~*~Wow, it’s been so long, I almost forgot what my little comment symbol thingies looked like XD; This will be my last post on the world before the move. Then we’ll start fresh over there =3 So let’s sum things up, ne? =D ~*~
In this post: Raine, Aberius, Nyarth, Umbre (briefly)
Mentioned: Lupe
Time: Day after big battle; midday to evening
Raine
I awoke with a start only to be met with a sharp pain in my elbow. I looked down and noticed my arm was in a sling. I looked around wondering where I was and saw I was on a couch in one of the room I’d seen before. It was nearby the music room, so perhaps it was a studio? I could see there was some medical equipment, so I thought it must’ve been something like a makeshift infirmary. I heard footsteps from outside the doorway.
“So you’ve awoken?” said a male Zangoose. I scooted back but was feeling lightheaded and fell over. He walked over and caught me before I hit the floor. Startled, I jumped back to the far end of the couch, wincing again from the sharp pain. “Wow, there, take it easy, I’m a doctor. I fixed up your arm. It was in quite terrible shape, as most of the bones in your elbow were very fragmented. If it had been crushed any further, your elbow would be dust.”
I felt a cold chill run down my spine from the thought. Then I remembered why my arm had been broken.
“Aberius!” I said as I got up suddenly, but still unsteady, fell back down to the couch.
“Honestly, you should relax. You’ve been through quite a lot… What dangerous thing were you doing that you’d end up with those injuries…?” said the Zangoose.
“…” I didn’t want to talk about it, really. But the pain in my arm was really bothering me, so I raised my good arm and placed my hand over the broken elbow. “Healing Wave.” But as soon as I tried, I felt a sharp pain shoot up my other arm and my technique was broken.
“…” the Zangoose just stared at me with a blank expression on his face, “You honestly don’t listen, do you? You need to relax. Apparently, you used up all of your powers on whatever you were involved in… But, you said Aberius? I met him a little while ago. Did he do this to you?”
“…” I remained silent.
The Zangoose sighed, “Well, can you at least tell me your name?”
“…” I looked over at him sitting in his swivel chair with a clipboard. He stared back at me unmoving. “R… Raine,” I finally said. My throat was dry as well, so it hurt to speak.
The Zangoose smiled. As I looked at him, I realized… something was missing. Something that I’d always been able to feel so it was like it was part of me.. I… I can’t sense his emotions…! I hugged myself, shaking as tears started to well up. I could feel myself hyperventilating.
“H-Hey… what’s wrong?” he asked.
I didn’t respond at first, but then I managed to get out several words, “How long…? Will my powers be gone…?”
The Zangoose was silent for a second as he realized. “I would say at least a week before power starts flowing back again. Even then, I wouldn’t recommend immediately using any moves, especially not Healing Wave. Give yourself two weeks of rest and try not to worry. You damaged yourself pretty badly, but it shouldn’t be permanent if you give it time.”
I nodded reluctantly. I honestly would rather have had both my arms torn off than not be able to heal or read others’ emotions. I felt so vulnerable and open this way…
“Is Aberius alright…?” I asked.
“I did managed to treat him. His injuries were far worse than yours, but I assume that you healed him correct? I could detect his body was slowly repairing things on its own. He lost a lot of blood, so I put him on an IV drip and his arms are also broken, so unless there’s another healer around skilled enough to repair that, he’ll have to wait 6 months before he can use them. But if it weren’t for you, he might’ve died. While your expenditure was reckless, you did a good thing” he said, smiling. “Well, I would recommend you eat those fruits on that plate there to regain your energy. A Froslass brought them in for you. As for me, I have some things to take care of…” he got up and walked toward the door.
“U-Um…” I said and he turned around, “Y-your name is…?”
He looked at me for a moment then smiled softly, almost sadly, “Zaishi... although at this point, that may be irrelevant. Take care, then, Raine.” And with that, he left. I turned to the fruit plate and began eating.
