As One-Ch.3: Friends
#3 of As One
Got this one up sooner than expected. Only two readers so far. It doesn't phase me. Read if you wish, I'm not gonna force you to read my stories. They're just unpopular right now. And new. So I understand if not many people have seen it yet. Either or, here is where I add more characters into the mix. Enjoy!
Chapter 3: Friends
Krystal shrieked when we got back. She immediately rushed over to inspect where the blood on my cheek was coming from. "Oh my gosh, what happened to you?"
Celia walked over to a pile of Oran berries, picked one out for herself, and sat down to eat. "I did. I made sure to cut real deep too."
"What?"
"He deserved it," she said through a mouthful of half chewed berry.
"Celia!"
"Don't get mad at her." I stopped Kris before she started going hysterical. "It was my fault."
She sighed and went to go fetch some kind of cream for the cuts. "You have to stop blaming yourself Ren." Why? Who else is there to blame?
Krystal is a kind of... healer. She knows all kind of remedies and cures for different situations, which explains how she was practically able to bring me back from death that fateful day.
Under her guidance I have learned a lot of useful things that could help me to stay alive when I eventually leave here. Things like what effects a Sitrus Berry has on the body or how to heat a mixture of herbs that can cure poisoning.
The ointment stung as it was applied, but I didn't mind. I had suffered through worse.
"I think you should leave it. It makes him look cool" Celia walked over and smiled."Your girlfriend likes cool things, right?"
Ah, there's the Celia I know and love."She's not my girlfriend," I said, slightly annoyed. "And I don't want to be 'cool' I never wanted to be 'cool'"
She laughed."Then do more of what you did that one time. You freaked everyone out. I swear people were whispering rumors about you non-stop." I think she's talking about my first day of school here.
FLASH
A couple of days in recovery and I was finally able to walk around without anything hurting too much. A trip to a nearby river to wash off any dirt and grime, and my pelt actually looked presentable. You'd never guess I escaped certain death a while back.
We had a breakfast of a small assortment of berries. The entire time Celia had been blabbering on about me and that Ruby girl. "- and I had brought over a couple of times, but you were always asleep."
"Wait. You're telling me that you brought her over here to watch me sleep?" What is wrong with this girl?
"No. I intended for you two to talk, but you would be sleeping. I tried to wake you up, but you would always shrug it off." And then her face lit up. "He's going to school with me today, right Mom?"
Krystal nodded. "Speaking of which, you two should get going, lest you be late."
"I'll take him! Come on, Ren."
I turned to Krystal. "Do I really have to go?" she made a gesture with her head that implied I had to leave.
Celia led me out of the cave past two tall trees. I gazed up at the oaks as we passed by. The branches on them were so high up that they seemed to touch the clouds. It made me wonder how little we all were compared to whatever power lay up in the skies, looking down upon us all.
Beyond the two trees was an open field. The horizon was crested with rolling hills and bright green grass.
There were a bunch of Eevee in the field. Most were in groups of two or more. They were talking amongst themselves, passing time, waiting for classes to start.
Celia wandered off to go find someone in the crowd. I figured that I wasn't welcome anywhere so I picked a spot that was a good distance away from the rest of the group to lie down.
As I was walking, I noticed that a few heads turned my way. I paid it no mind and ignored them. What interest would anyone have in me anyway? They would all start jeer at me and accuse me of being a monster behind my back. I'm sure some things wouldn't change.
Stopping, I remembered that this isn't my old home. Nobody knows my birth parents. Nobody knows what I am. Nobody can accuse me of anything.
I continued walking and eventually got to a spot where I could lay down in peace. Closing my eyes, I was able to drown out all the chatter so that I was only aware I of myself and the grass around me.
"H-hello."I opened an eye. A female Eevee was standing a ways off. She looked over her shoulder at a group of other girls who were giggling and whispering to each other.
"Umm... hi," I said, a little uneasy. She was directing her gaze between me and the floor with a little smile on her face while tracing little circles in the grass.
"Bye." She bounded back towards the girls, where she was met with little squeals and giggles. They were throwing a few glances my way and I was left to wonder what just happened.
"Uh... bye?" Some of the guys were looking at me if I was a god. They started whispering amongst themselves. I picked up some harsh and amazed tones. One of them stared me down and sneered as our gazes met.
