me.
“Use Shadow Claw!” the boy said. Shupple pretended to use Shadow Claw, so I backed up and blocked it.
“M-Magical Leaf!” I pretended to use magical leaf by going up to Shupple and just getting leaves from a plant and throwing them at her.
“Use Shadow Sneak, ghosty!” Cedric squeal delightedly. Shupple went easy on me, but I pretended to fall to the ground. Shupple whispered something to Cedric and he took out a Pokeball and threw it at me, and it hit my arm. There was a small, red flash and then the Pokeball sat on my lap and Cedric looked at Shupple.
“Did I catch her?” Cedric asked and I rubbed my arm and looked at Cedric and smiled.
“Yes, Master Cedric! You did catch me!” I said smiled and Cedric ran up to me and started to rub my cheek and hug me. I laughed and hugged him back. He’s so adorable… I wonder if this is what it would have been like if the egg had hatched back then… Cedric’s mother stood up just then.
“Cedric, now that you caught the Ralts, why don’t we go get lunch and come back later tonight to see if Lux is awake?” she asked Cedric softly and Cedric looked back at her and smiled and nodded while picking up the Pokeball.
“Okay!” Cedric skipped back over to his mother and they both waved at us before they left.
I went back to healing Lux for a bit longer. Not too long, as Lux finally began to stir. He and Shupple began talking and arguing slightly and I stopped using Healing Wave. Shupple mentioned that I worked hard to heal Lux and I simply nodded at the remark. I don’t think I did well enough. Most Psychic Pokémon could fully heal someone on the brink of death in 5 minutes or less. I wonder if it’s because I’m only half psychic… Then Lux asked about Cedric.
“He came and visited earlier but he is with his mom, and he also caught Raine too, but she didn’t put up much of a fight against me,” Shupple said. Wh-What?! Don’t say that! OAO;
“Ahh no fair….you…you are a ghost so you have the advantage,” I said. I know I’m not as strong as most Pokémon or gijinka, even though Kitty-sama trained me a little. I am stronger than I used to be… “You’re just too strong….but…he was cute,” I thought back to the little boy. If I had a little brother, he might’ve been around Cedric’s age by now… Suddenly, my stomach growled loudly. My face flushed red, “Umm will you excuse me, I am going to go get something to eat.”
I hurried out of the room, very embarrassed. I hadn’t thought about the fact that I hadn’t eaten much… I’ve just been focusing so hard that I must’ve forgotten. I decided to try to find a place to eat, but I’d never been out of my village that often, so I wasn’t entirely sure how it worked. I asked a nearby nurse where I could find something to eat. She told me there was a cafeteria on the basement level floor and gave me directions on how to get there. I thanked her and went on my way. Let’s see… my parent’s told me that when you’re out trying to get items that you don’t hunt or find yourself, you pay money for them… Fortunately, my mother gave me some PokéYen in case I needed any. I’d come all this way without using any, because Kitty-sama taught me how to live off the land and survive without being indoors.
I finally found the cafeteria and got myself a salad, lemon-herb tilapia, and some garlic breadsticks. Also, I found a machine that dispensed water for tea, so I got some green tea. I went to the line where ladies behind machines called “registers” were standing. At least mother went over some of the basics with me… I’d feel so clueless otherwise… I exhaled as the lady rang up my items.
“That’ll be 450 PokéYen,” she said. I pulled out the little change purse that I kept the money in and gave her the amount. I found a table and sat down to eat. I don’t think I’ve ever had breadsticks before… I put it up to my mouth and took a small bite. It was very good. All of it was delicious. As I was eating, I felt like there were eyes on my back. I turned around to see what it was, but there wasn’t anyone there, other than hospital staff workers enjoying their own lunches. I went back to eating my meal.
I’d finished and thought I should probably get back to the room. I looked at a clock on the wall and an hour and fifteen minutes had passed since I left. I took my tray to the tray return area and began to head back. After walking for about 15 minutes I realized something didn’t look right. … Oh no… I’m lost…? I started to worry when I felt that feeling like someone was watching me came up again. I turned around, but this time, I saw a shadow down the hallway, but it quickly moved out of sight. I felt really scared so I started to pick up my pace, not paying attention to the directions I took. I began to hear footsteps behind me and they were picking up speed as well. I started running, but the footsteps were close behind and getting closer. I continued running until I’d hit a dead end. I turned around and there were two big men. VERY big men…
“Hey, are you lost?” the bearded one said. I couldn’t speak.
“Hey, there’s no need to be afraid, y’know?” the bald one said. “We’re just patients here and we noticed you headed off in the wrong direction from the cafeteria. If you want, we can help you get back to the main part of the hospital.” I still couldn’t quite speak, but I slowly nodded my head.