After I had finished, I decided to leave the “infirmary” and wander. I walked for a while, and found that I was in the girls’ wing. I sighed, but then something caught my eye from where I was standing. It was glinting from inside a room. Reluctantly, I entered and saw a small glass tube with a cork and some sort of clear liquid inside. Under the container was a small note:
This potion will help that stubborn boy heal a bit faster, although probably not fast enough as he’d like. It’ll speed up his body’s immune system so he’ll be back in top condition within a week. Make sure he doesn’t make too much of a fool of himself, alright Little Miss?
Sincerely,
A friend
I blinked several times wondering who put something like this here, for whom the vial was meant, and if it meant who I thought it meant… It wasn’t until I looked up that I noticed the room I was in was pleasant and attractive. It was a pleasant combination of white with green trim here and there. There was a big fluffy bed and a stuffed Pachirisu doll set up against the pillows. There was a window covered by sheer white curtains, through which the sun peeked. On the other side of the room, next to a door leading to a bathroom, was a vanity. Somehow, I felt as though this may have been a room meant for me.
I sat down on the bed and it was very comfortable. I leaned against some pillows and watched the light refract through the glass container in shades of red, violet, and yellow. Then the thought occurred to me… If this is my room, then the note was really meant for me. Which also means…
I got up quickly as I was able, wobbling slightly without my other arm to balance myself, and left the room with the vial. It was easy to find the boys’ wing since it was right across from the girls’. I found Aberius’ room and cracked the door open. I saw Aberius lying in his bed, breathing softly. He had been propped up by pillows and both his arms were in slings. The IV looked like I had been removed; probably from Aberius pulling it out in his sleep. He looked okay, though.
I looked at the glass tube in my hand. Stepping inside, I walked to the bathroom to pour a cup of water for him. I heard shuffling coming from the room and stepped out of the bathroom to see. Aberius looked like he was in pain.
“Are you feeling alright?” I asked.
“I…” he hesitated as he looked up at me. “What about you?”
“I’m alright,” I said. It was difficult to speak with him now because I couldn’t gauge his emotions. He looked like he was having trouble adjusting himself to position himself. I sat next to him. “I wish I could help you more, but… well…” I lifted my hand and tried to use Healing Wave, but the light flickered and faded out, “I can’t use Healing Wave or Healing Pulse anymore… at least for a while. I think I exhausted it…”
I felt utterly useless. The only thing I could do for others was heal them and I couldn’t even provide that, now. I clenched part of my pants in my fists loosely. Suddenly, Aberius put his head on my shoulder. I froze for a moment.
“I’m sorry… I’m so… so very sorry…” Aberius said, his voice breaking. “I got you involved when you had nothing to do with me. It’s my fault… I’m so sorry…”
I didn’t know what to do at first, but I could feel a few tears falling on my shoulder. I felt really nervous and awkward to be in this situation, but I put my right arm around him and patted his back.
“It’s alright…” I said in a low voice, “everything is fine.”
“I… I didn’t ki-” Aberius’ voice got caught in his throat for a moment. I knew what he meant.
“Everyone is safe. No one… d-died…” I said, feeling strange to be talking about something like death… I had always lived in a nice, green area… but then again, I did find out that not everyone is a nice person… I should also have thought about the fact that there might be people out there who would… kill someone else.
Those thoughts were leaving a bad feeling on me, so I shook my head to change the subject. Aberius lifted his head and looked at me, his eyes still watery and somewhat reddened and puffy.
“Oh thank goodness…” he placed his head back on my shoulder as if he lost his energy from relief. It was silent for a while, but Aberius spoke again, “Thank you, Raine.”
“H-Huh…?” I said, somewhat surprised.
“You seem like you’ve been helping me a lot within the past few days… Even though we’re perfect strangers…” he paused, lifting his head again and looking me straight in the eye. “But… Why…? Why would you go so far for someone you barely know?”
