Recuperation
#4 of Therapy
Everyone has to make tough decisions in their life. Will the right choices be made?
Chapter Four: Recuperation
by Havoc
Chris retreated a short way down the hall from Lara's room in the Pokémon Center, leaving Lara and Farah alone with each other. Usually when one of the Weavile twins asked him to leave them alone he assumed it was so they could have...well, "alone time." But this time it was obvious that something different was going on. He was pretty sure that Lara could not manage that kind of activity in the state she was in right now.
At least the brief leave of absence gave him another chance to reflect on the whole situation. He was pretty certain that he would be returning home after all, once Lara was well enough to travel. The whole episode in the mountain had opened his eyes in a way that he could not have managed otherwise. He knew better than to lose confidence in his abilities; he'd learned that lesson once before and knew that going down that path would only make him worse. Rather, the way he looked at it he had the ability, but was lacking in the proper experience to make his abilities work for him. So he thought the best way was to go home to Sinnoh, a place where he absolutely knew he could succeed based on past encounters, and then work his way back to Kanto once he had the experience he needed.
With that minor quandary firmly overcome in his mind, he let himself return to the question of what was going on between Lara and Farah. The girls were incredibly close, a fact made most obvious by a relationship which was much more intimate than usually occurred between sisters. They did not often fight or display any sort of conflict at all, and he could not think of many things that might come between them.
In fact, that was what had caught him off guard the most when Farah had visited him that morning, almost a month ago now. Looking back on all the time he'd shared with the twins, he was able to realize that Farah had always had more of a soft spot for him than Lara, but he wouldn't have thought until it happened that she would go quite that far for him. The bond between the sisters, he'd always thought, had been much too strong to let either of them, let alone Farah, do something like what she'd done. And Chris had, since then, wrestled with whether he was comfortable that she had strayed outside of the boundaries with her relationship with Lara. Not that he had exactly disliked his little foray into poképhilia, but he had a vested interest in making sure that the twins could trust one another. If Lara had a reason not to trust Farah, then he had a whole new set of issues on his radar.
Whoa! Chris thought, slapping a hand to his forehead. What if that's what this is all about? What if Lara already knows, and that's what they're talking about right now? Maybe Lara thinks Farah is coming on to me, or something like that. Weavile in the wild tend to be very territorial with these kinds of things. What if the same instincts remain in play with Weavile raised in captivity? That idea had not occurred to him until just then. If Lara was concerned that Farah was making a play for him, then she could reject her sister altogether, which would cause some very, very big problems for him. This could be bad.
Chris tiptoed quietly back up to the door, and peeked in through the small viewing window which nurses used to do spot checks on patients. As he had feared, the twins seemed to be having an intensive conversation. Farah looked very upset, and Lara was gesturing with her claws. She looked as though she was trying to explain something to Farah, but Farah seemed to not be listening as closely as Lara wanted.
That tears it, Chris thought. If Farah ever approaches me again like she did before, I've got to make it clear that I'm off-limits. She has to understand that we cannot do that. And definitely no more sharing the bed at night.
*Do you love him?*
As soon as Farah registered the question that Lara had asked her, the Weavile's mind went on the defensive. No, no, of course not was the first thought that went through her head as soon as she heard it. How could her sister think that? She had always loved Lara, ever since they had been separated from their mother to become trained pokémon, first under the care of Chris's brother and then under the care of Chris himself. For all those years, they had been together and shared the most intimate moments. Farah had trouble imagining that her sister could consider the idea that she would harbor feelings for their trainer.
She would have said so if something in the back of her head had not snagged her attention and seized her tongue. So many memories were now rising to the surface as she forced herself to actually think about the question that was before her. She recalled an incident mere weeks ago, when she and Chris had been alone together at the campsite near the foot of Mt. Moon. They had been talking about the manner in which Farah had consoled him after his loss at the gym, and before she had realized what was going on she was nearly kissing him. If Lara had not come up and interrupted, she was certain that she would have.
And then there was the sexual favor she had bestowed upon Chris itself. Now that she thought about it, she could not think of a reason why she had chosen that method to cheer him up. Surely there would have been any number of more innocent means that she could have utilized to give her trainer a lift in his mood. Why had she chosen a method that called for sexual gratification? And it wasn't as if she had not derived a measure of satisfaction and pleasure out of it herself. True, she had returned directly to Lara's side afterwards, but what else would she have done? Years of being her sister's lover had made that habitual.
Habitual. The word's significance was not lost on Farah. In many ways, her relationship with Lara was a habit. Her custom was to sleep with her sister, to express love to her sister, to engage in sexual activity with her sister. Could it be that what she felt for her sister was little more than a ritual?
