Burning for you - Fanning the flames
#6 of Burning for you
First off, I'd like to thank everyone who commented on my last chapter. You've made me feel much more confident about my yiff writing, and though I still feel it leaves a lot to be desired, at least I know I don't totally suck ass.
That done, I'd like to say I'm terribly sorry for the disproportionate amount of time this chapter has taken. A lot of stuff has happened, some of it awesome, some of it, not so much... but most of it awesome! ^^ Anyhow, sorry again, and I promise not to take near as long in future.
Once again, a shout out to Guri for proof reading, and helping to make this story more enjoyable for its readers.
Had a hard time choosing between a couple of songs that I wrote this chapter while listening to, but I'm going to go with "Lunacy fringe" by The Used.
Kay, let's do this!
Burning for you - Fanning the flames
Marcus watched the bronze-furred vixen sleep peacefully beside him. He had been watching her all night, like some hopelessly love-struck fool. There was something about her which made her different from all others, and held his attention when he would normally be checking the area around his cave in a paranoid panic. At that moment he would have given anything to be lying next to her and not on the other side of the cave like he was.
Her contented expression was disturbed by a crease in her forehead as the sun's rays crept around the corner which led into the cave, hitting her in the face and penetrating the veil of her slumber harshly. Marcus cursed himself silently. In the time since he had moved into this cave, he had forgotten the reason why he preferred the side of the cave he was sleeping on, the sun couldn't work its way to the far side, stopping it from waking you with its rude glare.
One of Ashley's eyes opened slowly, and she cringed at the intense light from outside. She glanced around the spacious cave for a while, before her gaze came to rest on Marcus with a sleepy smile. He quickly flipped onto his back, realizing that he was staring, and began to fidget with his paws, closing his eyes tight. He heard the Vulpix get to her feet and yawn, probably stretching in that strange, almost feline, way he had seen her do before.
He quickly forced the thought out of his head, knowing that it would set him off if he thought about it too vividly. He heard her paw pads on the cave floor coming closer, barely making a sound, and only just discernible over his own heavy breathing. He tensed up as he heard the padding stop, and felt her warm breath flow over him.
"Can I sleep over here next to you? It's quite cold in here, and the sun's getting in my eyes."
The Cubone's eyes flicked open at the unexpected question. "I... Sure, I guess..." He flushed underneath the bone mask that he wore, once again grateful for its presence. "Hold up, I'll make some room."
He attempted to get to his feet, but was held down by a sweltering weight, as Ashley lay down on top of him, snuggling into his body, and nuzzling at his neck. "Thanks Marcus." she mumbled sleepily, continuing to rub against him softly.
He was sure she could feel his heart beating in overdrive, but he swallowed his concerns with a gulp and decided to ask the question that had been burning in him all night. "Ashley? Are you sure you're alright with Fyre going with that human?"
The Vulpix looked up at him curiously, and with a hint of amusement. "Why wouldn't I be? She seems harmless enough... Besides, I need to accept that Fyre is all grown up now, he can make his own decisions, and you saw him. He was completely in love with her!"
"And you're alright with that?"
She giggled as she snuggled back into him. "It's his choice Marcus, God created all creatures equal, if Fyre see's this, "Katrina" girl, as his mate, then who are we to judge?" Marcus shrugged slightly beneath her, unable to come up with an argument.
"Anyway, I think it's time that I stop babying him and find a nice male to settle down with? Don't you think, Marcus?"
Marcus was unable to reply past the lump in his throat, put in place by his awkwardness. So he remained silent and simply watched as the rust-furred vixen fell asleep on top of him.
Fyre scanned the wall in front of him, wearily, with his eyes, attempting to recognize his surroundings, and to figure out why he was so exhausted. He yawned and stretched out slightly, curving his back before suddenly stopping as he came into contact with something soft and fleshy. The memories of last night came back to him in a rush, and his eyes snapped wide open, as he noticed, at last, the slow rhythmic breathing of his trainer behind him.
He froze, wondering if last night had all been a dream, and silently praying otherwise. He slowly rolled over to face the answer. Kat lay naked behind him, still smelling heavily of last night's heady brew.
He remained still as the unbelievable truth of his situation settled in. The single bed was too cramped to get up without waking her, so he remained stationary and resolved to watch her sleep. The pale skinned human had a wry smile still plastered on her face, which combined with the scent in the air and the uncomfortable, sticky mess of his crotch fur, to remind him further of last night's intimacy.
He remembered the wet pop as his knot had finally receded and allowed him to disengage from Katrina. The pounding of his heartbeat as he lay down next to her, pressing against her, both because of a lack of space, and his desire to be close to her. He had heard her mumble a few sweet nothings as he drifted into a deep sleep, filled with dreams of her.
After a short while of this reverie, Fyre decided that he had waited too long, and with an impatient whine, began to lap enthusiastically at his masters face. He halted his wet assault as she stirred, and applied his tongue more directly to her lips, which were parted without a moment's thought, allowing the muscle to explore Kats mouth once more.
After a lengthy good morning kiss, the pair separated, Fyre's tails once again massaging her side. He beamed at her, elated that she had taken his offer of mateship.
"Mmm... I can't imagine a sweeter way to wake up." she smiled deviously at him, her hand making its way towards his crotch once again. "Well, maybe one or two."
He writhed slightly, and pulled away from her as she leaned in and snuggled against his warm fur, leaving her looking confused, and a little hurt. "What's wrong?"
Fyre turned his head away, a blush burning under his fur. "I... uhhh... I'm Really hungry." he mumbled the last couple of words in embarrassment, eliciting a slight giggle from his mate, which only caused him further discomfort.
He couldn't lie though, he was starving! He hadn't had a hunger like this since he found Katrina, and it was a most unwelcome feeling after so long. He bested his embarrassment and turned back to face his master, giving her a plaintive lick on the cheek. "Please?"