"There he is!" Celia walked over to me. "What's up?"
"I don't know, but I think someone's girlfriend just flirted with me... can you tell me what's going on?"
She looked around and laughed. "Well, first of all you're new here. People would expect you to try and fit in. Look at you. What are you doing all the way over here?"
"I prefer to be by myself. That's how it's always been, and that's how I'd like it to stay."
"And they think it's cool that you don't care for your opinion. Secondly, it's like I said, you're cute. The girls find you adorable." As if to prove her point, a chorus of giggles started up again.
"I don't like all the attention..."
She smiled."Get used to it."
"Uh... excuse me?" There was an Eevee behind Celia and she looked as if she didn't really want to be here. "What did you need me for again?"
"Oh yeah, Ren, this is Ruby." Oh no.
"His name is Ren?" Ruby looked at me and smiled. "I like your name."
"Uh...thanks. Yours is good too."
"Really? It's nothing special. You know, you look a lot more different without the blood. It kinda scared me to see you like that."
"Umm...okay."
"Celia talks about you a lot. She says your parents are dead. Is that true?" I nodded."Oh... she also talked about how you said I sounded like a wonderful girl and wanted to get to know me better."
"What! I never said... Celia!"
She gave me innocent eyes and a smile that would almost have made me forgive her, had she been my real sister. "I didn't do anything, big bwother"
I sighed and laid my head back down. "I swear to Arceus, you're big mouth is going to get me into trouble one day."
Ruby laughed. "You two are a perfect example of what a brother and sister should be like. I wish it was like that with me and Jace."
"Jace?"
"My brother."
"You have a brother?"
"Yeah, he's real protective of me. In fact, knowing him, he's bound to show up right about-"
"So you're the punk who's been putting claims on my sister."
"-now"
An Eevee that I assumed to be Jace was staring at me angrily. His eyes narrowed and teeth bared. It would have scared me, had my family not been massacred days ago.
"Listen buddy I-"
"I'm not your buddy_, buddy._ You've got some nerve talkin' to my little sis." Man, was I right about Celia's mouth getting me into trouble. Maybe a little sooner than I expected, but nevertheless, it happened.
"Jace, drop the act."
"What act?"
"You know what I'm talking about."
"There is no act. I'm pissed off and this little prick is going to eat dirt."
"Jace, leave him alone."
"Why?"
"He didn't do anything wrong."
"Yes he did, he talked to you."
"I talked to him."
"And he responded. Maybe after I'm through with him he can learn how to keep his mouth shut... considering I don't break it first."
"Look, I don't even like him that way. No harm done right?"
"Not yet."
Things seemed to be heating up, so I stepped in. "Look, for what it's worth I-"
Jace growled. "Shut up."
That's it. "No... you shut up."
"What's that?"
"You heard me."
"Ya got something to say, punk?"
I got up and stared him straight in the eye. "Yeah, I do. For one thing, I don't even like your sister. That's just something this one said." I pointed a paw at Celia. "Secondly, do you honestly think you scare me? My entire pack was killed. My Teacher was slaughtered before my very eyes. I barely managed to escape with my life. What did I do? I went back the very next day and accepted fate. Dead bodies were everywhere. There wasn't a spot on the ground that wasn't covered in blood. You think you're tough? I came close to death! If I can avoid being killed, then I can sure as hell stand up to an annoying prick like you without a problem!"
By now everyone had grown quiet. I don't care. It doesn't matter. Let them listen. Let them know what I've been through.
"I will never see my parents again. I wish I could wake up to hear my mother's loving voice. I wish I could go to sleep knowing my father is there to protect me. I wish I could tell them that I loved them one last time. I envy you. The things you take for granted are the things I would kill for. A mother's kiss. A simple talk with father. Even being yelled at for misbehaving. As long as they're still alive... I love you... three simple words I would kill to hear from my parents again."
He doesn't know me. Everyone here would never understand how I feel. Why do I even bother? I dropped my voice to a whisper so only he could hear. "Do you know what it feels like to have everything you've ever known, everything you've ever loved, taken away from you? It feels like nothing you would even begin to understand. My life is a living hell. I am tormented every single day. People like you can't say or do anything to make me feel any worse because I am dead inside. You make me sick. I could kill you and treat it like a normal thing. You mean nothing to me."
