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File Name: Well Wishes

Owner: Pokégirl

File Location: _ www.patreon.com/SomeonesPC_

File Type : Story:Adult:F/M/M:??? Anthro x Human

Caption Text: Support us on Patreon for special art, stories, and more!

Details: Poll results had indicated an overall enthusiasm or, at least, a willingness to see about potential Anthro stories. So, here you go! Additional Note: TOTALLY forgot about the Pokemon Conquest game. I really should finish that... if I could remember how to play without resetting my game file. -.- Additional, Additional Note: Apologies for my liberties with the Japanese mythology/history in the telling of this story, especially to those of Japanese heritage or descent. I did a fair amount of research for this (pipes [kiseru] didn't make it over until the Edo period which happened only after the Sengoku period?!) but, you know... *shrugs*

_ *Related Artwork By: * _Canadian.Bacon

Rubbing the soil between his fingers, my father wore an expression of displeasure. Following his gaze over the rest of the field, I wondered if he saw something I did not.

The water in the rice fields had receded, leaving more mud than water. With the summer heat, it would soon be nothing more than dried, cracked earth. The daikons' pale green roots peeked out of the dirt, tall as ever, but their leafy green tops were hanging down like the heads of naughty children, the frilly edges curling in more than usual. The komatsuna fared about the same, their leaves not having the strength to reach towards the sun, the majority of them collapsed upon the ground, save for one or two still struggling to support themselves. Even further, into the fields of our neighbors, the rest of the crops fared about the same.

"We need rain."

My father's deep but soft hum made it hard to tell what his thoughts were about my words as he brushed his hand against his pants, wiping the soil off.

"The crops won't survive much longer like this," Yosuke murmured, biting his lower lip and worrying it with his teeth.

A few months younger than I, my eyes could look over his head, though he insisted on feeling himself getting taller whenever his father teased him on needing more fertilizer and sunlight to grow. Yosuke's family field sat just next to ours, separated only by a small path to allow us to travel between plots. It wasn't uncommon for Yosuke to come to our side or mine to theirs, the two of us working, and talking, alongside each other to tend to whichever field needed the most work that day.

Leaving indents behind on his lip, Yosuke sighed before speaking. "The water could be brought from the river but..."

His voice trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid. Yes. The water could be brought in barrels and buckets to water the crops but, even with all those in the village working, it would still not be enough to see all the fields of Ry? Nation sated. We had no Pokémon to assist us, not while the lords were in dispute over the land. The three our village once had were commandeered long ago, along with their owners, forced into a war that went somewhere beyond our borders.

"Perhaps we could focus on some of the fields?" I offered, despite the bad taste it left in my mouth. "Save what we can?"

"And how, Taichi, do you think we should choose which fields to let wither and which to save?" my father asked, waiting for an answer he already knew.

Truth be told, there weren't any crops we could afford to lose. With the taxes required of us by the Daimy?, in order to be allowed to live and work on his lands, we had no choice but to meet the requirements our lord gave. A weak crop meant, in addition to not being able to meet our payment, we might lose our home and not have enough food for our families. Still...

"If we at least pick some to save, it would be better than letting them all die." My voice wavered, along with my conviction, as I looked up towards my father's solemn face. "Wouldn't it?"

My father started to answer but stopped, his lips thinning into a fine line as he raised his hand to shield his eyes, his attention drawn suddenly upward into the sky.

In the far distance, but growing closer, a pale green stood out against the cloudless, blue sky. The shape grew larger as it approached, darker greens became visible along with deep, red hues. A sharp fear of it being another nation's warrior was put to rest as it came close enough that I could recognize the shape as a Flygon and identify the markings on the banner just behind its rider. Held proudly by two long sticks of bamboo, the yellow cloth flapping in the wind was decorated with a small black flower inside five larger black petals, proclaiming them as one of our own.

A trilling cry shrieked their presence to all as the Flygon flew over our field, low enough that the dust stirred in its passing and the wilted plants gave a weak wave in greeting. Barely slowing, the two headed towards our village.

"Taichi. Go. See what that's about." My father's voice was calm but his eyes had narrowed, the lines of his face deepening with discontentment towards the message not yet delivered. "Yosuke, help me with the weeds by the daikons."

"Figures," I heard my friend mutter as I started to run towards the village. "Everything is dying but the weeds."

Feet slapping the ground as I ran, the heat pressed heavily upon me as I made my way towards the village. Foregoing the path by the trickling stream (that had once been a river), I cut through the paths along the fields. Some of our neighbors lifted their heads at my passing, either waving me on or shrugging and going back to their crops. Past the fields, I wove my way around the trees that made a thin barrier between the fields and our village, racing by houses of mud and straw that had existed long before my birth.

The messenger's voice was above the normal village din, though I couldn't make out what his exact words were until I reached the village center proper. Dismounted from his Flygon (who was helping itself to a bucket of water someone had fetched it), the messenger had a scroll in his hands and appeared to be reading from it. Moving between the elders of the village and several of the women who tended to the homes, I was starting to make out the messenger's words over the murmur of the crowd.

"...should anyone within the nation find a way to save the crops of the land or end the current drought, your lord does decree a gift of one hundred gold, a parcel of land free of taxation, and one Pokémon of the lord's choosing as your companion until the end of your days."

The whispers spiked, excitement and doubt mixed equally from the words I could hear.

"How could they expect us to end a drought?"

"A water Pokémon could-"

"What if we-"

"To ensure the validity of any claims, so that the rewards would be properly distributed, any claims to them would be verified with the lord's Malamar." Cruelness crept along the messenger's mouth as he read the next words. "Any false claims would be handled swiftly and justly."

Silence fell upon the crowd. "Swiftly" and "justly" was a kinder way of saying "sentenced to death."

Giving a firm nod, having said what he was entrusted to deliver, the messenger took his scroll and affixed it to the village's message board before mounting upon his Flygon. Settling himself onto the saddle, the leather creaking under his weight as he moved, a second nod signaled for his partner to lift their wings. A quick flap sent a buffer of air tearing at clothes before they were back in flight, presumably heading to the next village to deliver the lord's words yet again.

The majority of the crowd dispersed, the eager energy gone, leaving something somber and heavy in its place. Moving closer, I glanced along the scroll, a mixture of images and symbols--enough that I could understand most of it but gleaned nothing outside the messenger's spoken words.

Hungry as I was for what those treasures could mean for myself and my family, I hadn't a single idea on how to save our village's crops, much less the nations'.

*****

My father and Yosuke listened to my retellings of the messenger's words once I returned to our fields. My friend and I spoke in low voices, considering and discarding ideas about what we could do to gain the reward. My father offered no advice, content to let us chatter so long as our hands worked as quickly as our mouths, pulling weeds and tending to the crops.

As the sun began its slow descent, we gathered our few well worn tools and headed home. Yosuke and I were no closer to discovering how to accomplish the feat our lord had set before us and had no chance to talk further as he went to his home and I to mine. I tried talking to my father about it but mother forbade such talk, saying I'd gone on for it "long enough" and to "eat my food."

While she could silence my voice, she couldn't silence my mind. By the time my plate was cleared, I'd already come up with and discarded at least another five ideas on top of the twenty or so Yosuke and I had crafted in the fields and on the way home. When my mother went to nurse my little sister, Natsu, my father ushered me aside so that we were standing just outside the doorframe to our home.

"Do you really want to save our village crops?" he asked, voice low enough that my mother couldn't hear us while she rocked Natsu, the soft lull of her singing drifting along the air.

"The nations'," I answered, though slowly, having to push against the weight I could suddenly feel pressing upon my shoulders as that of the eldest son.

His gaze locked on mine. I didn't look away, not even to glance at the movement of shadow and light out of the corner of my eye. His deep hum was one of acceptance, though it felt like he was gauging more than just my answer.

"Then you'll leave tonight." The frown on his face appeared carved, like the trenches in the fields. "While none can follow you. Wait."

Disappearing back into the house, leaving me to stand in stunned silence, I found myself not quite sure what to make of my father's declaration. Certainly I was old enough to travel by myself but the opportunity or need had never occurred before now. I didn't have time to wonder or worry for long, my father returning with a burlap sack, thrusting it into my arms so that my only choices were to take or drop it.