Katrina stopped her giggling and sat up on the bed, lifting a hand and placing it on Fyre's side comfortingly. "Of course, we'll go downstairs and get something in the canteen area." Fyre's tails began to flail at the thought of food, and he leapt off the bed, getting halfway to the door before Katrina's commanding voice halted him. "After, A shower."
Fyre half-turned with a whimper, tilting his head questioningly. "A shower?"
"Yes! Look at us; we're still covered in... Last night's... Just get in the bathroom, before I drag you in by your tails."
Fyre finished his turn and sat on his rump with an "Oomph." Hanging his head dejectedly like he had whenever his sister had forced him to take a tongue bath, he glanced up at Katrina, to see how his show was affecting her. She seemed only amused by the display and he added in a couple of pathetic whimpers for effect. Kat merely rolled her eyes at the ploy and raised her arm, pointing towards the bathroom door commandingly.
At last Fyre let out a sigh of defeat and raised himself back onto his paws to begin a slow march into the bathroom, cursing at the carpet between his feet. The display had never worked on his sister either.
'I really need a new act.'
Kat shook her head with a sigh, sniggering to herself at Fyre's poor acting skills. She stood up, wrapping the bedcovers around her midriff. The door was locked, so she didn't need to really, still, she clutched the towel tight around herself, suddenly feeling rather claustrophobic in the small room.
She shook off the feeling quickly, and began to follow Fyre into the en-suit bathroom, becoming occupied with thinking about the fun they could have washing together. Still, her mind was distracted. She couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding, as if she knew something bad was going to happen.
She caught sight of the case shoved into the far corner of the room. It seemed to glare at her maliciously, and though she could have sworn she heard whispers in her head, they quickly dissipated as she massaged her head with her free hand. The case continued to stare at her mockingly. She berated herself for allowing herself to think thoughts like that.
'You're an adult now for God's sake. Going to jump at every shadow now, are you?'
Still the case had a strange effect on her, making her feel weak and fearful, she found herself fidgeting with the ornate key, which still hung around her neck, until she finally pulled herself away, and followed her new lover into the small bathroom.
Darius emerged from the small barber shop feeling better than he had for a long while. There was still a lingering feeling of dread and guilt inside, but the voice had been silent since they had gotten to Solaceon town. In fact, there had been times throughout the day where Darius could have fooled himself into believing that it had all been a bad dream.
Of course, the stares he received from Solaceon town's small populace shattered those hopes. He had managed to wash off the blood, mud and vomit in a stream he had found, but he was still half naked in the freezing cold, shivering madly, now that the voice was no longer in control, and the self-inflicted scars which crossed his chest didn't help his appearance much.
He put his head down, his freshly cut fringe now hanging down, just below his eye line. He had just asked for something that would look good on him, not a full-blown emo cut, but it would have to do. The cut had cost him a large portion of the cash he had managed to pickpocket from a couple of the inhabitants. But he had to admit, paying for the overpriced hair-cut had felt good. It had returned to him a sense of normality which he hadn't felt in a long time.
He decided to follow the advice the voice had given him to begin with. It would be much easier to blend in if he acquired something to cover his upper body. He looked up and down the small street. Searching for a store that looked like it might sell clothing.
A cursory scan revealed only one possibility; all other shops in the small town were either trainer stores or tacky souvenir shops. The shop in question was rather run down, and was neighbored on one side by more shops, and on the other by a dark alleyway, which Darius imagined lead around to the back of the shop, where there would be waste bins or something to that effect.
He made his way to the shop, ignoring the snow which was beginning to fall, and pushed his way inside, through a door whose white paint was beginning to peel and crack. Once into the relative warmth of the shop, Darius took stock of his surroundings. As one could have guessed from the outside, the store was dingy and had the scent of age and disrepair about it. A middle aged store clerk eyed him from behind the counter with distrust, not that Darius could blame him, considering his appearance.
He made his way around the various items scattered about and eventually came upon a stack of budget clothing. Much of it was trainer apparel, most of them adorned with pokéball prints or in stark red and white colors. He decided that he should choose something as non-descript as possible. Amongst the horrific mishmash of color he found a grey hooded top, boring, and about as non-descript as could be.
He dug his hand into his jeans, wincing as he felt the loose change jangling in his pocket. It didn't matter if the hooded top was cheap as dirt; there was no way he could afford it. He really didn't want to go out and steal again, he'd already nearly been caught three or four times, he didn't feel like going through that again.
'You really are the most pathetic coward, you know that?' The voice broke its self imposed silence, Darius shivered as the strange voice, so similar to his own, continued to berate him. 'If we want something we take it! What good will it do in the hands of this waste of life anyway?'
"Shut up!" Darius whispered fiercely, attempting to quiet the voice before he ended up losing control again. The clerk behind the shop counter watched him cautiously, but otherwise remained stoic and silent.
'We don't have time for this, we need to get to Hearthome, but we'll surely be stopped if we go any further looking like this. Do what has to be done... Or I -will- do it for you!'
'No!' he shouted, mentally this time. 'No! You've already killed four people, I-I won't let you anymore!'
'You seem to assume you have a choice. I have kept my peace until now out of sympathy... I think it's time to exercise my will.'
Darius began to form a protest, but already he felt that strange lightheadedness, the awful dark surrounding him, as his consciousness was stolen from him, and control of his body was stripped from him by force.
He attempted to open his eyes. His body would not respond to the command, and he remained trapped, a prisoner in his own body. His eyes opened slowly, this time without his bidding, and he could feel his face crack into that manic smile that he hated so much.
His eyes flicked between the store clerk, who had returned to reading a magazine that was laid out on the counter before him, and the grey hooded top in his hands. Darius could sense thoughts that weren't his flicker darkly across his mind. He tried his best to resist, tried to regain control.
'No!' he cried, this time unable to voice his thoughts aloud. 'Stop! You can't do this!'