“What floor were you trying to get to?” said the bearded man.
“F… Four,” I finally managed.
“Oh, that’s good, cuz we’re on floor five. We can just drop you off on our way back, then,” the bald one said with a laugh.
“Shall we then, Miss?” the bearded one asked with a gesture. I nodded and they led the way. We went through the winding hallways and it took about 25 minutes before we finally reached an elevator. I must’ve really gotten lost… I felt bad for being so out of it sometimes… I got out of the elevator as we reached the fourth floor. I recognized where I was now and I turned and bowed slightly to the men, shaking slightly. After I thanked them I turned around and was about to walk away when one of them said something.
“You know, I think we’ve done such a good job that we deserve a reward…” the bearded man said. H-Huh…? I turned around slightly.
“E-Excuse me, Sir…?” I said. The two men got up close. The bald one started stroking my tail. It didn’t feel right just like… Images of that day flashed before my eyes… “PLEASE STOP!! EEP!!” The other man joined in fondling my tail.
“Come on, we just love how fluffy your tail is? I mean we haven’t seen many gijinka before but you by far are different, possibly a half breed?” the bald one said, moving his hand closer to the base of my tail. “I sure do like cuddling with fluffy things.”
“Umm no please I j..just want t..to get back to my friend…” I could feel tears stinging my eyes as the bearded one held me tightly and put his hand on my chest. N-No… St-Stop… Not again… I felt paralyzed with fear.
“Sweet pea, we just want to play a little? We have been sick for a long time and haven’t seen a beautiful face likes yours for a long time,” the bearded one said as he roughly grabbed my chin and turned my head to face him. “How about a kiss?”
“Please… I…” this was just like then… I struggled to break free when all of a sudden…
“RAINE, BABY!!” came a familiar booming voice. The two men stepped away for a moment, startled by the interruption. Oh thank goodness… I thought as I saw Lux walking toward us. W-Wait… did he just say “baby…?” I held back a few tears. “I’ve been looking for you dear, where have you been sweetheart? I’ve been worried sick about you,” he wrapped his arm around my waist quickly and pulled me in close. “Please don’t make me ever worry about you again, it breaks my heart.”
Wh-What…?! Lux came close and kissed me on the cheek. My face flushed red, I felt, as he pulled me closer and squeezed me. A-Am I missing something here…? @//A/@; Wh-What about Hoom…?
“Yo buddy!” the bald one exclaimed. “You know this girl?”
“Well of course, she’s my friend soon to be my lover!” Lux chuckled. WHAT?!?!?!?! I am DEFINTELY missing something…! I started to feel light-headed.
“Is that so?” The other said. He looked at us suspiciously and I could feel doubt and annoyance coming from him. Lux moved his hand to my hips and pulled me even closer and my whole body felt like a flare. Kyaa…! Whyyyy…? @//__//@ “For some odd reason, I don’t believe that. This little lady is with us.”
“Oh I highly doubt that.” Lux shrugged, “Besides, she has better tastes in men, isn’t that right my sweetheart?” Lux turned to me and smiled. I searched his emotions and sensed a form of amusement.
I blinked and realized that Lux was playing a trick to get me away from the men. “Y… YES!” I said a bit louder than necessary.
“Alright, if you say so why not kiss her?” the bearded on said. I blushed even more.
“Why? I have nothing to prove to you, besides, I am ill and don’t wish to make my lovely sweetheart sick.” Lux said. He rubbed his finger across my lips. I think… I will need a room in this hospital soon… “Isn’t that right love?”
Lux turned and we began walking back to the room, but the men were following us. “Do you have a problem, gentlemen?” Lux asked them.
“Yeah we do, you are taking our joy and toy from us and to be honest, if you are her boyfriend, we won’t let you have her back until we have some fun with her. So please excuse us but we will be taking her back,” the men didn’t want to give up. Have some fun… some fun… the memories ringing in my head again. I clenched Lux’s shirt as I didn’t want to go through that again… If Lux agreed, then there would be no one to save me before it went too far… but he wasn’t about to do that, right?
“Gentlemen, we really shouldn’t fight in front of a lady or the rest of these people. Besides, I don’t want to cause any more trouble. So how about we move on with our lives!” Lux said, waving his hands in front of him.
“No, even if you are a gijinka who cares about what you are because you won’t hurt-“ the bald one began, but no sooner than he did, Lux’s fist was firmly planted in his stomach. The bearded one looked and felt surprised before, he too, was dispatched with a chop to the neck.
Lux straightened the two of them up and some doctors and nurses carried them away on stretchers. “See there was no reason to fight in front of a lady, am I right Raine dearest?” Lux said, still in character.