"There's enough food for what you need, some coin." Resting his hand on my shoulder, he gently turned me, facing me towards Mt. Ieih's darker form against that of the night sky. "Head towards the base of the mountain. Once there, open the scroll within your bag. Do not open it before then. Tell no one where you're going or what you're doing." His grip tightened before he gave me a light shove, causing me to stumble forward. "Go, Taichi. May Arceus watch over you."

Glancing back, uncertain, the unforgiving steadiness of his stance reinforced his words. Slinging the sack over my shoulder, feeling more than just its weight upon me, I turned towards the mountain in the distance and began walking. Uncertain of what would meet me there or the secrecy behind it that caused my father to send me at night instead of first light, I wondered if the scroll he mentioned might elaborate more once I arrived.

Avoiding the main path out of the village, which cut through the town, I took the longer but less travelled route outside of it. Through the tall grass and reeds that lined the water ditches, I could see the dim lights in the windows of the homes I passed, those same blades protecting me from view. A slight breeze stirred the grass, not warm but hardly cold, and I wondered how much cooler it might be upon reaching the mountain.

The thought had barely crossed my mind when a smaller form tackled into me. My first reaction was to flail, thinking it to be a wild Pokémon. I just kept from yelling, pulling my fist back to strike, when the form tightly hugging me became recognizable.

"Yosuke?!" I hissed, still too close to the village to risk shouting. "What are you-?"

"I want to go too, Taichi." His words were muffled against my back, his hands tightly clenching the front of my shirt as his arms remained tightly wrapped around my sides. "Let me come too!"

"Did you tell your father? Your mother?"

"Of course not." His grip grew tighter, as if sensing my refusal. "I didn't have time."

"You didn't tell your parents?" I asked again, not certain how long his absence would go unnoticed or what they might think when they found him gone.

"No." His voice was muffled again, the heat of his words pressing past the shirt and into the skin of my back. "They'd say no, if I asked." His grip loosened, though my shirt remained tight within his fists. "Taichi..." His voice sounded thick, as if his dinner was stuck in his throat. "You said we were going to solve the drought together..."

I had said those words, somewhere during Yosuke's doubts of us actually being able to do it. I felt a tug in my chest, a kind of pull that ached, grasping just how quickly that promise spoken in earnest had vanished the moment I had an actual shot at doing just as we'd planned. While unintentional, I doubted Yosuke would see it that way, if I left him behind.

"It would be nice to have someone with me."

I hadn't realized I'd spoken my agreement aloud until Yosuke's grip tightened enough to force the air from my lungs then released almost as suddenly, my friend moving to walk at my side with a wide smile on his face.

"Let's go, Taichi!"

Taking my hand in his, Yosuke gave my arm a tug, leading the way while I felt some of the weight that had been pressing so heavily along my shoulders lift. Squeezing his hand back, I felt my lips pull into a matching grin, only a little guilty at the thought of what my father might say to find that I wasn't traveling alone.

*****

"Woah! Hold there, Bray." There was a whuffing and a thud. "Are you boys alright?"

I had a hard time opening my eyes, sleep still thick on the lids. Something heavy and warm was pressed against my side and chest. Shaking my head, I gave a mumbled, "yeah," before rubbing at my eyes, trying to get them to open.

Sunlight burned, causing them to water and blurring my vision as to what the shape along the road actually was. I remembered Yosuke getting tired during our night trek, stumbling and unwilling to admit it, and finding a tree by the road to sleep against. We'd travelled far enough, I'd thought, to be away from the village so that we wouldn't be found and Yosuke wouldn't be sent back. Rubbing my eyes again, the watery form took the appearance of a Mudbray hitched to a wagon, its owner standing beside them and peering down from the road at Yosuke--snuggled against my side--and I.

"Well, you're not dead, at least." His voice was well-weathered, a slight rasp tugging at his words as he spoke. "Though, you ought to find a better place to sleep the night." Yosuke stirred, my arm pulling him tight to me, keeping my attention on the traveler as he went on. "It's dangerous to be in the open like that, with troops on the move." Shaking his head, his straw hat rustled as he did so, his fingers moving to stroke the whiskers along his chin. "They might recruit you into their army, you know."

Scurrying up, I kept Yosuke and my bag behind me, on guard.

"Not me, mind you." He gave a fond pat on the Mudbray's shoulder, the Pokémon flicking its ear and bobbing its head amiably, as if it agreed. "I'm just seeing our goods to town."

Yosuke rose unsteadily behind me, peering around my shoulder. Now that he was awake, I allowed my attention to wander to the wagon, wondering what goods those might be. With it covered by a coarse sheet, there was no way of knowing. Remaining still, Yosuke leaned even closer to me so that I felt the heat of his body without his actual touch, my breathing picking up as I wondered if he might actually be transporting army goods.

"Are you traveling to Otomakas, by chance?" The traveler didn't seem to notice our silence. "Bray and I are heading that way, if you want company."

"Where is Otomakas?"

I gave a quiet growl, glancing at Yosuke with a frown he didn't notice, his eyes still watching the stranger. Father had told me not to tell anyone where I was going but I wasn't sure that Yosuke had heard that part of the conversation he'd so obviously listened in on.

Making a clucking sound with his tongue, rubbing his chin again, he pointed a finger towards Mt. Ieih's looming form. "Around the base of the mountain. With Bray's load, and depending on how well you travel, maybe a little over two days."

The reminder of troops and their desire to increase their army size made me reluctant to continue traveling with Yosuke alone. While we hadn't been chosen, yet, due to the needs for the crops to be tended to... we weren't exactly on our farmlands anymore.While I did think Yosuke and I could make it faster on our own, the need for safety in numbers curbed my refusal.

"Taichi," I said, as an acceptance to his offer. "And my friend, Yosuke." Yosuke stepped out from behind me, his hand brushing mine as he stood beside me. "Please watch over us."

"Taichi and Yosuke," he said, giving a few bobs of his head at our names. "I'm Kinsan and, as you know, this is Bray." The Mudbray gave a "hawww" in acknowledgement to his name. "Let's head out, then, shall we?"

Grabbing my sack, we moved back towards the path, standing on the other side of the wagon from Kinsan. The traveler gave a light pat on the Mudbray's shoulder and he swayed, digging in his hooves. The wagon's wheels started turning as the weight shifted forward, the wagon rocking while we walked next to it.

"Are you sure?" Yosuke's whisper reached my ears, just above the plodding of the Mudbray's hooves and the rocking sounds of the wagon.

"As sure as I can be," I answered back, making sure Yosuke stood closest to the edge of the road.

Furthest away from Kinsan and Bray, just in case.

*****

When the sky's light darkened, Kinsan had us stop to make camp. Choosing a further location from the path than I had, with some trees between us and whoever might be traveling, I could feel Yosuke's unease in the air between us. Touching his arm lightly, his eyes glanced to mine and I saw his shoulders relax, a breath easing from him. We'd seen few travelers that day, some merchants with bundles on their backs, but that meant little when a battle could happen anytime with Pokémon who could fly or teleport.

"Would you two boys get some wood?" Kinsan nodded to Bray. "We'll take care of the pit."

If Kinsan noticed I took my sack with us, he said nothing. Yosuke and I were able to find dry branches and sticks easily enough, though we didn't speak much, uncertain what Kinsan or Bray might overhear.

Returning with our arms full, we dropped the wood along the edge of an odd fire pit that the two had made. Rather than using rocks to line it, Kinsan and Bray had dug a sizable hole in the earth with a smaller one connecting to it. The larger one was supposed to be where the fire went, I thought, given he'd already placed dried leaves in it. I wasn't sure the point of the smaller one, though.

"Watch," Kinsan said, smiling at the uncertainty I knew was on my face.

Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a flint. Kneeling before the larger circle, he withdrew a knife from the folds of his clothing, the steel blade a dull silver against the growing darkness. Sparks cascaded off as he struck the flint against the blade, the dry leaves flinching away as they began to smolder and burn. Taking smaller twigs, Kinsan added them to the whispers of flame, they, too, catching. Gradually, larger branches were added, the fire pulling them into its embrace as its form grew and burned brightly.

Brightly within the hole, anyway.

With how it was dug, the fire illuminated just the small area around us and little, if any smoke, drifted from it.

Kinsan's lips pulled upward, seeing my understanding.

"The smaller hole breathes life to the flames, rather than the flames consuming the air around it," he explained, picking one of the longer sticks from the pile so he could poke at the burning wood. "It means less smoke."