Darius afforded a casual glance towards the human tending the shop, and then back to the hooded top that his weaker half had been carrying. He couldn't help but wonder at how much life had changed since his time, so different, so pathetic.
'No! Stop! You can't do this!'
There it was, the pitiful screech of the true Darius. Truly, he hated calling himself by the same name, but his own name was lost to the ages, the only one who likely remembered it now, was the very one responsible for his existence in the first place. He cursed the name of the pokémon again before turning his mind to more pressing matters. He slipped the hooded top on over his naked chest, and approached a mirror positioned in the corner of the decrepit shop.
He looked himself over, deciding that despite his previous reservations about the new clothing, they didn't look as ridiculous as he had thought they might. He pulled the hood up roughly, bringing it over his face so that it almost covered his eyes, the new hair style finishing the job.
'I know what you're thinking, don't, stop this, now!'
Darius continued to ignore the pleading voice in his head. 'Quiet! You missed your chance, it's my turn now!'
"Hey!" A stern voice addressed him; the clerk from behind the counter had noticed him sporting the hooded top and was staring at him accusingly. "I hope you're either paying for that or putting it back."
Darius scoffed at the man. If the shopkeeper wasn't such a pointless waste of breath he might have pitied the poor human. As it was he simply made a beeline to the door, ignoring the pleading protest of the voice in his head.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The shop clerk seemed absolutely astonished at the flippancy of the thievery in progress.
Darius turned and stopped in the doorway, catching and holding the store clerks gaze with his own. "I'm leaving... What does it look like?" The shopkeeper clearly knew that something was wrong from the confused look in his eyes, and from the fact that he stood there motionless as Darius took his first few steps out of the store, into the blizzard that had started outside.
He heard the man behind him scramble over the countertop to give chase, and darted in the direction of the alleyway he had seen earlier, while under the control of the true Darius, moving as silently as possible, with the fresh snow crunching beneath his feet. It was early morning, and there were few people about, but this was still something he'd rather do in private, being as weak as he was right now.
The clerk's heavy footsteps chased him into the small alley as he ran out the other side. He emerged into a small walled off area. As his weaker half had surmised, this was a dumping ground for the shop's waste, the ground was littered with empty food packets, and products which the failing business hadn't managed to sell. Nearby, a couple of overfilled bins stood, looking as if they had never been emptied.
The trash heap was covered with a thin layer of snow already, giving the place an eerily crisp atmosphere. Continuing to ignore the voice in his heads plea he pressed his back up against the wall next to the entrance to the alleyway and waited as the footsteps got closer.
"You don't have anywhere to go now, you little bastard!" the clerks voice echoed from the alley.
'You can still stop this. Just hand him it back, tell him you're sorry, and he probably won't even call anyone.'
Darius scoffed at the very idea. 'Where would the fun be in that?'
He could hear the true Darius, trapped in his own mind, let out an anguished groan at his response, just as the clerk from the shop burst from the alley, missing Darius hidden in the corner. Darius stepped calmly behind the shop keeper, in front of the alleyway, blocking the only exit to the small area.
The clerk spun in place as the crunch of snow alerted him to Darius's position. Darius simply stood and waited as the man regarded him, panting with exertion.
"I... I've got you now... you... you little prick!"
Darius laughed at the feeble threat, feeling the grin plastered across his face spread wider. "Welcome to the game. Would you like me to explain the rules?"
"What are you? Insane? Give me that back and get the hell out of my sight, before I have to call Officer Jenny!" The clerk said indignantly, finally regaining his breath after a couple of deep gasps.
"You don't want to hear the rules?" Darius allowed a feigned shock to overtake his features. "But people who don't play by the rules are cheaters..." He cut the air with his left hand, focusing his psychic energy into a concentrated wave. The man before him let out a cry, and fell forwards onto his hands and knees in front of Darius as the attack connected with the back of his legs.
Not allowing time for the kneeling human to recover, Darius closed the space between them with a single step. He gripped the stunned man's neck in a choke hold. He pulled the man to his knees, relying more on technique than his host's strength to lift the shop keeper's body weight. He stared dispassionately into the man's terrified eyes, making sure that the imbecile, who had the gall to follow him, knew exactly what he had brought on himself.
"...And I don't like cheaters." He finished coldly. His left hand tightened on the human's scrawny neck, the rings on his middle and index finger drawing blood as they tore the skin with ease, causing the warm, thick liquid to trickle between Darius's fingers.
The man retched as he attempted to draw air into his lungs. His arms came up to attempt to fend off his attacker, but Darius put an end to his defiance quickly. Raising his free hand and spreading the fingers on it, he focused his psychic energy on the clerk's arms, holding them in place as the clerk flailed desperately for the arm grasping his throat.
Darius could see tears well in the man's eyes, whether from the fear of death or the strain put on his body Darius couldn't tell, but he scorned the weakness of the human either way.
Suddenly, he pulled away, gasping in agony as a shrill metallic agony ripped through his head, calling him to his duty, as if scolding him for being sidetracked by such a petty matter. The siren call also seemed to rejuvenate him somewhat, restoring his sense of purpose, and fueling his drive, he felt renewed, and more powerful now than he had in a while.
As the pain faded, he stood straight again, pushing himself away from the wall he had leaned on for support. He turned back to the Shop keeper, who remained kneeling on the ground, pulling in deep, ragged lungful of air.
"Sorry," he put a fake element of sincerity into his voice. "but it looks like we don't have time to finish this game, but, to be fair, you were losing anyway, and even cheaters play by my rules, so..."
He lifted his ring hand once more, this time clenching it into a fist, as he channeled his newly rejuvenated power into the extremity. He allowed the psychic energy to come into contact with the slowly recovering human, pulling the wretched creature upright once more. A fatal snap could be heard, as Darius flicked his fist open again. The clerk's labored breathing stopped abruptly, his neck now twisted to an unnatural angle, his life, snuffed out in a moment.