I raised my voice again. "I don't care what you think of me or who I am. All I want is to be left alone, with time to myself to think about what kind of hell life really is. So once again, I ask. Do you honestly think I'm scared of you?"
I sneered at him and walked away. Everyone's eyes were trained on me. I could feel them, accusing, amazed, giving me more of a reason to hate them for nothing they've done.
As soon as I reached a good distance away from them, I dropped on the ground, curled into myself, and shut my eyes tight.
First day at school and I'm already the guy on everyone's mind. Why me? What did I do to deserve this? Oh, yeah that's right... I was born. Arceus hates me and the world could never be more unfair.
All the Eevee went back to talking. Some talking about me, most whispering to each other about how what I did was the saddest thing they've seen. The guys thought I was weak. The girls felt sorry for me. I really am an orphan. My parents are really dead. I'm Celia's new brother. Me, Me, Me, it's all about me.
I just wanted to drown them out. I wanted to die and maybe then I would be free. Maybe I wouldn't have made a fool of myself in front of the entire class. Maybe they wouldn't be talking about me right now... maybe, just maybe.
I hear paw steps rustle the grass nearby. "Sorry." I didn't even bother looking up. He wasn't worth the effort. "Ruby's my sister, and I'm just looking out for her. I'm just trying to make sure no one hurts her. I just want to make sure that whoever she chooses as a mate is right for her. And I wanted to apologize for how I acted with you. I didn't give you a chance to explain yourself... so, sorry."
"Look, I know Ruby is making you apologize and that you don't really mean what you're saying. If it's all the same to you, then go back to treating me like dirt. I don't even care anymore."
It was quiet between us. "Your parents really are dead, aren't they?"
"Oh, gee, what gave it away, my little outburst? Or is it the fact that I am adopted as of now?" This guy is getting on my nerves. I hate him. Why is he even talking to me? I'm worthless. Pathetic.
"When I heard Celia talk about your parents, I thought she was lying," he admits. I hear him scuffle at the ground with his paw. He's ashamed.
"Oh, right, she lies about my dead parents, but when it comes to me liking your sister, who I barely even know, you just have to hunt me down."
"I was a jerk. I know. But I was just trying to protect Ruby. I really am sorry. You understand don't you?"
...yes.
"Yeah, I do. The night we were attacked, my mom died trying to protect me. Love can do things to people. I just wish that I could have defended her. Maybe she wouldn't be dead now. I blame myself. Every second I'm alive is another she isn't... and I hate myself for it." My eyes stayed on the grass opposite the direction of him. "I'm sorry. You probably don't want to hear this."
"... We got off on the wrong paw earlier. The name's Jace."
I looked over at him. He had his paw held out to me as if he was expecting me to shake. I did. "Ren."
Am I actually making a friend? I've never had one before. It feels... strange.
"I'd like you to get to know the real me, not the jerk you saw earlier. Come on, I might even introduce you to a few guys I know."
I smiled and followed him back to Celia and Ruby. Things were going to get different, might as well get used to it.
END FLASHBACK
"I don't really think that's a good idea. You know Jace pushed me too far. I couldn't have controlled my outburst."
"Hey, I'm just saying. You don't want to be cool? Fine by me." She brushed passed me and headed over to the field. "Come on, you don't want to keep your girlfriend waiting."
"She's not my girlfriend."
"You're smiling," she teased in a sing-song voice.
"Have fun you two," Kris called out after us.
"I will," Celia reassured. Although, I'm sure she meant more at my expense than anything else.
Considering how close we live to the field, we got there in under a minute. The teacher, as usual, was late.
Some of the Eevee stopped talking and looked my way as we arrived. One in particular I noticed.
"Reeeeen!"she called out, making sure to drawl out the 'e' sound in my name. I always loved how she did that. She walked over with a concerned look on her face.
"Hey Ruby, how's-"
"Am I fat?"she quickly interjected, then raised her eyebrows, pouted, and tilted her head in the most adorable way. Oh Arceus, why me?
The question caught me off guard and I was a stuttering mess for about a few seconds before I could regain my composure.