"Where did you learn that?" Yosuke asked, a trace of awe in his voice.

"Kaen Nation," Kinsan answered, his grin wide enough to show his teeth. "I try to make it a point to learn different skills in each nation I visit."

I hadn't been to any nation outside the one I was born into. It'd never occurred to me to leave, not when the fields and our lord demanded so much from us. "How many have you been to?"

"Of the seventeen?" Kinsan paused his poking of the firewood, setting the stick aside to rise and move towards his wagon. Fiddling with the straps on the Mudbray's side, he let the Pokémon slip free with a shake. "Six... no. Seven. Ha! Almost forgot Fubuki. Didn't like that one too much, did you, Bray?"

The snort and flick of his tail was the only answer Bray offered, bending his head so as to chomp at a patch of nearby grass.

"What didn't he like?" Yosuke asked, sitting by the fire but still keeping a distance from Kinsan.

Joining him, I sat my bag in front of me so I could see within, pulling out the first food item my hand came in contact with. Examining it by firelight, the familiar orange spotted yellow fruit made me wonder where my father had found a sitrus berry, given the dryness of the season.

Giving a laugh that sounded like tree limbs scratching against each other, Kinsan put down the harness before moving back towards the wagon, digging under the cloth covering.

"Fubuki is the Nation of Ice," he answered, still searching for something under the cloth. "Bray didn't appreciate the, ah, cold."

Kinsan pulled back, holding what appeared to be a large green leaf wrapped around itself into a small bundle. Unwrapping it, five silver fish gleamed in the light of the fire.

"Would you like to trade?" Kinsan offered, catching the way Yosuke gazed at the fish.

"What do you want?" I asked, reluctant for what the price might be but eager to have something more sustainable than the fruit or vegetables within my bag.

"How about the reason why you two are travelling?" Kinsan's eyes met mine for a brief but intense moment before he set the bundle of fish down by the fire pit.

Sitting beside them, he picked the stick up that he'd poked the fire with earlier and began using his knife to carve the bark off, waiting for my answer while he whittled away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yosuke watching me, remaining quiet but with a small frown on his face. He didn't appear to like the question either but the way he stared at the fish made me think he was even hungrier than I was.

"We're not runaways," I finally answered, thinking that might be the reason for his asking. "My father sent us on an... errand."

"Oh?" Kinsan continued to carve the wood, not claiming me a liar aloud but the doubt evident. I couldn't rightly blame him, when part of what I said was a fib and the rest a stretch of the truth. "The two of you? On your own?"

"Yes," Yosuke spat out, his brow pinching when I motioned for his silence.

"To a place that you didn't know the name of?" Kinsan hummed, gliding the fish over the stake he'd carved, placing them just far enough above the fire to cook them without charring them. "Really?"

"We were told to go to Mt. Ieih," I ground out, hating to have to admit even that much. Taking a chomp of the sitrus berry, I found it tarter than normal, as if the lack of water had somehow diminished its sweetness.

Kinsan gave a slight hum as I handed the berry to Yosuke, knowing it to be one of his favorites. We both continued watching Kinsan as he turned the fish over the fire.

"Mt. Ieih? By yourselves?" While it was phrased as a question, he appeared to be talking to himself so I said nothing. "You do know... No. If you knew, I doubt you'd be going there alone."

"We're not alone." Yosuke's anger hardened his voice but Kinsan just gave him a pointed glance, leaving my friend to stew as he took his own frustrated bite of the poor sitrus berry.

"Know what?" The walk this day had taken its toll on me in ways the field did not and I was not inclined to play whatever games Kinsan had in mind.

The soft crackle of the fire and Bray's munching filled the otherwise quiet night. When Kinsan did speak again, his words were spoken slowly, as if selected carefully from all of those he knew.

"Mt. Ieih is said to be the home of gods and demons." The faintness of his voice made it difficult to determine if it was awe or dread that filled it. "Ones that might be benevolent. Or not."

"Really strong Pokémon, then?" Yosuke asked, his voice barely audible.

Without a partner Pokémon, a wild Pokémon of god or demon level would be well beyond what Yosuke or I could try to scare away or pass by on good terms.

Kinsan shook his head, turning the stick again so that the fish spun.

"No. Something beyond Pokémon or humans." He licked his lips, his weight shifting. "Creatures that shouldn't exist but do, according to shadows and whispers."

"Rumors are just falsehoods that simpletons spread around." I shook my head, having heard my father say as much many times before.

"Ah... but, they all have a speck of truth from somewhere, don't they?" Kinsan's fingers twirled the stick, making the fish dance as their scent made my stomach pinch. "There's something lurking on the mountain, Taichi." Pulling the fish off the fire, Kinsan inspected them. "I'd suggest whatever business you two have in Otomakas you settle quickly, then head back home."

Saying nothing, even when he snapped the stick in half to give three of the fish to me, his words rattled uncomfortably inside my head, like sharp stones. I'd have refused the fish but the eager way Yosuke leaned towards me, awaiting his share, made me relent. Accepting the meat, I gave two of the fish to Yosuke before eating the third myself, trying to shake the words from my head as the smoked taste of the sea filled my mouth.

The fish was gone with a few bites. Digging in my bag once more, seeking another berry or something to curb the remaining hunger, a nudge against my shoulder stopped me. Blinking up at me, Yosuke held up half of what remained of one of the fish on his stick.

"This half is yours, Taichi." He pushed it towards me again, his shoulder leaning back against mine and resting there.

I was going to insist that he finish it but the lifting of his head and the way his chin shoved its way forward made me reconsider, having seen such signs of a long argument before and wanting to avoid one now.

"Thanks," I said, instead, accepting the remaining half with a smile.

*****

"Alright you two." Kinsan rubbed Bray's neck as we walked past the village archway that marked the entrance to Otomakas. "I hope you'll find what you seek and have a safe trip home."

He stressed the part about having a safe trip and I gave a distracted nod, my focus more on the structures that made up the village of Otomakas. Rather than mud and straw, these houses had walls of wood with thatched roofs protecting them. Further in, cobbled streets gave way to a market place. Stands flowed along the road, beyond what I could see, with cloth, pottery, and gems adorning them. Pokémon were plentiful here, types I didn't recognize and those I did mingling freely, helping their humans to sell or shop. A hard slap on my back made me realize I'd been gaping.

"Mind you don't show that face to the merchants," Kinsan teased. "They're likely to charge you triple the price of their wares!"

With a parting laugh that sounded like Bray, Yosuke and I watched as Kinsan led his Mudbray down the street, the back of his wagon being swallowed up by the crowd of people.

A tug on my sleeve made me turn; Yosuke was smiling at me.

"Can we look around, Taichi? Please?" His head turned to look at a stand with pottery before tugging on my sleeve again.

"A little time won't hurt," I figured, not sure when we'd ever be able to see such sights again.

With a pleased inhalation, Yosuke's face brightened as his hand slipped from my sleeve and into my own hand. Tugging me along, I hadn't the heart to tell him earthenware did little to interest me, the little dishes too fragile for normal use. Still, perhaps mother might enjoy a small bowl or dish as an apology for my leaving without a goodbye.

"Ah, there's a smart lad." The owner of the booth gave Yosuke a gapped tooth smile, her white hair pulled up in a bun with several small tendrils loosely hanging. "Looking for a fancy piece to charm a girl? I have some lovely pieces for that."

Yosuke glanced at me, gauging my response, before turning back to her shaking his head. The woman waved her arm towards some larger bowls made with rich oranges, blues, and blacks amongst the earthen hues.

"Maybe something for home?" Still smiling, she moved her hand towards some smaller cups. "Or a set? 20 gold, for two handsome boys."

Yosuke winced, stepping back from the table. While father had given me some coin, Yosuke had left without a thought or preparation, having no money of his own to spend.

"No?" She folded her hands, the veins standing out more prominently against her thinner skin. Her eyes were still on Yosuke, who couldn't look away from the pottery, despite knowing such things were beyond what we could afford. "I'd hate to see such a sad face, especially from one who clearly knows the quality of my craft... how about something else?" Her hands unfolded, spreading above her wares, each piece gleaming with anticipation of being chosen.