I looked back at him, his face only several inches away. I could feel my own face heating up. I couldn’t tell him that I was sent to keep an eye on him… And for that matter, why would Kitty-sama send me…? She knows about how I feel about men, but… I paused. I realized that almost since we met, I hadn’t had the same reactions to Aberius that I had to all the other males in the household… That is so… strange… I could hear Aberius’ voice outside my thoughts trying to bring me back to reality.
I shook my head and the vile fell out of my pocket. “Oh!” I said, picking up the vial. “I, um… received this vial of medicine. Actually it should help out a lot since I can’t use my Healing Wave… the doctor had said it would take you several months to heal, but with this, you should be better within a week or less.”
Aberius looked at the vial, his eyes showing deep thought, “A week, huh…?” He continued to stare at the small glass canister. “I’m sorry, Raine, but can I ask you…?” I looked at him wondering what kind of question it would be. Oh no… he hasn’t figured it out, has he…? I internally panicked. “Could you… and really I’m sorry, but… since I can’t use my arms, well…” he looked down at his arms, to the vial, then back at me. I realized what he was trying to say.
“O-Oh…! Of course, I’m sorry…” I said, taking the cork from the tube. Carefully, I lifted the glass in front of Aberius and was about to tip it toward him, when I caught his gaze again. His piercing red eyes were staring right through me. I hesitated with what I was doing. Without breaking eye contact, he leaned forward and I flinched, but he only placed his bottom lip to the rim of the vial. I tried but failed to tip the vial and almost spilled, but Aberius leaned downward quickly to catch the vial with his lips, all while maintaining eye contact. I managed to tilt it enough so that he could drink. Normally I would have hidden my face, but for some reason, I was unable to look away. Was it fear? I could hear the medicine as it trickled in gulps down his throat. A single drop trickled from the corner of his mouth and he leaned back, running the tip of his tongue over it to lap it up. We sat for almost 30 seconds in silence, just staring at one another.
Finally, Aberius broke the silence. “Water…?” he asked.
I snapped out of it and blinked, reaching for the cup of water I had brought from the bathroom. I slipped and knocked the cup off the end table and fell off the bed. I thought I would hit the floor, but I stopped. I opened my eyes to see that Aberius had removed his right arm from its sling and caught me with it. He caught the paper cup by the rim with his teeth. Apparently, a drop hadn’t been spilled. It happened so fast I wondered how he managed that… What’s more, he was using his casted arm to hold me?
“Ah… this medicine works better than I thought… I can actually move them at least,” he said. “You know, you…” Aberius looked down at me again with that piercing gaze again. His expression changed as though he were straining, “are really heavy! GAH!” Unable to support me, he let go and I bounced on the floor.
“Kyaa!” I yelped.
“Sorry…” Aberius said and reached out his hand to help me up. He looked like he was bearing the pain just to be polite. Once I was upright, I noticed something…
“Aberius-san… You’re… tall,” I said blinking.
“Eh? Ah, yeah… Every year I tend to grow about an inch after I’ve transformed… Although…” he turned to look in a mirror, “it looks like I grew several this time. Looks like I’m going to need a whole new wardrobe… My jacket must be shredded to smithereens, now…” Indeed, the only thing Aberius was wearing at that time was a robe. He walked over to the closet and looked inside. “Hm, I don’t have enough… If I had some materials I could just make something…”
“Aberius-san, you can make clothes?” I asked, awestruck. Aberius cleared his throat and his cheeks turned pink.
“S-So what…? I-I needed to learn while traveling to repair my clothes… It’s a survival thing!” he barked.
“U-Um… if you don’t mind, I could buy some material for you…” I said quietly.
“I couldn’t ask you to do that after what I put you through…”
“P-Please… it’s the least I can do…”
Aberius looked at me without a word as if trying to decide. He walked to his nightstand and opened a drawer and took a little money out, as well, he wrote a few things on a piece of paper. “Here, you can buy these things. This should be enough to cover it,” he said as he handed me the money and list.