"No, of course not, you're beautiful." agh, why'd I say that? Oh, gods, now she's looking at me funny. Quick, say something you idiot! "Why do you ask?"
She blushed a little and looked over to a group of girls. "Cynthia keeps calling me 'Snorlax Butt'."
There were three girls. The leader of the group, Cynthia, waved at me and tried to make it look cute, but only succeeded in making me angry.
Of the three in the group, Cynthia was the only one who picks on Ruby, throwing various insults and comments her way every now and again.
Cynthia is one of the few girls that doesn't try to hide her feelings for me, always flirting, always teasing, whispering the kinds of things into my ear that make me blush and stammer. Not that I like her. Almost every girl seems to have that effect on me. I guess I'm just shy, or even uncomfortable when one of them winks at me or glances my way, even for a few fleeting seconds. My guess as to why she picks on Ruby is because she's jealous, envious, and cruel hearted. Unfortunately for her, I don't really do bullies.
The other two girls were known as Cream and Ginger. I kinda like how their names don't match, unlike other twins, where the parents feel the need to name one Mack and the other Zack. Ugh. Yes, they were twins, and what's most important is that they aren't mean to Ruby like Cynthia is. I've even seen them trying to talk her out of messing with Ruby once. I thanked them and they instantly tried to conceal their blushes, surprised I would even speak to them.
I like the two better than Cynthia, but not enough to hang around with them. I'm sure I could get to know them better if they weren't influenced by Cynthia, but that's just not possible now. They really are good girls, but she isn't.
"Don't mind her, Ruby. She's just jealous."
"Jealous?"
"Yeah, she thinks she's better than you. She thinks that she deserves to be talking to me right now. But in all truth, she's not worth the effort. I won't give her the satisfaction of being near me."
She smiled and looked at me fondly. "You always know what to say."
And then I got lost in her eyes; a beautiful, glossy brown that always seems to sparkle.
Ruby, she's not like the other girls. She has no attraction to me whatsoever. I had always wondered why. She only saw me as myself, never once looked at me as if I was a piece of eye candy. She never saw me as a strong male, worthy of being her mate. I was just a friend to her, and I would be nothing more... just a friend.
I respect Ruby and I'm really glad I got to know her. She's sweet, kind, understanding, reliable, and... beautiful. I think I may even be in love with her... she doesn't feel the same way. I just know it. To her, I'm just a friend... I'm just a friend.
"Aww... don't you two look cute together." I felt my face burning as I looked at Celia. I had forgotten she was there. She was smiling and tilting her head as if she was admiring us. I will never hear the end of this.
"She's not my girlfriend," I said, barley managing to keep my usual undisturbed tone of voice.
"Celia, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't like your brother?" Ruby was frowning and staring at Celia angrily. She's adorable even when she's mad... agh! I've got to stop thinking like this!
Celia smiled. "You can say that as long as you like, but you know he's irresistible."She then turned to me. "And you-"
"Yeah, yeah- hold that thought," I cut her off and crouched low to the ground as an Eevee went flying over my head.
He landed next to Ruby and turned to look at me in bewilderment. "How do you always do that?"
I got up and informed him on his problems. "You move the grass around a lot, your steps are too loud, you're breathing heavily, and you hesitate before you jump."
Jace scoffed. "Like you could do any better."
"Dude, don't go there. You're not as good as I am."
"Yeah, right I'd like to see you prove - Ren? Where'd you go?" he looked around wildly, failing to notice I had snuck around behind him and hid in his blind spot.
The girls giggled at his stupidity. "What?" here's what. I pounced on his back, pinned him to the ground, leaned down, and whispered into his ear. "Stealth is my thing."
"Hey, you guys start wrestling without me?"
I looked up and saw another Eevee. He had apparently just arrived.
I didn't have time to respond before Christian tackled me off of Jace and we went rolling across the ground. Jace joined into the scuffle shortly afterwards and it was on. I heard Ruby mutter to herself "Boys" and I could feel, more than see, the shake of her head through the mass of brown fur that surrounded me.
"Okay boys, break it up." I looked up with a bit of Christian's ear it my mouth to find that Ruby was staring at us sternly. It was kinda scary how she could find it in herself to look like a strict teacher, yet cute at the same time.