"I doubt we could afford it, elder," I answered, the truth of such words painful to admit, especially when Yosuke had to wrench his gaze away from the temptation of the alluring pieces. "Though surely they are worth every gold piece and then some."

Her laughter was oddly youthful, given her aged appearance, and she wagged a bony finger at me.

"'Tis a good thing you're not a merchant! I bet you'd sell all your wares with such honeyed words as that!"

Bowing my head respectfully, I took a step back, Yosuke still lingered. His hand twitched in mine, as if to reach for one of the pieces, before he squeezed my hand against the urge.

"Now, now! Wait." She beckoned me forward, curving her fingers like hooks. Bending a moment to rummage under her booth, she muttered something. "I think... I have...Ah!"

Even with her head lowered, I could still make out the smile along her lips as she placed three small, slightly lopsided cups on her table. With a grey stone sort of bottom, the black and blues in these pieces held traces of copper. Apparently a set, the colors patterns varied cup to cup. While lacking the same elegance as the other pieces, they still held a sort of charm.

"This set is one my apprentice made." One of her fingers gently stroked the edge of the cup nearest to her. "One of the four broke, leaving the set incomplete. I wouldn't normally sell his work, being he has such a way to go, but, well, how about 15 silvers for the set? Seto would be happy to see it go to someone who'd appreciate it, flaws and all."

Yosuke's hand clenched mine tighter.

Reaching into my sack, I felt around for the coins my father had said were there. 20 silver, 2 copper. Was it really worth more than half my coin to buy?

Yosuke's hand continued to tightly grip mine.

"Do you have something to wrap them with?" I asked, certain they'd not survive the trip we still had left to complete.

"Of course," she crooned, tasting a sale was near as she pulled out a small bamboo box with straw inside it. "We can't have them breaking."

"15 silvers?" I clarified, mindful of Kinsan's word about being swindled, suspecting she might charge more for the box.

"For the boy beside you who appreciates my apprentice's craft and for the one who speaks words of praise to my work, 15 silvers for the cups, box, and straw."

Handing the money over before I regretted it, I watched as she placed the three cups into the box. Nestling them safely in the straw, she closed the lid and tied it off with a bit of twine, handing it out. When Yosuke made no indication he intended to grab it, I have him a nudge with my side.

"You want them, don't you?"

His eyes were wide, looking up at me, and I felt an odd heat burning along the back of my neck.

"Well, go on." I slipped my hand from his, gesturing him forward. "Grab them."

I heard him take a soft breath, his body stiff as he accepted the box from the seller.

"Why don't I put it in the sack, Yosuke?"

He shook his head, clutching the box tight to his chest. I worried he might crush them before deciding to let him do as he pleased, thankful he seemed to like them so much.

"Arceus bless," the woman called after us as we left her stall, trying to coax a young woman in a kimono into purchasing a bowl that "matched her eyes" as we set off on our way.

*****

Leaving the village while there was still some light, Yosuke continued to carry the box in his arms after many offers for me to do it. My sack was a tad heavier than when we'd left, almost all the remaining coin I had used to buy food, but I still had room and strength to carry his almost weightless pottery. Still, he'd declined.

We'd taken a different route out of the village, heading slowly up the mountain. While there had been a trail, I'd decided against it, wanting a private spot where we could read the scroll without being interrupted. Walking until we could no longer hear the sounds of the village, I placed my sack upon the ground. Standing beside me, Yosuke watched while I pulled out the scroll my father had told me to open only now.

Breaking the crimson seal of wax, the symbol on it one I didn't know but something akin to a waterfall and rain, I let the crumbling pieces fall to the forest floor. Yellowed with age, the parchment protested my opening it, trying to remain curled tightly as I attempted to coax it open. Setting his box down, Yosuke took one end and I the other. Together, we were able to open it.

"It looks like the mountain." His voice was thoughtful as he examined the scroll. "I can't read it all, though. What's it say, Taichi?"

"I'm not sure." It annoyed me to admit but it was the truth. "Something about travelling?"

"Crops?" Yosuke kept one hand on the scroll while pointing to a symbol with the other. "And bounty?"

"Bountiful," I corrected, trying to tilt my half of the scroll, as if that would help it to make more sense. "For bountiful crops, travel... something, something..."

"That character looks like 'mountain.'" Yosuke began worrying his lower lip, causing it to take a plump cherry hue. "Maybe it has to do with traveling to Mt. Ieih?"

"For bountiful crops, travel... maybe forward or to?" I asked myself but Yosuke nodded. "To Mt. Ieih. Seek the..."

"Blessing?" Yosuke offered.

"Maybe... Blessing of the..." I looked from the current symbol back to the start. "Mountain, again?"

"Mountain what, though?" Yosuke threw his head back, giving a subdued groan. "I don't get this."

I didn't either.

"It won't matter." I tried to sound more confident than I felt. "There's a map. We can just follow that." Tracing my finger along the inked path, I pointed to the one symbol I knew. "Shrine. Right here! Maybe it's 'For bountiful crops, travel to Mt. Ieih. Seek the mountain shrine'?"

I let the words settle in my mind before nodding, feeling that had to be right.

"I guess..." Yosuke glanced away, giving his box of pottery more attention than I thought it deserved.

"If it has to do with what Kinsan said, don't worry about it." Yosuke appeared unconvinced. "There might be some Pokémon but it'll be like scaring the Murkrow from the fields... and you're really good at that."

"I guess," Yosuke repeated, drawing in a breath before letting it out with a sigh. "But, from what I heard in Otomakas, there's a lot of shrines on this mountain. What makes this one any more special than the five or six we've already passed?"

I didn't know, not really, but my father had given me this map for some reason so I had to trust he knew something I didn't.

"Maybe someone prayed at this one before and it worked?" I said, taking one last look at the map before rolling it up, sliding it away from Yosuke to tuck it back into the sack until we needed it again.

"Maybe."

His doubt made me shake my head, not sure what he wanted me to say.

"Come on, Yosuke." Giving him a brief half hug around his shoulder, I motioned to his box. "Get your pottery and let's go."

*****

The mountain was harder to navigate in the dark. There were several times Yosuke or myself slipped on loose stones or smaller, hidden branches. The moon wasn't close to full but gave a slender sliver of light that, if we squinted just right, we could still make out most of the shapes on the map.

There were many shrines along our climb. Most were small, stone houses clustered together. Others were slabs of rocks that were half as tall as myself, carvings of Pokémon or people on them that I couldn't quite make out with the poor lighting. A rarer few were carved to look like faces or had symbols carved on them.

At first, it was a game to point them out. The higher we climbed, the less of a game it became. The silence outside our footfalls was heavy, unnatural. Yosuke had pointed it out, bringing to mind that we'd yet to see a single Pokémon or, even, a person.

Yet, it felt like eyes were watching us.

Yosuke's hand was in mine again, his grip tight enough my fingers ached. I said nothing, however, his grip reassuring as we kept moving onward.

"Are we there yet?"

His whispered words were a loud roar against the absence of natural noise in the forest.

"Almost."

The last glance at the map had confirmed it. We were close. To what, I still didn't know. But we'd be there shortly.

Yosuke said nothing else as we walked, our stride stumbling as fatigue worked away at our bodies. While used to the hard labor of the fields, the incline of the mountain ached in ways the fields did not.

"We should stop for the night." I didn't want to but, at this rate, we might walk right by what we sought, unable to see in the dark.

"A little further?"

Surprised he wanted to go on, I still gave a nod.

The dragging of air into my lungs sounded nearly as loud as the crunch of leaves and sticks under my feet. Still, no other sounds pierced the night. Outside of the two of us, there was silence.

Until, suddenly, there wasn't.

As if crossing an unseen threshold, silence gave way to the sounds of water.

Startled, I stopped, uncertain if we should be traveling to or from the water, especially given how abruptly the sound came into being.

Yosuke squeezed my hand. "Why don't we stop by the water for the night? We can look again in the morning."

My own throat felt dry, just now realizing that we hadn't had anything to drink since our water flask had been emptied hours earlier. Giving a nod, we headed towards it, moving just short of running. The closer we came, the louder the call became, urging us to hasten towards it.

Finally, breaking past a thicket of shrubs, we found it.