“O-Okay,” I nodded.
“…” Aberius stared at me, “did I… cause much damage to the mansion…?”
“U-Um… it was mostly to the forest…” I said, looking down.
“I see…”
Aberius just stared vacantly at me for a moment, then walked over to the nightstand and picked up the vial. He examined it as if checking for something. He stared, deep in thought for a long time before looking at me. He took a sip from the cup of water, walked over to me, and before I knew what was going on, pressed his lips against mine. My eyes widened. Wh… What are you doing?! He pushed the liquid into my mouth with his tongue and I swallowed unconsciously. He pulled away slowly and looked down at me.
“I still had some of the medicine in my mouth…” he said. “It might not be much, but it might help you heal faster, too…”
My face heated up like a thermometer over an open flame. I turned around quickly, “I-I-I…! I’m going to go buy those materials, now!”
I ran out of the room and through the hallways. Wh… why would he do that?! I don’t understand…! I stopped at a corner and caught my breath. My heart was pounding and I felt very confused… I placed my hand over my mouth and I could feel tears stinging my eyes. How could he…? I… What does that mean…?
Bringing me out of my thoughts, I felt something brush by me which startled me and I let out a small yelp. A saw a Meowth boy twirl around and look at me.
“Gomen-nya!! I should have been more-” he said, but his sentence trailed off. He was staring at me with his mouth slightly open. He seemed to be staring at my tail. He finally snapped out of his thoughts, “Are you okay-nya??”
I realized I had been so out of it that I almost caused an accident for this young boy. I felt really badly, “Gomen nasai!! I did not mean to be in your way! It’s me who should b-be more careful! G-Gomen!! I-I don’t think we’ve met though… what’s your name? Mine’s Raine…” I looked at him more closely and noticed he was walking around with no shirt on. My cheeks flushed slightly. He was actually really quite… cute. Like a doll, almost. His peach-colored skin looked so smooth and soft. I resisted the impulse to pick him up and pose him like an action-figurine.
He smiled and wagged his tail back and forth, “My name’s Nyarth. I’m actually gonna go into town soon and see if I can find a kimono for the festival! I’m so excited for it-nya! Are you going?”
The festival…? I did remember hearing about that… Maybe it would be nice to go… in that case, I could probably get some extra material for… “I was actually on my way out of the mansion to pick up some materials for Ab-kun’s kimono…” I paused, the thoughts of just moments ago coming back to me. I shook my head, “ and to hopefully pick up one for myself if I have enough money left. Would you like to go together, then…?” He was so young… I didn’t think he should go out by himself, “If it’s alright with you. It's not really safe to go alone anywhere...”
Then again, maybe I said that moreso for myself… I felt so out of it that I didn’t know what I might run into alone… Nyarth said that he’d be right back and rushed off. He came back not too much later wearing a tan shirt. Somehow, I felt slightly disappointed by that, but this was also cute.
“Ready! Iku yo! Let’s go-nya!” he said enthusiastically. I smiled and we headed toward the exit of the mansion. As we walked, I noticed some fold of fabric pass by me. I looked to see an Umbreon dressed in an elaborate kimono. He looked in my direction and his cheeks turned pink for a moment and he quickly turned his head away and continued walking. I wondered if we would need something that fancy or if that was just his preference…
Nyarth and I arrived at the town and went into a fabric store, first. I picked up the things on his list as I went through the aisles, Nyarth following along and looking at a fabric with tassels on it. A saleswoman came over to ask me if I needed any help. I didn’t think I did…
“Are you going to make a kimono for the festival? If so I can show you some better materials for that,” she said.
I thought about it, “Actually, these are for something else… but do you have any material that would be good for… um… a male Absol?”
“Ah? Your boyfriend?” she asked smiling.