I didn’t respond. I was just relieved that yet again, someone had been there to save me… but I also felt angry with myself for not having the strength or the calm to handle things by myself. The memories would always get in my way and paralyze me…
“Raine?” Lux’s voice came and I was snapped out my thoughts. I realized where I was again. “Are you okay now?”
I nodded with a slight blush, “Yes... thank you.”
“Yeah no problem Raine, hopefully you will forgive me touching you that way but I had to convince them somehow and get you out of there,” he bowed.
“Oh no, thank you so much,” I said as I also bowed quickly in thanks, but we hit our heads together. “Ouchie!”
“Argh…Damn…” Lux barked as he rubbed his head. “Hahaha….You really are a cutie Raine you know that right?”
I looked at him surprised and then quickly turned away. “Thank you,” I answered.
“I should be the thanking you my dear for everything you have done. I humbly appreciate everything you have done for me Raine, so I hope you don’t mind if I steal a kiss…” Lux said.
Wh-What?! I turned back, not sure if he was joking or not, but just then he leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips. My brain stopped working for a moment, but I heard Lux say something about returning to the room. I couldn’t move for a moment, but I managed to walk in and sit on the couch.
“My… My…” words slipped from my mouth. That… was what my first kiss should have been like, but… I started to feel the effects of staying up all night using my powers as I felt Lux’s shoulder come toward my head. I would’ve moved, but I was so tired…
“Hmm?” Lux said. He really wasn’t a bad guy, despite his angry reaction earlier. Perhaps I really have been wrong…?
“My… my opinion… of you… you really are sweet… Thank you for your kindness… Lux…” I said as I was drifting.
“No problem…” was the last thing I heard before falling into a deep sleep.
~Some Hours Later…~
I felt stirring underneath me and I began to wake myself. I rubbed my eyes and noticed Lux sitting there. I sat straight up, surprised. What… What did I do…?! @A@;; I searched my memory and recalled how tired I was and fell asleep right on the couch. I looked at Lux and noticed he was staring at something. I looked in the direction Lux was looking and noticed Hoom was standing there looking serious. Oh NO! I’m not going to be killed am I?! /;A;/
“I’m sorry if I interrupted something…” Hoom said looking at Lux and I began to apologize. “Could you leave us alone for a while? We need to talk” she asked both Shupple and me, so we left the two of them alone.
Shupple and I waited outside the room in some nearby chairs. We were discussing things that were going on now. I could tell from the stream of her emotions she seemed to be stretched a bit thin and she was worried about something… Maybe she needs a break… What was that thing my mom said girl’s do when they want to have fun…? Girl’s night?
“Um, we should have a girl’s night?” I said, not entirely sure if I was saying it right, but smiled slightly to show I meant well.
“Yeah. I think there’s a restaurant across the street from here. Besides, we need to eat,” Shupple said. Oh good, I said it right…
We continued to makes plans about what to do as time passed. Shupple got up and knocked on the door and opened it. I followed behind.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Shupple said and I saw Lux and Hoom cuddled up together on the couch. Oh, I guess they finally made up… I thought, happy that they didn’t hate each other. But at the same time… I felt slightly disappointed? I shook my head as Hoom responded to Shupple’s statement.
“Nope you are fine Shupple. We just finished talking,” Hoom said with a smile and then quickly looked at Lux and said, “Even though you still owe Gil an apology.” Lux looked at her like he didn’t like the idea at all. Shupple was about to say something, but then stopped before she spoke. I sensed doubt. Maybe she didn’t want to keep them away from each other? But at the same time, she wanted Hoom to come along. Would it be rude if I said something…?
“Umm… Hoom, why don’t you join us for supper? Shupple and I are heading to the restaurant across the street and you should join us,” I finally decided to say. Hoom could always stay if she didn’t want to go, right?
“I would love to; it sounds good,” Hoom said and she got up, walked over, and gave me a hug. I wasn’t so used to hugging people since I hadn’t for a while, but I accepted, anyway. Hoom was nice.
“Wait a blasted moment girls! What about me?” Lux pointed at himself, whining a little. “I’m starving!”
“Well, have fun here! We are going to have a girl’s night,” Shupple said to Lux. Then he stared at her with large, pleading eyes. Aww… Wait, what is he doing…? I suddenly feel like bringing him a steak…?
“WHAT? But Shupple…. hahaha don’t be cruel, at least bring me something back,” Lux whined and begged. But Shupple shot him down quickly.
“Nice try Lux, but those eyes won’t work on me,” she said. I giggled a bit and so did Hoom. It was odd, I’d never had any girl friends before… It didn’t seem so bad…
“Bye Lux!!!” we all said together as we left the room. I felt a little bad for him, but he needed to stay rested and healthy.