Darius was already halfway through his turn as he waved his hand casually over his shoulder, releasing his psychic grip on the limp body, and sending it crashing into a wall with another sickening crunch. The voice of the true Darius in his head groaned pitifully.
"You felt it too, Darius, I know you did." He spoke aloud to himself, retreating into the darkness of the alleyway. "We won't last long without the blade, we must find it! We can waste no time on trivialities."
'You... You didn't have to do that... Why do you kill them?'
"Don't assume you know humans better than I do, boy! I was one too, once. Humans are foul creatures, deserving of their fate, and we will bring about that fate, one way, or the other. Come now, I have seen the relic, and it would be unwise of us to ignore its summons for long. Are you ready?"
Not waiting for an answer, Darius closed his eyes, and drew on his power once more. He felt the fabric of space wrap itself around him in a velvet embrace as the warm blue light enveloped him. He had not seen exactly where the relic was, but he knew that Hearthome city was his destination, and he focused on that as he felt the world fold in on him, disappearing in a flash of blue light.
Kat walked cautiously out of the bathroom, trailed by a cloud of steam. She eyed the relic case in the corner of the room, as if it might suddenly somehow attack her, but it seemed to have lost that malicious aura that had surrounded it when she had entered the bathroom. After a couple of seconds staring at it to make sure of its lifelessness, she walked into the room proper.
She wrapped the towel she now wore around her wet body tightly, warding against the chill that had invaded the air since they had been in the room before. Droplets of water ran from her shoulders and were absorbed by the towel as she walked slowly towards the bed. Shortly after her came Fyre, hanging his dripping head in a pout.
Katrina turned and sat on the bed, regardless of the water that dripped from her hair onto the bed sheets below. She hadn't managed to do the things she'd had in mind while in the shower. The thought of the relic, and the way it had felt had distracted her, made her unable to think about sex.
That thought snapped her out of her distraction, and made her turn back to her mate, who sat at her feet, the fake pouting forgotten as he looked at her, replaced by obvious affection and desire. Finally she decided to stop worrying about the case.
"Well, who knew you could be such a crybaby in the shower 'eh Fyre?" she teased him. He had been so cute, with his begging earlier that she had almost let him off with it, but she finally cajoled him into the shower and had stepped in behind him, having disposed of the bed covers after entering the room and locking the door behind her.
He had stared at her, but had not made any suggestions, clearly worried about how she would react to such an advance. When she had turned the shower on originally he had whined that it was too cold, and had continued despite her turning it up to near scalding.
Fyre gave a disgruntled whine at being teased. "It's not my fault they don't make a setting hot enough!" He smirked at her and shook himself, either in an attempt to get dry, or to teach her a lesson.
She shielded her face with the hand that wasn't gripping the towel around her and laughed as the, now cold, water sprayed her. Once the liquid bombardment stopped, Kat allowed herself another giggle at Fyre's expense, finding him glancing about confusedly, as the tuft of wet fur on his head now covered his eyes, blinding him.
She leaned closer to him and allowed her occupied hand to let go of the towel as she brushed away the fur with one hand, while tilting his head up towards her with the other. Her lips met his muzzle once again, and she sighed happily into the kiss, allowing Fyre's tongue to press against her lips before parting them and allowing him entry.
Their tongues feuded once again before Katrina pulled away at last, leaving a trail of saliva to connect the parted mouths. Kat turned away, blushing, having shared the most intimate moment with him since last night. In the shower she had been too distracted to think about things, but now she had time and a clear head, to mull everything over.
Last night, she had feared that she might feel guilty, but had gotten caught up in the passion of the moment. Now that the emotions were flooding out however, she could feel the exhilaration of a new romance, the excitement of the danger, and taboo nature of it all, and the love she held for Fyre, but no guilt.
She rose from the bed, picking up a fresh towel, and using it to tussle her hair dry. She walked past Fyre to the middle of the room, grinning as she sensed his eyes locked on her exposed nether region. After finishing toweling her hair partially dry, she bent over and began rummaging through her pack. Giving Fyre a deliberate, teasing show, as she searched for the clothes she would wear that day, as well as her hairdryer and a pair of hair straighteners.
She straightened up shortly after, clutching the items she had removed to her breast, before walking over, avoiding her clothes strewn across the floor and dumping the items on the bed.
"Come on Fyre, we need to get you dry, me dressed and ready to go out."
"Uhh, actually, I thought maybe we could stay here a little longer and... you could keep your clothes off?"
Kat laughed again at the forward request, she could see the blush burning under Fyre's still wet fur. "But I thought you were hungry?" she tried to sound as innocent as possible while teasing him.
"I'm not that hungry!" Fyre insisted, though a loud growl from his stomach put an end to whatever argument he was about to put up.
Katrina smiled warmly and kneeled down next to him, scratching behind one of his ears and allowing him to nuzzle her neck as she did. "Don't worry Fyre, we'll go down to the canteen, get something for you to eat, and then we'll make plans for where we want to go. If you make it until tonight then I'll give you a nice surprise... Besides..." A cheeky grin spread across her face. "I'll need to buy a few new pairs of underwear."
Fyre followed his new mate down into the reception area of the pokémon centre, watching her denim clad backside as it swayed with her walk. He had often walked behind her like this, but all of a sudden just watching the way she walked was enough to set alight a fire within him.
He shook his head, his fur now thankfully dry and out of his eyes, courtesy of his trainer, and tried to focus on anything else. The pokémon centre was busy this morning, he mused, as he scanned the room briefly.
The cramped reception area was full of many different kinds of pokémon and trainers. His eyes settled on a timid Whismur being bullied into a corner by an overly social Raichu, An Abra sleeping peacefully despite the noise of its surroundings, and finally, a Floatzel, glaring at every other pokémon that came too close, sitting near a table where he assumed its master sat, eating or resting.