A mix of stone and soil surrounded the pool, sunk deep into the land like a half buried pottery bowl, such as what the merchant had sold at her table. One large rock stood like a solitary soldier, watching over the water cascading from some hole in the earth above it, water pouring without abandon, shattering itself on the smaller rocks below until the flung droplets gathered into the rest of the pool. Deep or shallow, I couldn't tell without entering, and had little inclination of doing so in the dark.

"Is this it?"

Yosuke was pointing. Apart from the pond, but only by a small distance, was what appeared to be a small boulder with a hollowed center resting on a large bed of moss. Two symbols were on its side, Yosuke moving to trace the lines with his fingers.

"I think it's the same two symbols again." He stood back a step, staring at it as though if he waited long enough it might give him the answer. "The mountain something ones."

Walking closer, I pulled the scroll back out from the sack, nodding when I was finally able to check.

"Is this the mountain shrine?"

I couldn't really know for sure but, given the symbols matched, it seemed like a good guess.

"Seems like it."

Both of us stared at the stone basin.

"So... do we carry it back to the village?"

The sides were wide enough that I couldn't wrap my arms around it, the stone hollowed out but the sides so thick that I doubted we could do such a thing without having a Pokémon specializing in moving such things.

"I hope not." I gave Yosuke a playful poke. "Unless you have some secret, hidden strength that I don't know about."

He stuck his tongue out at me, shaking his head in response.

"Does the scroll say anything else?"

Offering it to him, I nodded.

"There's a few more symbols there, at the bottom of the map... but some of them look smudged."

The scroll opened more easily now, after countless times unfurling and rewrapping it. I had to admit, I was concerned it might rip, given how often we were handling it, but Yosuke was gentle as he pulled at the ends.

"Offer..." Yosuke lifted the scroll, turning his back to the little moonlight we had so he might see better as he lifted the scroll. "Offer something to appease the mountain... shrine?" His lips pinched together, as though offended by the words they were being forced to say. "I don't think it's 'shrine.' How can you appease the shrine?"

Shrugging, he went back to reading the scroll, given my less than satisfying answer.

"Offer something to appease the mountain something. The greater the something, the greater the desire to..." Yosuke almost flung the scroll. "There's too many characters I don't understand!"

Ushering him to hand it over, I tried to make better headway but my understanding was about the same as Yosuke's. Between the ones we couldn't understand and the ones that were smudged, it was too difficult to figure what our next step should be.

"Let's try again in the morning." Shaking my head, rerolling the scroll, I shoved the ancient paper back into the sack. "Maybe it'll look less like smudges then, with proper light."

"I doubt it."

Yosuke's sullen tone did little to lift my spirits. I was already envisioning walking back to our village in failure. Shoulders drooping, I set the sack down to see about finding a spot along the pond to sleep when Yosuke's arms wrapped around my waist and his weight pressed against my back.

"I'm sorry, Taichi." His head rested just along my shoulders. "You're right. It'll look better in the morning."

Swallowing some of the tightness out of my throat, I didn't trust myself to speak. Lightly patting his hand, I waited for him to let go before deciding we should rest the night on the moss that surrounded the stone basin. Soft, with hardly a bump under the plush, cool plant, we weren't likely to find a better place to sleep. Keeping my sack near, I slumped down to the ground, flopping back to stare at the leaves and the stars above us. Plopping down beside me, Yosuke moved so that our sides were touching. I had the sudden, fleeting impulse to push him away but the heat and weight of his body were of an odd comfort. Instead, I moved my arm to tug him closer.

His breath tickled along my neck as we lay there, silent in our own thoughts, trying to figure out the meaning of the scroll and what the mountain something wanted so that we could save our nation's crops and go home.

*****

"Taichi! Wake up!"

Yosuke's urgent shaking had me bolting upright, reaching for a weapon or something before remembering where I was. My sudden alertness faded, settling into an exhausted heap as I gave a stifled yawn. Yosuke's fingers digging into my arm was more of an annoyance, especially when the sun was just coloring the sky.

"Did you have a nightmare?" He shook his head back and forth, eyes wide with a fear I didn't comprehend.

"In the water, Taichi! Something's in the water."

Half asleep, I humored him. Starting to say something about him dreaming or maybe it being a leaf or a fish, I almost choked on my words.

A head.

A head was floating upright in the center of the pond.

Yosuke's grip tightened on my arm, numbness settling in but I didn't dare look away.

The head tilted, its features not quite human the way a Lycanroc is not quite a Lillipup. A lily pad rested upon long tendrils of green hair, hair that pooled into the water like a grassy weed. A yellow beak lined where lips should be, bright against the blue of her skin. It was a woman, or some mockery of one, as the form swam closer to the shore so that her head, neck, and breasts lay exposed to the mountain air. Her golden eyes latched onto Yosuke and I, narrowing.

A hand rose from the water, webbing between her fingers as a claw pressed upon her beak, tapping it twice before it opened. Words somewhere between a whisper and water dripping from the roof into a bucket came forth.

"Whatever your wish is, it must surely be great... if your village is willing to sacrifice two children to see it fulfilled."

"Sacrifice?"

Her golden eyes give a slow, unworried blink, not the least bit alarmed by the shrillness of my voice. Her head tilted ever so slightly the other way, her hand turning and extending to Yosuke and I.

"You are on the pedestal of the Mountain Spirit." Her head gave a minor inclination. "I am the Mountain Spirit. So... you are sacrificing yourselves to me, are you not?"

"Pedestal?" I saw no such thing, just moss and the stone bowl with the two symbols carved into it.

Giving a laugh that bubbled like a frog's croak, her hand curled into a fist before opening, a green orb of fire or light casting shadows upon her face before she crushed it. Slamming it down with a loud slap onto the surface of the water, the glow raced forward from the pond. Splintering once it reached the shore, the light continued forth, circling and striking the moss Yosuke and I sat on even as we tried to scramble back. The moss appeared to absorb the energy, glowing such a bright green it was blinding. Before the intense light, the moss collapsed in on itself, revealing a large, stone circle in its place. Markings and symbols decorated it, too many for me to read at a glance, and directly in the center lay the stone basin.

"I've not had wishers come in such a long time," she went on, as if the display of power had been nothing more than a song. "What do you sacrifice in return for that which you desire?"

"Taichi, we should go." Yosuke was pulling at my arm while the Mountain Spirit only watched, water dripping from her hair along her skin. "This... this can't be what your father wanted."

"Could you make it rain, across the nation of Ry?, Spirit?"

Her gold eyes widened before squinting, fine lines wrinkling around the corners of her eyes in what I could only assume was a facsimile of a smile.

"If your sacrifice is great enough, yes." There was a burble to her words, her eyes glowing with anticipation. "What do you offer, child of land?"

"Taichi!"

Risking a moment, I pried Yosuke's fingers out from my arm. Standing, he rose to follow, reaching for me again. I grabbed his arms before he could, giving a firm squeeze and shaking my head.

"You go back." When it seemed like he'd speak over me, I just squeezed harder. "Listen, Yosuke. You go back. Let them know you brought the rain."

"It won't work! The Malamar will-"

"It will work because it's true." Making sure he was paying attention, that he was meeting my gaze, I took a breath. "You came this way, with me, made it here, with me, and brought me to be sacrificed for the rain. You can tell them that, it'll be true."

"No, Taichi." His head was shaking so hard, I thought he'd be dizzy. "I'm not going to."

"For my mom, my dad, and Natsu. Your parents. Our nation." My hands moved down his arms, letting my thumbs trace the inside of his palms before releasing him. "For you. You have to."

A rippling sound of water made me think the Spirit was growing impatient.

"We... could offer what's left in the bag!" Yosuke reached for me but I stepped back, the look on his face akin to if I'd hit him with a daikon. "She can have my pottery!"

"I really doubt she'd be satisfied with something like a nasu or a cucumber, Yosuke."

"A nasu?" There was a breathless glee to her voice, rivulets of water running along her skin, trailing past her stomach, before vanishing into the pond. "And a cucumber? Truly?"

"I... thought I saw them in the bag," Yosuke whispered, more to me than her.

"Y-yeah." Aware that her eyes were watching my every movement, I went slowly, opening the sack and pulling out the nearly black eggplant along with the cucumber.

Her beak clacked, her hands not quite clapping, before she folded her arms just below her breasts and gave a slight huff.

"Still! Those two are not nearly enough for a nation." She lifted her head up, reaching a hand out as though to take them. "Why not a field or two?"