We were on our way out, when Shupple stopped and said she forgot her wallet. Hoom told her we would wait for her in the lobby, so she head back and we went to the nearby elevator to get to the first floor.
“So…” I said, fiddling my fingers, “you and Lux are okay, now…?”
She turned to me and sighed, “Well, it was tough, but I think things are better now. But you’re talking more now, aren’t you Raine?”
“U-Um…” I fidgeted, “am I? I g-guess I have to say something or I won’t learn…”
Hoom laughed a little “It’s fine. You’re just the shy type, right?” I nodded. “You can just talk as little or as much as you want. You’ll eventually get used to us. There’s no rush, right?”
“R-Right,” I nodded my head, feeling a bit grateful. I wondered if I could ask her a question and whether she would know the answer, but I decided to take a chance. I wouldn’t accomplish what I was sent to do if I didn’t. “Um, Hoom-san?”
“Just Hoom is fine,” she said. We reached the first floor and stepped out, walking over to a bench in the lobby area. We sat down.
“Alright… Hoom, do you happen to know an Absol named Aberius?” I asked.
“Well, I don’t know him too well, but I have seen him around. Lux seems to know him a bit better than I do. Actually, I think Gil would know best. The two of them were talking at a meeting a few days ago…” she twirled a piece of hair while trying to recall.
“Oh, I was going to ask if you thought he was happy here…” I said.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t say. He tends to always look a bit angry” she giggled a bit and I joined. “Why, is he your boyfriend, but he wanted to travel and you want him to come home?” She laughed.
My face turned red, “Wh-What?! N-No, it’s not like that at all…! I…” I shook my head furiously.
Hoom laughed a bit more, “Don’t worry, I was just joking. It’s fine if you don’t want to say, but maybe you should ask him?”
“…” I clenched my hands together. I really wasn’t sure how to approach him without letting on what I was here for.
“Okay, fair enough, I won’t pry,” Hoom said. “If you need to talk about something, though, you can talk to me, okay?” She smiled.
“O-Okay!” I nodded. I’d never really had such nice people around other than my parents. Hoom was pretty cool in her own way, too.
We talked a bit more when Shupple came up. We laughed a bit as we made our way to the restaurant. We made it there and found a table and had a very lively discussion. I hadn’t laughed so much in years and it felt very good to open up again. Suddenly Shupple got up from the table and walked up to another gijinka. He hugged her tightly and set her down. They talked a little when Hoom asked who he was. Shupple introduced him as Arc the Arcanine as she took her seat again.
“Is it alright if I sit with you ladies?” Arc asked in a polite tone. I blushed and smiled slightly trying to be polite as well. Although I could sense he was happy to see Shupple again, I also sensed a slight crack in the wave in his emotions. Somewhat like he distanced himself… We sat talking for a bit, but Shupple wanted to talk to Arc for a bit by herself, so she went on ahead without us.
Hoom and I finished our food and began walking back to the hospital. By the time we got back to the room, we noticed that neither Lux nor Shupple were there. We heard the shower running and assumed that Lux was getting cleaned up. I tried not to think too much into that and yawned.
“You seem tired,” Hoom said, “have you gotten much sleep?”
“I managed to get a little rest, but I stayed up all night trying to heal Lux…” I yawned again as we sat on the couch.
Hoom hugged me, “Thank you for taking such good care of him while we were… well, you know…” I nodded. “You should probably get some sleep, now.”
I nodded again as I grabbed an extra blanket from a nearby chair, “Are you okay, though, Hoom?”
“I’ll be fine… I’d like to stay awake for a bit longer when Lux comes out,” she said.
I said “okay” and settled on the right side of the couch, trying to get comfortable. So Hoom and Lux are getting along again… That’s good. I was worried when he punched her. And for that matter, I wonder where Gil went and if he’s okay… I remembered that Hoom said he might know something about Aberius. Maybe I should ask Gil first… Then I remembered that Hoom said I might try talking to Aberius himself. After all, he would know best, but according to Kitty-sama, Aberius was stubborn sometimes and wouldn’t readily admit how he feels…
If he’s happy here… I’ll leave the letter from Kitty-sama. And then… I’ll leave too. If he’s not, then I’ll take him with me back to her… Because… I yawned as I started to drift. … that’s the way she wanted it. I now had a lead as to what I should do. One way or another, I might not see these gijinka again… Was this really the right thing…? I finally fell into a deep sleep for the night.
~*~ WHEW! *wipes a bucket of sweat off her forehead* 17 pages long! XD *is dead on her feet* I finally finished XD;; Yes, Raine’s flashbacks are getting more frequent… Oh gosh… =o_o;= Poor Raine. How could Lynex do such a thing?! DX And I LIKED Linoones! XD If there’s anything I forgot, just let me know, okies? X3 ~*~