At last his eyes came back to rest on Katrina, just in time to halt himself before he crashed into her, she was now standing at the desk of the pokémon centre waiting patiently for the attention of the hassled nurse Joy.
After dealing with some of the more clamorous patrons, the nurse turned her attention to the teen girl waiting silently. "Hello Ms. Katrina ma'am." She curtsied politely, as she often did. Fyre couldn't help but sense a hesitance about her, Kat had obviously felt it also.
"I'm sorry, but is there something wrong?" The nurse faltered slightly, obviously not expecting to be confronted about her obvious discomfort.
"Well, it's just... Was anyone else... In with you last night?" The nurse seemed truly embarrassed to be asking the question. Kat only smiled slightly at the nurse's shyness.
"No, no other humans at least." She flashed a dangerous smirk back towards Fyre. "Why do you ask?"
The Nurse seemed flustered by the question and took a couple of seconds to collect herself before answering.
"Well, I'm afraid we've had a noise complaint from the room neighboring yours. We don't ask for complaints to be made in... detail... but the patron insisted. I'm not going to do anything about it this time, but I'd ask you to kindly keep your private dealings... well... more private next time."
Fyre could see that the nurse was attempting to be strict, and failing at it miserably. "Really? Could you perhaps tell me who it was that filed the complaint?" Kat had a hint of mischief in her voice, barely discernible to anyone who didn't know her well enough, but obvious to Fyre's ears.
"I... I really shouldn't say... I might get into trouble." The nurse raised her hand to her mouth and let out a clearly fake cough, allowing her index finger to point behind Katrina. Fyre turned with Kat to follow the direction of the finger. The nurse had pointed to the table Fyre had spotted earlier, with the Floatzel leaning against it, now eyeing them suspiciously.
Fyre turned back in time to see Kat nod a silent thanks to the nurse. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you with that." the nurse lied to cover herself. "But is there anything else I can help you with?"
"Just checking out, thanks for the room nurse Joy." Kat pushed the room key across the desk toward the nurse, waiting for her to curtsy and retrieve the key, before turning, and shouldering her bag. She motioned with her head for Fyre to follow, and made in the direction of the table she had been indicated. Fyre fell into line behind her, but he knew how willful and impulsive she could be. He pitied the poor trainer, about to face her wrath.
As she reached the table the Floatzel stood up, and stared at Kat, a long stare as if it remembered her, and wasn't particularly fond of her. At the table, a young man with blonde hair, cropped into a short back and sides, sat with his back to Kat and Fyre, studying something on the table in front of him.
Kat cleared her throat impatiently to catch the man's attention. "I hear there was a complaint made about me, care to explain that?"
The man didn't respond straight away, finishing with whatever he had been staring at on the table before beginning to turn as he finally replied. "So you're the slut in the room next..." He paused, halfway through his turn, giving Kat the strangest look of mixed recognition and shock.
Fyre glanced back towards Kat who stood, mouth agape, returning the undignified stare.
"Oh! Kat... I... I'm sorry. I uhh, didn't know it was you..." The young man descended into an ashamed silence as he finished, glancing between his feet and Kat embarrassedly.
"Chase?" Kat had seemed outraged as the human male had insulted her, but her body language changed abruptly as she had apparently registered him as an old friend. An extremely apparent blush formed; obviously she was just as embarrassed as the male was about their brief exchange. "How are you even here? I heard about you getting your eighth badge, I thought you would be trying for the pokémon league."
The male, apparently known as "Chase", finished his turn, and stood up, dusting himself down with his hands before taking a step towards Kat. "I was going to, but I'm heading to Sandgem town first to see the professor there, I want him to check out my 'Dex. Anyway, never mind all that..." He spread his arms, motioning Kat forward with his hands. "How've you been?"
Katrina embraced the male without a second thought, lighting a spark of anger and jealousy in the pit of Fyre's stomach. 'How dare he-' the thought was interrupted as he realized the hug had broken and Kat was staring at him, awkwardly. It took him a couple of seconds to realize that the growl he could hear originated from his own throat, and he stopped abruptly.
Hearing another low growl a short distance away, he turned to see the Floatzel standing close to its trainer, poised aggressively, and being talked down by the boy. Eventually it seemed to calm down, coming to its senses, and glanced across at Fyre before turning away, crossing her arms again in a huff.
"It's okay Fyre," Kat whispered to him, a bemused grin crossed her face. She was obviously trying to contain her amusement at his reaction. "Me and Chase were... good friends... a very long time ago. You don't have to worry."
He looked her in the eyes, trying to work out what she meant by that, but eventually gave in with a pleading whine.
She stroked the side of his muzzle with the back of a hand, in silence, before turning back to Chase, watching him finish calming his own pokémon.
"Sorry about that." he said, quickly "I think she's getting hungry, we haven't eaten since this morning."
Kat seemed only glad that her intimate moment with Fyre had not been observed, and she quickly gave a nod of affirmation. "Is that Cleo?" she made a show out of being surprised. "Last I saw her, she was just a Buizel!"
She went down on one knee, making herself just a little smaller than the medium-sized pokémon. "How are you cutie?"
The Floatzel huffed in her face, before turning away, her arms still clamped around herself. Kat only giggled at the reaction she got from the surly water-type.
"Well, no matter how different she looks on the outside, she's still the same old Cleo, that's for sure!"
Chase laughed along with her. Apparently Cleo's disdain for Katrina was something of an inside joke to them.
"Speaking of Pokémon, Kat, do my eyes deceive me, or is that Ninetales there yours?"
The human male walked towards Fyre slowly, giving a questioning glance to Kat, to make sure he had her permission, before reaching down to pat him on the head. A growl formed in Fyre's throat, but was quickly muted by a warning glance from Kat. He grudgingly accepted the petting, allowing only a huffing exhale to show his irritation.