"No." Shaking my head, I watched her eyes darken. "It has to be for the nation."

"Then you need to offer more." She gave a wet laugh, her eyes still dark.

"I have... pottery." Yosuke picked his box up, untying the string and pulling off the lid, showing the three pieces to her.

The Spirit leaned closer, her hips uncovered. Squinting, she made a sound bred from that of clearing her throat and hissing.

"What use are such things like that to me?" She glanced back towards the sack, still in my hands. "Now, if you had some soba or kabocha..." An eager trill took over her words before she shook her head once. "But the amount of rain you're asking for would require far greater contents than that of the cloth you carry."

"They're... they're really pretty, though." Voice choked, Yosuke slipped past my reach as I tried to grab and pull him back. "See the colors?"

The Spirit gave them a passing glance.

"Pretty they may be, but they are little use to me."

Her eyes moved from the box to Yosuke then past him to me, a sharp gleam reflecting in the dark, golden depths.

"What else?" she whispered, coaxing me to say that which she wanted to hear.

"I offer myself."

"Taichi!"

Her laughter came out harsher than before, the croaking more of a pleased crow as she waggled her finger.

"And the nasu? The cucumber?"

At my nod, her hands flew in front of her beak, muffling her chortles.

"Yes... yes. This might be a fair trade." She paced in the water, coming closer to shore so that her knees were exposed along with the rest of her. "It has been so long... that should be considered-"

"Take me." It was Yosuke that said it.

Her pace stopped midstride and her head swiveled like a Hoothoot's, eyes shining with an animalistic pleasure.

"You?" Her body swayed another step closer towards land, her ankles showing. Only her feet remained hidden, one then the other, as she walked nearer still. "You are younger but..." Her head twisted sharply, eyes back on me. "There are times when age has the advantage."

"Yosuke, go home."

His brow furrowed and he turned away from me, facing the Spirit.

"Take me. Let Taichi go and bring the rain to our nation."

Her throat swelled, like a frog's pouch, a series of croaks escaping as her eyes crinkled in that odd sort of smile.

"Silly child." The words were a verbal pat on the head. "There are other sacrifices, ones that would allow both of you to leave and have your rain."

"What would they be?" I cut in, stepping forward, throwing my arm out in front of Yosuke to keep him quiet.

She waited, her body rocking, before giving a lighter sounding laugh that was less frog like and more like pure water.

"Ah! It has been too long!" Amused by herself, she gave a small spin and a swish of her hips. Her hair, wavier now that it dried, curled and danced with her, the barest hint of her toes still remaining in the water.

Leaning forward, her head angled so that her lily pad remained flat upon her head, her breasts hung full and free in a way that made me glance away, towards Yosuke. His eyes met mine, a matching warmth to that on my cheeks reflected on his. A knowing smile lurked in her eyes, when I looked back at her, her hands moving so that her fingers touched upon her breasts.

"Two young, untouched males... offer me that which, once given, cannot be reclaimed." Her beak was parted, eyes pinched with eagerness. "The more you give, the more I shall return."

A slow mist was rising up from the water surrounding her, twisting like twin snakes as it moved past her to encircle Yosuke and I, as well as the stone tablet we stood on.

"If you know naught the words then pledge yourselves to me, this day." Her words hung in the air, like the ringing of a gong, carrying the weight long after she spoke. "Pledge your bodies to me, pledge that which lies unawakened within you." Her right hand lifted, twisting in the air. The mist followed the gesture, spinning thicker as it wrapped around itself, encroaching no further than the stone we stood on. "Pledge more than your lives but less than your souls."

"I-" Yosuke's voice cracked and I rushed to speak before he could finish.

"I pledge my body, that which lies unawakened, to that Mountain Spirit, for this one day, in return for the rains to quench Ry? Nation." A distorted echo followed my words, the air thicker though no fog choked me. "I pledge something more than my life but less than my soul for her to answer this desire."

Her foot stepped outside the water.

Speaking that which I couldn't understand, much like the ruins and symbols on the stone, her arms raised like wings above her, her wrists twisting sharply so that her claws extended outward with a flick. Her footsteps, while light in appearance, sounded like a drum. The air thrummed, my heart starting violently as I gasped, not realizing I'd been holding my breath.

"This pledge, from these two..." She brought her hands forward, cupping them above the stone basin. A blue orb with white swirls, more solid in appearance than the green fire she'd called earlier, dropped into the stone. "...will do."

Everything was still. Though I'd seen for myself the depth of the basin, knew it to be no deeper than the length of my hand to my elbow, it wasn't until several breaths when a deep bell sound rang out. Shaking the very platform we stood on, the Spirit seemed unaffected by the small tremor, merely turning with a heated glee in her eyes.

"Ohhh, which to choose..." Her tongue flicked out along her beak, pointed, but not forked. "Only a day... I do so want to savor this."

"I'll...I'll go."

Yosuke's stammering voice spoke before my own.

"I will!" It was too late, though, her eyes were already shining on Yosuke.

"You'll have your chance," she said, giving a half wave my way as she moved closer to Yosuke, her hips swaying as she walked. Her eyes were smiling as she touched his chin, lifting his gaze to her. "Youths are always so eager..."

I stepped closer to Yosuke, still clutching his box of pottery. The Spirit glanced down at it, giving a light clack of her beak, before placing her hands on the box.

"Let's set this out of the way, young one." Yosuke resisted only once against her gentle tug before his grip loosened, the box slipping free. With an incline of her head, she walked the box over to the basin. I tried to run, to grab it before she dropped it as she had the orb, but my limbs felt warm and sluggish.

While she did let go of the box, rather than plummeting, it floated just above the lip of the basin. It didn't spin or tilt, merely remained where she placed it.

"There." The word was almost a sigh, her body turning again to face us. "Now... where to begin?"

She didn't expect an answer from either of us, instead partially opening her beak and closing it with a "click" before opening it again.

"Ah, yes." There was a chortle along her words. "Both of you. Strip."

Of all the things she might have asked for, this wasn't one I'd been expecting. However, considering our lives had been on the table, so to speak, taking off my clothes didn't seem nearly so bad.

Undoing the sash at my waist, I let the material fall to the ground, my shirt parting open without its restraint. The air, chilled by the mist circling us, caused my skin to tighten and the hairs to tickle in awareness. Yosuke was slipping his shirt off, the Spirit folding her hands together in front of her beak, the wrinkles around her eyes deepening as she circled us. Something in the way she watched us made my head spin and my breath catch, her head tilting sharply towards the sound. Eyes now focused on me, I wet my lips as I slid my pants off.

Her eyes gleamed, the gold almost silver, as her head bobbed and her body swayed, still circling.

A quiet moan brought both of our attentions to Yosuke, who had managed to get both his pants and his fundoshi off before me. An eager hiss left the Spirit's beak, her body gliding like a river towards my friend. Her hand touched lightly on his chest, his body jerking at the contact, his head tilting to look at her instead of me.

He was looking my way but I wasn't sure he saw me, his eyes half closed and his hand touching his cock. He gave it a stroke, from base to top, his hips thrusting slightly into it. I felt something pull inside my chest, leaving an ache and heat behind that made my head feel like warm liquid was flooding it.

I flung my shirt to the ground and reached behind to undo my fundoshi. The cloth strip was wrapped tightly between my ass, my fingers fumbling as the material clung to itself. The Spirit was crooning something to Yosuke, his body rocking. She had both her hands on his chest, running them up along his skin and down along his hips. Water began to drip from the lily pad atop her head, the drops causing Yosuke to hiss and jerk forward, towards her, as some splashed against his skin.

"Taichi," his gaze drifted back to me, a bright smile making all else fade.

I forcibly shoved the fundoshi off, the roughness making me wince. The skin along my hips was bound to be tender but none of that mattered when Yosuke was calling me.

"Come." Her pointed tongue darted out, catching one of her own droplets. "Doesn't he look sweet?"

I moved closer, heat and tightness a tangled mess inside my body. I wasn't sure of my own thoughts, outside of a fascination with the way Yosuke watched me while giving himself another stroke. Her hands moved upward, grasping his nipples and tweaking them, forcing his head back as he gave a cry that sounded far removed from pain.

My hand reached to touch him, his hazy eyes looking up and begging me for it, but a cool hand slapped mine away.

"No." She gave a light huff, pointing down. "You. Sit."