“Ch-Chigau!” I yelled a little louder than necessary, causing Nyarth to jump. He looked at me with a strange expression on his face. I cleared my throat as my face flushed, “U-Um… just a friend. And important someone to someone important…”
Confused, the saleswoman led me over to a simple pattern of light grey material with blue flecks… no it looked like blue thread was woven in with the grey. I nodded and the clerk and she also directed me to some blue material that would be good for the obi and trim if he wanted.
I bought everything and we left the store and went to another one specifically for gijinka. It was having a special on kimono: buy one, get one free. I told Nyarth he should probably try to find his kimono first.
“Roger, nya!” he said and ran off, disappearing into a rack of clothes.
I sat there looking around when something caught my eye. I got up and walked over to it. Picking it up, I saw that it was a long, white, sleeveless coat with white fur trim and a blue satin inner lining. There was a hole in the lower back for a tail. I looked at the tag and it said it was made for Absols. I decided to set it aside.
“I found it, nya!” Nyarth came rushing back wearing a kimono he picked. It was black with lightning bolts all over it. I couldn’t hide a slight smile as it didn’t look right on him at all… The dark color clashed with his sandy hair and the lightning bolts were too bold and noisy. What’s more, it seemed like the kimono was a little too big for him… it kept slipping off his shoulder. Ah… I can see his smooth skin again… It’s like porcelain… I snapped myself out of my thoughts again and walked over to Nyarth, smiling.
“I’m sorry, Nyarth-kun, but I don’t think this one suits you…” I said.
“Whaaaa? But it looks so cool-nya! It makes me look like Lux-niisan!” Nyarth protested.
Lux… I wonder if he’s okay… “Well… that’s good if you’re Lux, but…” I said, adjusting the kimono so it wouldn’t slip, “it’s better if you find something that compliments your special traits. You won’t look good if you’re not yourself, right?” I smiled and Nyarth looked up at me with his mouth gaping. I looked around and found a cream-colored kimono with brown trim. “Something like this suits you better.”
“But, it’s so plain, nya…!” He wrinkled his nose a bit at it.
“Sometimes less is more, though,” I responded. “And a flashy kimono would just draw attention away from the person wearing it. That would just lower your value, don’t you think?”
“What do you mean, nya?” Nyarth blinked curiously.
“The right kimono can let the real you shine through,” I smiled. “And when that happens, then people will see how great you really are.”
“Wah… Really-nya?! Honest?” Nyarth eyes widened and sparkled. I nodded. “Alright, then I’ll try this one, nya!” He grabbed the kimono and ran to the changing room. I giggled at his youthfulness.
I sat waiting on the bench and examined the jacket I found. Aberius’ old coat was demolished. I could save him some trouble if I got an outfit that looked like the material he wanted, instead. He might be able to move his arm, but with the cast on, his fingers probably couldn’t hold a needle. I walked around, looking for something that might go well with the coat. I looked at the list and noticed something scribbled next to the type of material… “good for turtlenecks.” Warmer weather was coming, so I wondered why he would want something like that. I found a dark blue turtleneck, but it was thin enough with breathable material. I also found a pair of dark blue jeans to go with them and a white belt. I felt somewhat odd buying clothes for a man, but… He needed something to wear in the meantime.
“I’m back, nyaa~!” Nyarth came running back with the new kimono on. It fit him perfectly and brought out the sparkle in his eyes even more as well as some silver strands in his hair I had not noticed before.
“That’s perfect, Nyarth!” I smiled widely. Nyarth stopped spinning and stared at me again.
He shook his head. “You mean it?” he gazed at me in surprise.
“Yes. You didn’t say ‘nya’ that time,” I giggled.
“NYA!” Nyarth said, his face reddening. I laughed. It had been a while since I actually smiled so much…
“Alright…!” I said, feeling somewhat more cheery, “Now let’s go find you some getta, ok?”
“But, what about your kimono-nya?” he said. I’d almost forgotten.