At her words, Jace jumped off my back and I relented my assault on Christian, who was struggling beneath our combined weights.
"Well, the whole group's here," Celia said. Yup. "The whole group" being me, Celia, Ruby, Jace, and Christian.
If you're wondering where Christian came into the story, then it can all be summed up by saying that Jace had introduced me to some of his friends. Some of them rejected me, or I rejected them first in self defense. Christian was the only one that stuck. He's a respectable guy all in all.
Jace and I have grown to become really good friends. He was actually a really cool guy and only acted like a jerk that one time to protect Ruby from boys who would probably only end up hurting her. Which may have been me back then. Because of Jace, most guys see Ruby as "Off limits" and tend not to disturb her. Jace trusts me though, but I find it strange that he trusts me enough to be around Ruby... alone.
I feel uncomfortable knowing Jace has nothing between me and Ruby. He knows I don't mean any harm and that I wouldn't even think of trying anything while he was away, but I just don't feel right about it.
"Settle down now children, settle down." Ah, the teacher is here.
A Noctowl touched down in the center of everyone. Nobody knows his real name, but he goes by Mister B, or Sir.
"Terribly sorry I'm late. Now, would everybody take their seats?" everyone sat down in front of the old owl. Boys and Girls in separate groups, as it had always been with him around. Class had officially begun.
Not really being much of a morning person myself, I closed my eyes and slowly drifted off into unconsciousness as the teacher droned on about some historical event I was all too familiar with.
"Well, Ren, seeing as how you slept through the entire lesson, would you care to repeat back to me what I have just finished informing the rest of the class?"
"Huh?" I cracked an eye open and saw Mister B staring at me with calm eyes. He wore a smile on his face, uh... well, as much a smile one can have with a beak.
Doesn't he ever learn? I closed my eye again, smiled to myself, and rolled onto my back lazily.
"Well, I do remember you saying something about the origin of our evolution."
"Yes, what about it?" he urged me on. Oh, this is going to be fun.
My smile grew wider. "Before all time, Pokémon like us were unaware of our true potential. We had no qualities that would distinguish ourselves from others. Being a Normal Type wouldn't help either, and those with an elemental type would look down on us as inferior beings who had no right to exist.
"One day, the great one known as Arceus decided that a lesson was in order. He descended upon the land and called forth one Pokémon of each elemental type, excluding normal. He gave to these individuals a plate that corresponded to their element and told them to handle it with care, for its powers may prove too great for one to possess. Before departing, his message was that he wished for the plates to be used to reinforce peace throughout the land."
I yawned."Peace was maintained for many years to come, but eventually, those that were gifted with the plates began to fight amongst each other, claiming that they each wanted the plates for themselves. Soon alliances were formed and peace was replaced by war. There were two factions in the war: The Alliance of Fang, and The Alliance of Claw."
I sat up and grinned at the look on the old owl's face. "The Alliance of Claw harbored dark, fighting, rock, fire, flying, grass, ground, and electric types, while The Alliance of Fang took in Ice, poison, dragon, ghost, bug, water, psychic, and steel types. Those with dual types could choose which faction to align themselves with. The same rule applied for normal types, but they mostly remained neutral.
"War raged on for as long as any could remember, until one day the Factions planned an all-out attack on each other. Any Pokémon currently residing in a faction had to join the battle. Whether they were young or old, none were spared."
I thought back to the lessons I had with my old Espeon teacher and was almost grateful that he had such an interest in history. "There was a great amount of blood spilled that day. And in the midst of battle, Arceus himself descended upon the land. He said that he was disappointed in those he granted the elemental plates, and took back the plates from them. They protested and decided to attack the god like the fools they were. Arceus struck them all down in one swift movement.
He called forth a Normal Type, who happened to be an Eevee - one of the most disrespected Pokémon ever. He chose this Eevee in particular because his heart wasn't influenced by the corruption that had spread through power. The Eevee had also tried to negotiate with the two factions and work out a way to settle this war without any more fighting, without success, of course. But he tried nevertheless, which showed his good intentions. As a reward, Arceus granted him and his kind several elemental abilities: of which were electric, water, ice, grass, psychic, fire, and dark.
"Arceus then retreated back to the skies, taking with him the elemental plates and wishing the land peace forever more."