"It's a fine pokémon, Kat," the male sounded surprised, further adding to Fyre's agitation. "where'd you find it?"
"Him." Kat corrected. "I found him scavenging for food at the market; he was starving, poor thing. So I gave him some food, and he was more than happy to come with me."
Fyre was surprised by just how much she had omitted from her tale. The two had seemed so close; it hadn't occurred to him that she might want to get rid of this guy as badly as he did.
Chase seemed a little surprised himself, that there wasn't more to the story, but if he had any suspicion that she might be lying to him, he hid it well.
The young man finished petting Fyre, and stood to face Kat again. "So, have you figured out what you're going to do, now that you have your first pokémon?"
Kat glanced at Fyre with a smirk on her face. "Well... I think first of all I'm going to head to Sandgem town too. After all, I have a Pokédex, but if I really want to be a trainer, I'm going to need a trainer card as well... We're going to head out soon, and hopefully we can get pretty close to Oreburgh before we set up camp for the night. I know a shortcut near to the cycling road from Eterna city that'll help us get there tomorrow, with any luck."
Chase nodded in response. "Shame... you sure you can't wait a day? I'd head out with you, but my team and I need to rest up. Isn't that right Cleo?" He scratched under the Floatzel's chin, and she purred happily, seemingly delighted at the attention from her trainer.
"Sorry, but I'm dying to hit the road, we've been here for days already, and I don't want this guy getting into any more trouble... at least, not while we're here." She shot a mischievous grin at Fyre. "Besides, I've already checked out."
This seemed to remind the male of something, as he tensed up, and his expression changed to a more concerned one. "So, Kat, honestly... did you have a guy in there with you last night? It's just... I mean..." He trailed off, obviously searching for a reason as to why he was so interested in Kat's sex life.
"Yeah, sorry if we woke you..." Kat replied, blushing heavily. "But he was one heck of a stud!"
Chase looked away. "Well then.... I guess..." He looked around, scanning his surroundings, before turning back to Kat. "Oh come on Kat, who is he, he must be amazing, I... I never made you moan like that..." This last statement came out as a mumble, and slowly faded into silence.
Fyre held his head high, the human's statement bringing with it a strange sense of pride, suddenly though, the pride was replaced by disbelief, as he realized what it meant.
'Kat... mated... him..?'
He looked back to his mate, studying her for her reaction. She cast an apologetic glance at him, before replying to Chase. "Look, I should really get going, if I want to get to Oreburgh tomorrow."
Realizing that he had stepped over the line with the question, Chase stuttered out a feeble apology, and motioned past himself, letting her pass. Fyre stood up, and followed close behind her. He would be glad to get away from this Chase character. This was something he and Kat needed to discuss.
"Unless..." Chase's voice came again. "You felt like a battle... I've been traveling for a while now, and I don't want to get rusty. Besides, I've always wondered what kind of a trainer you'd be."
Kat stopped in her tracks, turning to face the challenger with an enthusiastic smile. Fyre gave a pleading whine, begging with his eyes for her to turn him down, but he could see from the look in her eyes that it was a hopeless plea.
"I thought your team needed to rest."
"Not Cleo here, she's fresh and ready to go."
"You're damn right I am!" The Floatzel spoke for the first time since Fyre had seen her, the female's voice was commanding, and fierce, and seemed to suit her stance perfectly. "I've been ready for too long!" Her gaze settled on Fyre, a smirk crossing her face. "Watch yourself pup... don't struggle too much, and I promise I won't hurt you too bad!"
Fyre tried to ignore her taunting, and just looked back towards Kat, who shrugged at him, before grinning up at Chase. "You're on, let's take this outside!"
Cru felt the familiar disorientation of being summoned from his pokéball, the dirt beneath his feet was a strange sensation, after the time spent in the semi-stasis of the ball. He looked up, focusing on his new master, and giving her a silent, questioning gaze.
Next to her, sat the Ninetales that he thought had left yesterday, staring at the ground between his feet, ignoring Cru as best he could.
Cru decided to break his silence. "What's he doing here?"
Kat beamed back at him. "Fyre came back last night, isn't it great?"
Cru rolled his eyes, "Wonderful... forgive me if I don't do back flips... bad leg."
His trainer giggled at his sarcasm, not bothering to rise to the petty defiance. "Well, are you ready for a battle?"
Cru tilted his head, questioningly, Kat responded by pointing behind him, and he turned. He was standing in the middle of a field, at one end of a large rectangular patch of lifeless earth, which was clearly marked for the purpose of battling with white dividing lines. At the other end of the marked area, a Floatzel stood, in front of who he assumed was its trainer.
"So what are the rules? One versus one, no holds barred?" The blonde boy cupped his hands around his mouth, to help his voice carry to the other side of the area.
Kat nodded her acceptance of his terms, and looked back to Cru, to check that he was okay with battling. Cru thought about it for a moment. On the one paw, he had never taken orders before, and wasn't intent on doing so now, but on the other, he had seen how strong Fyre was, and was envious, though he'd never admit it. Maybe she could make him as strong as Fyre was. He gave a grunt, and walked to the halfway mark on his side of the field, to show his willingness.
The Floatzel took up a similar position on the other side of the field, and stared him down, growling dangerously as they each waited for the first command. Cru looked to the side, noticing that a small crowd of three or four people had gathered at the sidelines to watch the minor battle, something inside him stirred at the idea of being watched as he crushed the opposition.
'Maybe I will like battling for a trainer after all.'
Suddenly his attention was brought back to the other side of the field as the opponent snarled a taunt. "So you're fighting me instead of the pup? I think I would rather have fought him, he looks like he might at least put up a challenge!" The voice was sharp, but certainly feminine, Cru was shocked, he'd never fought a female before, not in a one on one battle at least, and he scoffed at the idea.
"Ha, they've put me up against a breeder? This should be over quickly... don't worry your cute little head, I won't bruise you up too bad."