My legs gave, collapsing under her command.

"Watch," she croaked, her throat puffing out once before deflating, making sure I was doing as she bid.

Leaning her head closer to Yosuke, it seemed as if they might kiss. Instead, her beak stopped just short of touching his lips. Her tongue, wet and long, and brushed against Yosuke's lips. His mouth parted and her tongue dove past, pressing forward. She fed her tongue to him and he rocked, his hand squeezing tighter on his cock before her own pried his way, leaving him to thrust into the open air. He struggled for a moment, until she pulled back, her tongue slurping back into her beak. Yosuke's own tongue was hanging out as he panted, his mouth wet with saliva.

There was a pleased smirk on her face, though her beak couldn't form it as human lips could, the tilt of her head and the squint of her eyes made it apparent.

"Remain standing," she said, her fingers trailing up along Yosuke's arm. "You are not to touch yourself or me until I tell you otherwise. Understood?"

He gave a weak groan and nodded, sending a desperate look my way.

"No. He's to remain sitting, for now. Though," she sent a slight glance my way. "You may touch yourself, elder one."

She gave a little sigh of pleasure, moving to touch her beak against Yosuke's neck.

"It really has been too long, you know," she murmured, flicking her tongue out to taste his skin. "Ah... I should have had you both pledge your lifetimes rather than a mere day." She chuckled, several small croaks in a row. "Well, I'll make you both regret that I didn't."

Moving downward, she let her tongue trace along Yosuke's chest. Her beak tugged against his left nipple, causing him to whimper and make several useless thrusts. Her clawed fingers grazed along his sides, a warning against him moving too much, before pinching his right nipple in her beak.

Face flushed, he was making soft mewling noises that hooked into my stomach and yanked, his hips straining towards her. His cock fell miserably short of touching her, leaving him to pull back with a cry as she only gave a deeper croak, water droplets falling more freely from her lily pad.

"You make me want to rush," she whispers, leaving a scratch from his left underarm down along his belly and further still, pulling away before her nail could graze his cock. "You don't want me to rush, do you?"

Yosuke's answer was mere mumbles.

"Ah, well, youth and all that." Pleasure warmed her voice as she slid down to her knees, her face just before Yosuke's cock. "If that's the case, it has been a long time since I've tasted the seed of man."

Her tongue extended past her beak, lifting the weight of Yosuke's swollen cock. He forced his hands behind his back, his grip tight around his own arms to keep from grabbing at her as her tongue coiled around the head of his shaft. Tongue constricting like a snake, clear drops of liquid pooled along his tip. Her mouth moved eagerly over his shaft as her tongue slid further down, wrapping another loop around and flexing.

Yosuke was shivering, his hips wiggling as the Spirit bobbed her head, taking more of him into her mouth. He was gasping something but there was no sound to his words, only his lips moving as she continued slurping along his cock. His nails were digging into his skin as he kept his arms behind him, his hips thrusting towards her. Whenever he pushed forward, she merely pulled back, a broken sound wrenching from him as he finally gave up and just held still, letting her play with him.

His eyes were all but closed, sweat gathering along his forehead. His chest was heaving, ragged breaths interrupted when she would take him all the way into her mouth and he would forget to breathe. Her hands played along her own breasts, her blue skin darker around her nipples, becoming an almost purple when she yanked at them. Releasing them, her breasts bounced and I found myself rocking, startled as I wasn't sure when I'd started or when the heat of my cock had somehow found its way to my hand.

Stroking it, my pace frantic, I kept watching as her hands went from her breasts to Yosuke's ass, gripping and digging her nails in. He gave a slight protest, attempting to press his hips closer once more, only for her to open her beak fully. Her tongue unwound from his length, a wet sucking sound accompanying it back into her mouth as Yosuke all but sobbed.

"Do you want to cum in my mouth, young one?" she asked, massaging her fingers against his ass while he squirmed. "You're calling the other's name... I thought you might prefer to let him suck you."

My hand froze mid-squeeze on my cock, looking as Yosuke turned away, unable to hide the dark flush that spread along his skin.

"I... want to suck him," he whispered, still not meeting my gaze.

My cock twitched in my hand, the idea of his mouth on me...

"I want that," I answered, begging with my voice for him to turn and look at me, smiling when his head turned a hair back towards me. "I want you to, Yosuke."

The Spirit's throat inflated, her eyes narrowing before it deflated and she nodded.

"Very well." Her hands released Yosuke's ass, leaving behind small indents from her claws. "The young one may do so... provided the elder one remains sitting as he does now." There was a gleam in her eyes. "And the younger one is on all fours, unable to touch himself."

I felt my cock pulse, eager to feel something other than my own skin.

Yosuke crept towards me, his cheeks still burning and his eyes lowered. Bending to get on all fours, his gaze briefly met mine before he looked away again. Something about that expression didn't sit well with me, not when he was hiding it from me.

Before he could move further down, I captured his chin, as I'd seen her do earlier. Forcing him to turn, to look at me, I crushed my lips to his, kissing him where she could not. A gasp on his part opened his lips to me and I shoved my tongue inward, tasting him and maybe her. His own tongue tangled with mine, slipping by it and into my mouth. A trilling song mingled with the splashing of water had me break the kiss, Yosuke's lips as red and swollen as mine felt.

He was dazed but he was looking at me.

"All fours." The Spirit's trill sharpened her words, water raining from her lily pad and splashing to the ground while her fingers shamelessly dipped between her legs, a different sort of moisture clinging to them. "Now."

Yosuke obeyed, supporting his weight on his arms and knees, his nose bumping under my cock while he still looked up at me. As she hadn't told me I couldn't touch him, I moved my hand to cup his cheek. His face leaned into my touch, a smile softening his face.

"Sorry," he said, words rough around the edges. "If I don't do it right."

My hips jerked as his breath made me think of other things soon to be touching my cock.

"That's... fine." I gasped, my fingers moving back to tighten around his hair. "Just... please, Yosuke."

The wet warmth of his tongue wasn't unexpected but it was still surprising, making my lower body clench and my cock strain. Pressing along the underside of my shaft, he traced along my length, leaving a cooling trail of saliva in his wake.

Leaning back with a moan, my shaft jutting outwards, Yosuke took the tip of me in his mouth. Dripping heat surrounded me, growing tighter as he sucked, his cheeks hollowing as his dark brown eyes stared up into mine. It was impossible not to thrust forward, pushing more of myself into his mouth when he was looking at me in such a way.

Both of my hands were now buried in his hair, tugging as I tried to bring him closer to me. His loud slurping and the enthusiastic bob of his head as he struggled to take more of me, choking on me, only made me moan in response. His muffled but eager responses worked around my cock, his mouth sucking harder around me while his tongue pressed along my underside.

Yosuke's body jerking pried my attention off his mouth, staring back where the Spirit was now standing. Her hands were stroking along the outside of his thighs, giving firm squeezes that made his bottom wiggle. Eyes gleaming with a predatory glee, she gave me that odd smile of hers before kneeling behind Yosuke. Yosuke glanced back, the pressure weakening, but he kept his mouth on my cock.

Hands still along his thighs, the Spirit lowered her head, keeping her lily pad upright as it continued to trickle water over its edges. I could see just above her beak as she watched me from behind Yosuke, leaning closer to him. A sudden gasp from Yosuke made me start, his body shivering as my cock slipped out of his panting mouth.

Massaging his scalp with my fingers, I listened to his unabashed whimpers and drawn out whines. When he didn't go right back to sucking on me, I found myself curious enough to ask what she was doing to him.

"H-her tongue..." His voice broke as his back sunk down, a wet cry coming from his lips. "S-she's putting it... in..."

His words became shattered bits of nonsense, his eyes closing as he gave a deep moan.

There was a wet slurping sound before the Spirit spoke.

"Come now, young one. Keep to your task."

Yosuke's eyes fluttered open. He leaned forward so that his lips grazed my cock head, his mouth opening to take the tip in. The silence of the Spirit and the sudden widening of Yosuke's mouth as he gave a soft cry made me think she was back to using her tongue.

Concern turned to urgency, wanting to feel him sucking me again. Running my fingers through his hair, letting my nails drag down, I pulled him towards me, feeding him my cock. He didn't struggle, only moaned, sucking it while pressing his ass back to her. His head was bobbing on my cock, rocking at the same pace as her tongue (I assumed, anyway, from the way his hips swayed). Muffled moans made my muscles clench, realizing that it wasn't just Yosuke who was enjoying himself.