I smiled at the look on my teacher's face. "And that's pretty much the sum of things. Did I miss anything sir?"
It took him a moment to come over his surprise. He eventually shook his head and blinked rapidly. "You did leave out the part about the young Eevee's evolution, but I'm sure that's irrelevant to the cause. I swear, Ren, in all my time with you in my class; I will never understand how you do that."
"In my defense, just because I'm asleep, doesn't mean that my ears stop working." Truth be told, Mister Yin liked to drill history lessons into our young minds. I never thought one day they would ever come in handy.
The owl chuckled and slowly shook his head. "Very well then, class dismissed."
All Eevee dispersed and went their own separate ways; some heading back home and some just hanging out here for a while.
I usually spend my downtime out here in the field. Jace stays behind on some rare occasions. Christian always heads back home because his mother worries about him. Celia stays behind to talk to Ruby. Ruby stays behind to watch the sunset.
She usually asks me to watch it with her. I always say yes. Even on that first day. I had never really known what the sunset looked like; all I knew was that the sky changed colors during the day and into the night. I had always wanted to see it, so I said yes. I had thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I enjoy the sunset... even more when Ruby is with me... when we watch it together...
I snapped out of my daze just as Mister B was getting ready to leave. "Wait! Sir!" I hastily rushed over and he turned to me in confusion.
"Yes?"
"I've wanted to ask you something."
He nodded."Go ahead"
"How is it that you are awake in the mornings?"
He smiled...umm... beaked? "And what might I ask has made you curious as to want to know why?"
"... well, you've noticed I fall asleep during the morning?" he nodded. "I'm kind of an...insomniac."
He grunted in amusement. "Having trouble falling asleep, eh?"
"Yes, sir."
"Very well then, if you must know, then who am I - as a teacher - to fail to inform you."
He spread his wing to settle into a more comfortable position. "I do not see night and day as - well, night and day. I see it as time."
"Time?"
"Yes, you see - one can use time, but few can manipulate it. If you can fool your internal clock, then you can withstand any hour of the day - or night - with out exhaustion. For example, I am off to take a nap now so that I may be awake, come nightfall. Sometime during the night I will take another nap so that I can be awake in the early hours of the morning. Although I am having trouble waking up, it's nothing I can't fix. I don't have to sleep in the mornings, I just can. Do you understand."
"I think so. The concept of night and day can be seen as time. I can use time to fool my instincts so that I can be awake at any time of day... or night. So I could try staying awake every morning during classes and go to sleep at night. And maybe switch it around every now and then so my body can't tell the difference between night and day?"
"Exactly."
"Thank you, Sir."
"The pleasure's all mine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be off."
He flew into the forest as Jace and Christian walked over to me.
"How do you do that?" Jace asked me, a stupid look on his face.
"Do what?"
"...Everything."
"I dunno, I guess I was just born that way."
"How, stupidly?" he joked.
"Hey, at least I'm smarter than you."
He laughed."Whatever dude, I don't think I can pull off a stunt like that. Did you see the look in Mister B's eyes when you outright explained the entire speech to him? That kind of stuff is priceless. I swear, man, you summed up five hours of the most boring speech the old dude has ever given us, in five seconds."
Christian walked by, "Yeah, that was cool, I gotta get going home now. Mom's expecting me." I saw a cut above his ear that was bleeding a little bit and stopped him.
"Hey, where'd you get that?"
"Hm? Oh, when we were wrestling earlier before the teach showed up."
"Did I do that?"
"Yeah, you bit me pretty hard..."
"oh, I'm sorry, man."
"It's okay dude, were cool."
"Why don't you stop by my place on your way home? I'm sure Kris could heal that right up."
"You sure?"
"Yeah," I reassured him. "Besides, we're friends. It's what we do. We look out for each other. Also, I wouldn't want your mom killing me over a little scratch."
He laughed as he walked off. "Sure, bro. See you guys tomorrow."
Me and Jace talked to pass the time - him obviously not wanting to go home and me not knowing what else to do with my spare time. We talked about little things -like how I could help him with his stealth techniques and how he could "help"me get a date. Then I told him off about him not having anyone chasing after his tail and he told me off about being a complete chick magnet and not leaving any girls for him.