The Floatzel's eyes narrowed and turned dark with rage at his condescension, and he found himself suddenly feeling rather intimidated. "Oh you just wait doggie... I'm going to make mince meat outta you!"
"Cru!" Behind him, his trainer called out. "That's enough! You have to focus!"
Cru only smirked. 'Against a female, I won't even have to try.' Regardless of what he thought, he tensed his body, to make it clear that he was ready. 'Might as well make a show of it.'
The blonde haired trainer called out again. "You always did freak me out when you talked to pokémon like that Kat... I suppose it gives you something of an edge to know exactly what they're thinking."
"You could say that, but you could also say that your eight badges gave you a slight edge over me!"
"Heh, point taken. Now let's get this started, you ready Cleo?"
"Hellz yeah I'm ready! Get ready to bite the dust, mutt!"
"Okay, then get us going, use Iron tail, and don't go easy just because they're upstarts, no slacking!"
The Floatzel's tails began to glow a bright white, and Cru could see them get physically stiff, and hard as steel, she then dropped to all fours to begin a headlong charge straight at him, picking up speed with each bounding step she took.
Kat wasted no time in commanding her counter. "Cru, there's no way you can beat her head-on, try to dodge, and hit her in the side with a tackle when she gets close enough!"
Cru ignored her; no female would get the best of him. He bared his teeth in a fierce snarl, and headed straight for the charging Cleo, as fast as his legs could carry him, with the intention of getting in a savage Crunch before she could use her attack. Behind him he heard his trainer's disbelieving voice call out to him, but he refused to turn back.
Cleo was a blur of motion as she reached her top speed, almost faster than he could follow with his eyes. Before he knew what was happening, she leapt into the air, twirling to add momentum to her swing. Her tails connected with the underside of his muzzle at an angle, and sent him flying, to land in a dusty heap near the edge of the arena.
Cru grimaced at the unbelievable pain in his chin, the solid hit making his ears ring and his head ache painfully. Shaking the hit off as best he could, he rose to his feet unsteadily, only to get barreled to the ground again, by a powerful Focus punch to the chest.
He lay there on the ground for a while, recovering from the intense physical trauma. His breath came in ragged gasps, and he couldn't focus on anything but the pain coursing through him.
'How is this possible? She's a female! ...And she's kicking my tail!'
His thoughts cleared abruptly, as his trainer's voice carried into his head, seeming to cut through the pain and noise of the rest of the world.
"Cru, I can help you, but you need to start listening to what I say... I'm not saying I want to be your lord and master, but you need to follow orders during battles at least, or you're going to get thrashed! This Flotzel is strong; you can't beat her with brute strength alone!"
"You think I didn't notice?"
Kat ignored the sarcasm, or seemed to at least, it was hard to tell when she was talking into your head. "Will you help me to help you?"
"I'll do whatever you say... if you can help me beat this psychotic bitch!"
"Good, then... roll to the left... now!"
He followed the command without a second thought this time, rolling aside as a huge force impacted where he had been laying, the blow causing dust and debris to billow over him, further covering his coat in grime.
"Get up, quickly!"
He rolled to his feet as fast as possible, tripping over himself in his dazed state before standing up and shaking himself to clear his head somewhat. Opening his eyes, and scanning for the opposition. He found her standing a short distance away, breathing heavily and almost doubled over.
"That was a hyper beam..." came the call from his trainer. "...She's exhausted, get her while she can't respond! Crunch attack!"
Taking a moment to regain his breath, he starts running for his target again, her watching him with a snarl the whole time, knowing that she was helpless. He was almost upon her when he noticed a twitch as she pulled her arm back, just slightly, and the snarl turning into a smirk, she was faking it!
He dived to the side as she brought her arm forward with a powerful focus punch, not quite as strong as the first, but still with enough force behind it to take him out. He landed on his side painfully as the focus punch grazed past, he felt the force ruffle the fur on his flank as he dodged.
Without waiting for her to recover, he leapt to his feet, and sunk his teeth into her side in a Crunch, putting as much power as he could muster into the attack, he wanted it to hurt!
The Floatzel cried out in pain as his teeth penetrated her thick hide, and sunk deep into her side, swatting him away with a backhand, which caused him to yelp in pain, and turn away, releasing her from the attack.
"So... it's going to be like that is it..? Attack me while my back is turned will you? You bloody coward!" Cleo clutched at her side, still wincing slightly. "C'mere!"
She reached forward, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck before he could react. Using her weight, and her superior position and technique, she floored him with a tug, bringing him to her feet. She placed a foot paw on his neck, causing him to groan in pain as she put more pressure onto the already pained area. She grabbed his ear with a paw, and pulled his head up halfway, as she leaned down, meeting him in the middle.
"I'll make sure you never forget the name Cleo, mutt!"
He braced himself for more pain, clenching his eyes shut, and tensing his body, when there was a shout from the sidelines.
"That's enough! Stop, I forfeit!" The voice belonged to his master, she had stopped the fight before it was truly over, and part of him wanted to deny her request, but he knew that it didn't make a difference either way, he had lost... badly.
There was a pause from the female above him as her own trainer called her off, she growled, disappointed at having her chance for vengeance taken from her, but she eventually relented. "Next time... I'll make sure you know just which one of us is the bitch!" She slammed his head into the dust, stepping off of him, and walking back to her trainer.
Cru just lay there, defeated and humiliated in the dirt, panting and aching all over from the rough treatment, but still hungry for more. He had discovered his lust for battle, and his desire to grow stronger, much stronger. Maybe, through Katrina, he could.
He heard footsteps coming closer, and before he knew it, Kat was at his side, her hand resting on his head, calmingly, as she sprayed a cool liquid onto his chest and neck. The strange liquid burned slightly, but he didn't complain, he only looked up at her, the pain of movement causing him to give a soft whine.
"You did great out there, Cru. Now rest easy."