When Yosuke's glazed eyes and the smirking eyes of the Spirit met mine, my body tensed and a cry pulled past my throat, a tightness in my groin suddenly releasing in a wave of heat. Yosuke was sputtering, white liquid drooling down his lips while another thread of it emptied itself from my cock, splashing along one side of his nose and face.

Warmth eased the tension from my limbs, my chest heaving as if I'd plowed the entire field myself. Yosuke was giving me a dark look, wiping his face off and muttering about a warning being nice before inhaling sharply. Behind him, the Spirit rose, her tongue pulling into her beak as she gave a trickling laugh.

"So, the elder one finishes first." She walked around Yosuke, bending down with her lily pad still flat along her head. Water still trailed down it like small waterfalls. "Will you leave the younger one wanting, then?"

Desperation instantly transformed Yosuke's face, his eyes pleading with me.

"No," I answered slowly. "But, I'm not sure how to..."

She made a series of sharp, mirthful clicks with her beak. Her hand reached to touch just below my cock, her cool fingers easing the slight ache I didn't realize had been welling up behind my balls. She spoke a word, just a single word, and the ache changed. No. Rather than changed, it moved from my balls to my shaft. Pushing up and out, I hardened so suddenly that it hurt with a need to feel the pressure of Yosuke's mouth again.

Shaking her head, the Spirit's eyes smiled, as if knowing my thoughts.

"Let the young one stay as he is. Elder one," she moved aside, waving a hand to Yosuke. "I've prepared the young one for you to claim."

As if my body had no control of itself, I found myself rising, walking around Yosuke. Still on all fours, he looked over his shoulder to watch me, desperation turning to hopeful hunger as he wiggled his butt at me. Giving it a playful smack, grinning when he smiled back at me, I found myself kneeling behind him, cock in hand. As if being guided by the will behind her words, I found my head pressed against his entrance, slick with the Spirit's spit.

Keeping one hand on my shaft, I had the other rest on his hip, steadying myself as I leaned forward. His muscles clenched before easing, the Spirit's spit thicker than I'd been expecting as the head of my cock slipped past the tightness of his body. A different kind of heat enveloped me and it took everything I had not to just push forward, not when I could feel his body tensing and the stillness that indicated he was holding his breath.

"Okay?" I swallowed, need flooding my mouth and almost drowning my words. "Yosuke?"

He gave a nod back at me but didn't look. Waiting, I heard him suddenly take a breath, his body relaxing.

"Y-yeah. Just... start slow, alright?"

It was with great difficulty that I eased myself into him, against the aching urge to ram into and claim him as the Spirit had desired. He had to be ready, I argued against the silent command. He has to be ready to be claimed, to be mine. Only mine.

The repetition of the words helped but each time the impulse retreated, it came slamming back at me harder. Sweat was running down my back as my hands dug into his hips, holding him still, knowing that any movement on his part would break me. The Spirit was watching, her eyes so brightly shining that it hurt to look at them directly. Something in what she saw evidently pleased her for she began to chirp with a startling similarity to a Starly.

Giving a growl, not finding the same amusement she did, I watched as she walked in front of Yosuke. Sliding down to sit before him, she gave a slow blink of her eyes before spreading her legs.

A dark, nearly purple slit lay between her legs; dark, green curls resting just above it. Taking a single finger, she pressed passed the petals, dipping her finger within. With a light moan and a rock of her hips, she pulled back the now wet digit, holding it in front of Yosuke's mouth.

"Clean it."

He whimpered and obeyed, pulling slightly off my cock to do so. That tight ring of his flexed, making stars shimmer briefly in my view as I thrust forward. His gasp didn't sound of pain so I did it again, burying myself in him.

"Clean all of it." Her legs spread wider, opening herself fully to Yosuke.

A starving half shout came just before his head buried down between her thighs. Slurping sounds filled the air along with the Spirit's startled cries. For the first time, her head tilted back, her lily pad no longer flat.

Water poured from her lily pad, as golden as her eyes.

Striking the platform under us, the golden liquid poured forth to fill the symbols carved into the stone. My hips thrust into Yosuke, trying to get him to keep going, watching as light shone up from each filled marking. The Spirit was gaping, one hand manhandling her breast and yanking at her nipple while the other grabbed Yosuke's head, keeping him to her. Her keen cries cut through the air as my grunts and Yosuke's slurps almost echoed. The fog was rising up around the stone circle, growing thicker as it expanded upward, the air becoming chilled enough I could see my breath in it.

That couldn't stop me. Snow couldn't stop me, not when Yosuke was forcibly shoving himself onto my cock.

Harder, faster, rocking him to her as her head leaned even further back, a single sharp note pierced the air from her beak as her body arched. The liquid sunlight from her lily pad surged to fill the remaining characters on the stone before the waterfall became a trickle, her eyes blinking rapidly as her beak remained hanging open.

I had little time to think about it, not when I felt Yosuke's body tensing around mine and that inevitable tightness behind my balls. Giving it what remainder of energy I had left, I pummeled myself into Yosuke, finally thrusting so far in there was nowhere left to go. His wet gasp chimed at the same time my heated one did, my vision crossing as I felt that same pleasurable release emptying into his ass.

Head aching from the rush, I tried to keep still, feeling my cock slowly softening. There was a pressure in the air that I recognized but my dazed mind couldn't connect from where I knew it. Not until the rumble and the sparking of white light did I place it.

A storm.

A storm had been born around us.

With another rumble, that which had been mist began to climb like a dragon to the sky. Flowing outward, it expanded and spread, leaving just the center of the sky above us untouched by clouds until that, too, was swallowed by the tail end of the storm.

Then, rain.

Soft, little plops. A rumble and a flash. Then, small drops became heavier, a downpour in earnest.

Though none of it touched us.

Above the stone platform, still glowing with residual light from the Spirit's water, a sort of barrier was erected, preventing the rain from striking us.

Sliding down to fully sit, I closed my eyes with a smile.

"Taichi?"

Blinking my eyes open, I found my friend lying with his head on the Spirit's lap, his hand reaching for mine. Without question, I slipped mine into his. My heart gave an odd squeeze as he smiled back at me.

With a contented sigh, the Spirit stretched her arms out, shifting her back slightly without moving her lap for Taichi's comfort. Her head was held straight again, her lily pad now only dripping slightly. Her golden eyes were gleaming as they met mine.

"I hope you'll both be ready, soon. We aren't done yet." She gave a happy cackle. "Wait until you see what I can do with a cucumber and a nasu!"

*****

"Well, while you both are adamant about not telling our great lord about how you came to summon the rain or why it took you so many days to call claim to it, it cannot be denied that you did indeed do so." The vassal frowned at the Malamar beside him. The Pokémon glared silently back and lashed a tentacle, having been told to make sure the truth was being told, not to dig for the truth. "That being said..." The vassal sighed, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "While our lord is away, we offer you our thanks, in his stead, as well as the rewards our lord had promised."

I could feel Yosuke's excitement as three servants stepped forward, away from the thin paper walls, moving around the vassal to present our rewards. The first, a crate with the hundred gold, brought forth on a small wagon. The second, a written decree of our lord for the parcel of land, free from taxation. Finally, the third... a small, purple Pokémon in their hands.

"On behalf of our lord, please accept this Goomy," the servant said, bowing her head. "Our lord bred it especially for our savior. Saviors," she corrected herself, extending her arms out and giving another bob of her head.

The antennas on its head wiggled forward before it gave a wet burble, rippling in the servant's arms before making a jump into Yosuke's. With a giggle, he held the little creature to his chest, giving me a smile just off to the side of the servants' view.

"Let it not be said that Nobunaga is not a man of his word," the vassal went on, tugging at the end of his sleeve before glancing up at the two of us. "Now... While we appreciate this..." He glanced out the window, where droplets were closer to sheets of water. "This week of rain...Is there any way to way to stop it?

Yosuke was able to hide his smile from the vassal but the glance he gave me was clear.

The Spirit had claimed one of the three cups, before letting us go, saying it was "a souvenir." Yosuke and I wondered, after, if that had really been the case.

It was part of a set.

"We can try," I finally answered. "If our lord might be willing to supply us with some cucumbers."