We laughed. We joked. We fought... just two friends enjoying each other's company.
The sun started to set and it was nearing that time of day when Jace had to go home. His face turned serious and he asked me a question just out of the blue.
"You like my sister, don't you?"
The question took me off guard, yet I didn't falter or do anything that would obviously show my surprise. And I thought to myself. Why can't I lie? It's not so hard. Just toss around a few words mixed in with the truth. It's not so hard. It's not hard at all.
I sighed and looked over to where Ruby would hang out with Celia in the shade of one of the many trees. They were too far away for me to hear their conversation, but something funny must have been said because Ruby laughed.
I caught myself admiring her smile. It made me warm inside to see her happy. I would do anything to keep her that way.
Why can't I lie?
"Yeah, you gonna beat me up or what?"
He smiled."No. if it came down to it actually, I wouldn't mind you and Ruby being together. Just promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Keep her safe."
I looked back at Ruby and saw that beautiful smile of hers. "I will. When the day comes I'll protect her from even myself. Just don't tell her I love her... please?"
He laughed."Don't worry Ren, your secret's safe with me."
I shook my head. "She doesn't even feel the same way about me though."
"Don't worry about that, she'll come around eventually. I know her. Besides, it's not as if any other guy would bother her with me around." He got up and stretched."I'll be going back home now. Need to get some sleep. Take good care of her, buddy."
"I will," I assured him as he walked off and disappeared through the underbrush, heading back to his place. I felt better liking Ruby with his blessing. As long as he's okay with it, then there's nothing weird between us. We could still be friends... for a few days more.
I rolled on my back and watched the clouds float by. I started to think about my life so far and what I've amounted to. I like to think when I'm alone. It helps get my mind off of certain things and onto others. I recommend thinking as a past-time. It's enjoyable.
The sky was starting to turn a beautiful shade of red when I heard my sister's voice. "I'm going home now, Ren. Sunsets aren't really my thing." I took my eyes off the sky and looked at Celia, nodding once and she ran off towards the two tall oaks in the distance.
"You two lovebirds have fun!" she called over her shoulder.
I sat up and yelled back at her. "She's not my girlfriend!"
I heard her giggles even at the distance we were at and sighed.
"Would you like to watch the sunset with me, Ren?" Ruby was standing there with smile on her face. At the end of every day, the question awaited me. I said yes the first time to see what the sunset looked like.
I nodded. "Sure." Now I say yes just to be with her.
Trying to keep my heart from breaking through my chest, I sat down next to Ruby and faced the horizon.
I felt...complete, being here with the one I loved. She doesn't feel the same way about me though. I know that for a fact. She likes me, but she doesn't love me. How would she even react if she knew I wanted to be an Umbreon. Surely she'd cast me off to the side without a second thought...but maybe she wouldn't. Maybe, just maybe. But even now, just sitting here with her: I'm lying to myself. I'm only going to end up hurt, but I can't help it. I'd do anything to keep moments like this alive.
We watched as the sky lit up with vibrant shades of reds, oranges, and yellows. I tried to keep my eyes on the setting sun and tried hard not to look at Ruby. I didn't need to see her to appreciate her beauty though. Her presence was enough.
Eventually, the sun had fallen behind the horizon and the bright colors fled the sky as it turned black and filled with stars.
"That was fun..." Ruby smiled. "I'll be going home now."
I got up to follow her. "I'll come with you." She gave me a suspicious look. "Oh, no it's not what you think. I-I promised Jace that I would protect you when he isn't around. And I know that I've never really walked you home before, but Jace has brought me over a couple of times so I know where it is. It's no trouble for me really, even though there isn't anything to protect you from out here. But if you don't mind..."
"I don't mind. It's nice to have some company," she said as she continued walking."Actually, I know it sounds kinda stupid, but I'm a little afraid of the dark."
I smiled."It's not stupid. If anything, it's almost natural. But I don't see what there is to be afraid of."
She looked around nervously. "Are you kidding? There's everything to be afraid of. There are all these shadows. It's dark, I can't see very well, and I always get the feeling that something is watching me. And it feels a little... evil." She shuddered and pressed herself against me. "So why aren't you scared of the dark?"