He felt the, now familiar, lightheadedness, as the beam of light called him back to the semi-stasis of his pokéball, for once welcoming of the sanctuary his trainer provided.
Kat prodded at the small fire in front of her with a stick out of boredom. The firewood she had collected wasn't the best, it was damp, and had only sputtered and spewed smoke when lit, but after a her trying for a solid hour to get it burning, Fyre had managed to get a small blaze going in a matter of seconds.
He hadn't said more than a few words since she had calmed him in the pokémon center, and she was starting to get worried, as well as irritated by his somber state, she had tried to read the problems from his mind more than once, but he had his mental shield firmly in place.
'Damn, definitely taught him how to do that far too early.'
She watched him stare at the ground dejectedly for a while, before slumping down next to him, ignoring the pain in her shoulder, caused by lugging her bag, which was considerably heavier, now that it contained the relic, around all day. The relic had barely fit into her bag, which, considering that it was bigger than Fyre had been when he had taken a ride in it, was hardly surprising.
She would have to get a new bag, one that could hold the relic properly, without making it bulge out awkwardly, and that would leave room for more than just the bare essentials, she had managed to pack a tent, a sleeping bag, and a few basic trainer items, like pokémon food, and a couple of pokéballs but any more would have likely caused the bag to burst.
She had thought about cooking something on the camp-fire, but after the events of the day, she didn't much feel like eating, a dismissing grunt from Fyre had told her that, despite his whining earlier, he wasn't in any mood to eat either.
"Come on Fyre... tell me what's wrong!"
The sound of her own voice caused her to shiver, as she broke the silence. She had set up camp in the forest, off the well beaten path, the only company they had came in the form of the occasional noise of nocturnal animals foraging in the undergrowth, yet still she felt threatened, watched, almost claustrophobic.
"I thought you trusted me... but you used Cru in the battle instead... why?" Fyre's despondent voice called her back to the here and now.
"Is that what this is all about? Fyre... I've known Cleo since she was just a Buizel, she was powerful then, and she's even more powerful now.... I don't want you to think I'm babying you... but you saw how badly beaten Cru got... if I'd pushed it, and kept going, he might have been really hurt... and if that thought scares me, just imagine if you had been in his place. Not to mention your type disadvantage and the fact that those weren't even same-type moves she was using... I shudder to think what she could have done to you with a well placed Water pulse!"
Fyre nodded his understanding, though still obviously irritated at her decision, he seemed to accept her answers, giving a slight whine as his entire body language changed, his tails began to slowly wag, and his ears, which were splayed, perked up.
He gave Katrina a quick lick to the cheek in penance for his moping. "Okay... but I'm going to prove myself to you, one way or another!" A mischievous smirk flickered across Fyre's muzzle as he apparently remembered something amusing.
"So... you mated with that male..?
"Chase?" Kat's face flushed, as she recalled her conversation with Chase in the pokémon center. "Well... yes, but it was over a year ago!"
"What happened?"
"Don't get me wrong Fyre... He's a nice enough guy, and a good friend, but he's just not boyfriend material."
"What do you mean?"
"Well... he treated me like he treats his pokémon... do you see what I'm saying?"
"Not... really..."
"Like after that battle, he didn't even thank Cleo for all the hard work she'd done for him. He thinks of it as... less of a friendship, more of a business relationship... He... doesn't know how to just have fun..."
She clicked her fingers, suddenly. "Damn, I knew I'd forgotten something."
Standing up once more, she removed Cru's pokéball from her belt, pressing the release button again, waiting expectantly as the beam of light took shape, and Cru stood before her, seeming better than he had before she had withdrawn him, but still covered in the dirt and grime from the battle.
"What do you want?" he sulked, not bothering to look at her.
"I want to talk to you about the battle."
Cru turned away, spitting on the ground at his feet, clearly uncomfortable with the subject. Nevertheless, it needed to be discussed.
"Do you want to be here?"
"...What?"
"Do you want to be here, with me? In the battle, you disobeyed me... I want you to know, nothing's changed. If you don't want to be on my team, you might as well get out of here. If you decide you want to go, then you're free to tag along until we get to the pokémon center in Oreburgh, but after that, I can't have any drains on our resources. So you have to choose."
The Mightyena looked at her indignantly, as if he had been asked to carry out a task far below his station, but after a few moments pause, he turned with an irritated growl, and walked slowly into the long grass, disappearing amongst the undergrowth, wordlessly.
She watched him go, and couldn't help but feel a little sad, a few moments after his tail had disappeared, she took a deep breath, before placing his pokéball back in her belt. Partially out of sentiment for her first ever truly owned pokémon, and partially because while she didn't think he would threaten them again, she didn't wasn't ignorant of the possibility, and having the ball would make such a situation much easier to deal with.
"Are you sure that was a smart thing to do?" Fyre voiced his concern, having remained silent throughout the brief exchange.
"He won't hurt us Fyre."
"How can you tell?"
"You'll just have to trust me on this, please?" She went down on one knee, sealing his muzzle with a kiss, their first since that morning, it felt good to be so intimate after such a tense situation. A mischievous smile crossed her lips as she broke the kiss, standing and turning away from Fyre and kicked dirt over the fire to put it out, before walking slowly to the tent she had set up.
Turning back to Fyre she motioned him forward with a finger, before ducking into the tent and waiting for him to follow. The tent had looked small from the outside but now that she was inside, she estimated that it was probably big enough for two people to rest comfortably, with maybe a little space to spare.
As Fyre followed her into the tent, curiously, she pushed him onto his side, kneeling down next to him before rolling him onto his back.
"Kat?"
She shushed him, leaning across his body and sealing his muzzle with another kiss, one hand kept pressure on his chest, while the other neared his crotch once again. Fyre seemed to get the idea, and stopped trying to push against the hand holding him still. Breaking the kiss one last time, she whispered into his ear.
"Do you trust me?"