“Ah, you’re right… Then I shall go look for one. Can I trust you to watch our things?”
Nyarth did a salute, “You can count on me, nya!!”
I smiled and turned to go to the women’s section with the kimono. After sifting through several, I found a white one with green four-leaf clovers on it. I found some tabi socks and getta sandals and decided to try on the whole ensemble. I walked back over to where Nyarth was.
“How… how do I look?” I asked Nyarth, who dropped a tassel he was playing with. He stood up with his mouth open, his cheeks are pink. He said something under his breath, but I couldn’t catch what it was. “Um… Nyarth…?”
“AMAZING-NYA!!” Nyarth finally yelled, scaring a few customers and the clerk. “That’s the perfect one, nya!!” He was bouncing up and down out of eagerness.
“Aha… then I guess I’ll get this one,” I smiled.
We went to go pay for the kimono, and since it was ‘Buy One Get One Free,’ I offered to pay for both our kimono, since it wouldn’t make sense to spend for them separately.
“N-No, nya! I’ll pay!” he said suddenly.
“W… Wha…? No Nyarth, you don’t have to…” I replied, but he shook his head.
“You can’t! I’m a man-nya, and a man can’t let a lady pay for things like this! Men have to be strong, nya!”
I was surprised by what he said. I eventually gave in and let him pay. It was somewhat cute seeing him try to hand the clerk money over the counter, because it was very high up. He thanked the clerk and we left the store. Nyarth looked very proud of himself. I felt bad letting him pay for mine, even if it was free…
“Okay…” I said, “Since you were nice enough to buy the kimono, how about we get some ice cream? It will be my treat as thanks.”
“Ice cream? Really, nya?” Nyarth said, once again with a sparkly energy. I nodded “Yay-nya!”
We went to a stand nearby and bought a chocolate chip cone for Nyarth and a strawberry cone for myself. We walked eating the cones as we headed back to the mansion.
“Raine-san… you have something on your tail, nya…” Nyarth said from a few steps behind.
“Wh-what? Really…?” I spun around several times before I was able to grab a sticker that was stuck to my fur.
Nyarth was staring at me again, “That was really… graceful.” He spoke so quietly I almost didn’t hear him.
“Wh-What…? N-No, I’m not, I’m very clumsy… ah!” as I replied, I tripped over my tail and fell backward.
“Raine-san!” Nyarth said he leaped forward and tried to keep me from falling, but there was too much momentum and we both fell.
“Ouch…” I said, opening my eyes. Nyarth was leaning over me rubbing his forehead.
“Sorry, nya, I couldn’t-” he began, but stopped midsentence. He looked down at me, his eyes widening. Then his expression went shocked and he leaped backward, stumbling and falling to a sitting position. “I… I… I just remembered, I gotta go help Lupe-san with some cleaning, nya!”
Nyarth scrambled to his feet and took his things, running back toward the mansion. It was already getting dark, but we were close enough, I could see the roof through the trees. Nyarth must be really scared of Lupe… Actually, she is really scary… I shuddered as a cool breeze came by.
I looked down at my arm and sighed. I really am not strong enough to protect anyone… My tail drooped a bit. Because of that, gijinka got injured… I stood there for a few minutes, a few tears falling. I rubbed my eyes and looked at the sky, determined. I should become stronger… No… I will. I will train and make sure that I can be useful. I was somewhat worried about the inability to use my powers, but they would come back… If I’m careful, maybe I can push past it… If I want to be useful… You can count on me, Kitty-sama… I will become strong.
~*~Okay! X3 About 16 pages! XD; A lot of stuff happened, regardless of only a few people actually being in the post X3 That thing with Abs… I did on a whim XD The thing with Nyarth… kawaii~! <3 X3 I hope that was okay, Eneko-chan. =3 Just let me know if there’s anything that needs changing =D Since there are 2 weeks left, maybe that’d give me some time to write for Abbie, too =3~*~