I took comfort in how close she was to me. I knew that she pressed against me because she was scared. But I was here to protect her from the "evil" darkness. I was the only one she could turn to in this moment. She needs me... and I need her.
"I'm not so much scared of the dark as I am scared of you. There's always something beautiful hidden everything. The night is beautiful for its moon and the day is beautiful for its sun. The clouds in the morning are like the stars at night: always changing and always different. It may be darker at night, but it's the same world."
Ruby was quiet for a moment. "When you put it that way I guess it is a little silly for me to be scared at night. But, still..."
Something rustled in the trees nearby, causing Ruby to shriek and take cover behind me. I looked up into the branches and smiled. "Hey, Ruby, relax. It's just an owl."
She looked around, still hiding behind me. I admit she looked a little cute. "R-really?"she asked, a little bit of fear still in her voice.
"Yeah, look" I pointed up into the tree and she followed my gaze as we looked up at a very familiar Noctowl. "Hey, Mister B!" I called up into the trees.
The old owl hooted in amusement. "Hello, Ren, how goes the night?"
"It's fine," I called back. "I'm just walking Ruby home."
He bobbed his head. "And what of your sleeping problems?"
"I'm working on it."
Mister B. flapped his wings. "That's good, I'll be off then." He took off and flew into the night. Several leaves falling to the ground in his wake.
I looked back at Ruby and smiled. "There's nothing to be scared of."
I couldn't see her very well in the darkness, but I'm sure she blushed, embarrassed by how she got scared by one of our teachers. "I don't know... t-that was kinda scary."
"Oh, I'm sure it was. There's nothing scarier than Mister B's face. I was a little terrified, even."
She laughed. A beautiful sound. "I guess you're right. But that doesn't stop it from being dark."
"Hey, don't worry. If anything even remotely dangerous comes after us in this darkness, I'll be here to protect you."
She seemed to gain a little bit of confidence in me and could at least walk several yards without screaming at the slightest sound. She mostly stayed close to me though. I was her protector. I was safe.
After a while she spoke. "So, you said you promised Jace you would protect me?"
I was quiet for a few seconds. "Yes."
"Why?"
I wasn't really sure how to answer that. It's not like I could easily say "Because I love you and it would kill me to see you hurt in any way." No, instead I settled for a more decent approach.
"Because I know how much he cares about you. I figured that it wouldn't be so hard to serve as your body guard for a while. But considering how even the wind frightens you, it seems that I have to protect you from everything, which won't make my job any easier by the way."
"Hey," she whined. "That bush was particularly noisy. I thought that there was a snake in there or something."
Snake. I shuddered at the horrible sensation crawling up my spine - or more accurately, slithering up my spine. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.
I let out a breath. I hate snakes. "So," ruby said. "Do you make promises often?"
I thought back to Kris's words the other night. "Yeah, I guess I do."
"Have you kept all of them?"
"So far, yes. If I make a promise, then I intend to keep it."
She looked at me. "So if you made me a promise right now, you would see it through to the end?" I nodded. She smiled. "That's nice."
We walked the rest of the way in silence. Eventually we came to a break in the woods. Inside, Jace was already asleep and Ruby's mother and father were having a conversation about something.
"Well, this is it." Ruby smiled at me. "I usually walk all the way over here in fear. What with the dark and all... thanks for everything, Ren. You're such a good friend."
I smiled and nodded. Just a friend. Always a friend. "See you tomorrow."
I turned around and headed back. I didn't walk far before smiling after hearing a frustrated Ruby shout at her parents,"He's not my boyfriend!"
So here I am: Sitting in the field. Staring up at the sky, and reflecting on my day.
"We're friends. It's what we do. We look out for each other."
"Take good care of her, buddy."
"You're such a good friend."
Friend. The word sounds strange to me even now. Would they even look at me the same way in a couple of days? I doubt it. I'll be a monster by then.
Staring up at the moon on this beautiful night, I wondered to myself, Sure I had friends, but for how much longer?
Sorry if it was a little short. I may come back and edit that sometime. Maybe when I finish with this story? Eh, something best saved for a later time. Next chapter will be up soon, and by soon, I mean immediately. Updates won't be this often, though. I already have the chapters finished and I might as well post 'em. See ya!
_ ~Dusk _