While she was thinking, Lara was growing impatient. *Farah,* she prompted, waving her hand in front of her sister's face. *Please answer me. I need to hear something from you.* She grabbed her sister's shoulder, gently shaking her. *Whatever you say, I promise I won't be angry with you. I promise I won't do anything to hurt you. I just need you to tell me.*
Farah thought about the moment, when they had been very young Sneasels, when they had been taken from their mother and given to Chris's brother. The twins had been very scared, frightened of being away from the constant presence in their lives that had been there to comfort them when they needed to be comforted. That was when their relationship had started. It had begun innocently enough, with the twins sharing a bed at night so that they would not feel alone. Over time, though, it had developed into a sexual relationship that filled a need within both of them.
But then they had come into Chris's care, and he, finally, had been the one to understand that they still missed their mother. Once he had grasped this, he had been able to provide them with the solace that they needed and helped them adjust to life without their mother. Things had become much better for both her and Lara. The emptiness that had been their companion since they were taken from their mother had gone away. It had taken time, but it had still gone away.
That, Farah was slowly beginning to realize, was the reason that she could not say, truthfully and honestly within her own heart, that she cared for her sister as a lover anymore. For the truth was, the relationship was now nothing more than going through the motions for Farah. And from the look that Lara was giving her now, Lara knew that as well, and had known for quite some time.
*I'm sorry, sister,* Farah said, finally meeting Lara's eyes. *I think...that I do.*
Lara shook her head, wincing slightly at the pain that the gesture caused. *Please don't be sorry,* she said. *I already knew the answer. I knew it when I asked you the first time.*
*Then...why...*
*Why didn't I say anything first?* Lara shrugged as much as her injuries would allow. *I don't know. Maybe I was trying to deny it, or will it to not be true. But...* She looked as though she was trying to think of the right words to say. *...I think we've just outgrown each other, Farah.*
Farah felt her shoulders sag with relief. They truly were twins, after all. Her sister had been following the same thought process as her. If she'd had any uncertainty before, it vanished in that instant.
*You don't know how much better I feel hearing that,* Farah said. *I was afraid that you...* Her throat closed up over her words, and she felt a tear slide down her cheek. *...I was afraid you would hate me.*
*Oh, no!* Lara gasped, quickly hugging her sister tightly. *Farah, I could never hate you. No matter what happens between us, you're still my sister. I'll always love you.* The sisters embraced for a few minutes. Soon a knock came at the door. After a second or two, Chris poked his head in.
"Hey, girls," he said. "Is it okay for me to come back in now?" Both of the Weaviles nodded. He walked into the room. For a few minutes, there was silence, with everybody looking at everyone else in turn. Chris coughed to break the stillness. "Farah, it might be a good idea if we left Lara alone to rest. I know none of us wants her in here for too long." Farah moved to slide off the bed, but Lara caught her hand before she could get very far and leaned in close to whisper to her.
*Good luck, sister,* she said. *I'm always in your corner.* Lara squeezed Farah's hand before letting go.
Farah gave a small smile and hopped down onto the floor. She followed Chris to the door, turning just before she left the room. She blew a kiss to her sister, winking her scarred eye, and then slipped out of sight.
Lara leaned back into the pillow, suddenly very aware of how weary and weak she felt. But she also felt happy that the pair of them could now fully leave behind a part of their life that was in the past.
A nurse came into the room, carrying a tray with some food. "Breakfast time," she said, setting the tray down on a table next to the bed. "Sit up straight so I can feed you, if you please." The nurse caught the poisonous stare that Lara was sending her way. "Or...I could just let you feed yourself. Yes, perhaps that would be best."
After leaving the Pokémon Center, Chris took Farah to the restaurant they had visited while they were in Pewter City the last time so that they could get a little bit of breakfast. The owner of the place wasn't too happy to see them again, but she let them inside all the same. By chance, they got the same table that they had been at before, and Chris could immediately see the reason for the proprietor's irritation at their return. There were a few deep scratches in the tabletop, evidently left by the twins' claws.
"Hm...Maybe it would be a good idea if you kept your hands off the table itself this time," Chris said sheepishly. Farah nodded agreement, looking a little guilty at what she and her sister had inadvertently done.
Chris changed his usual breakfast a little bit this time, opting for pancakes instead of eggs. The pancakes at this restaurant seemed to be made with whole wheat rather than the white flour that he was used to having. The substitution was a rather nice change of pace, although they weren't as fluffy as he would have liked. Farah, of course, had a nice mixture of berries, of which Chris stole a few, much to her annoyance.
When breakfast was over, they went back to the hotel. Chris took Farah up to the suite. He expected her to want him to stick around, since she was away from her sister, but Farah surprised him by immediately going to her side of the suite, closing the dividing door behind her.
Probably going to take a nap, he thought. Now that she knows Lara is alright, I guess she feels a lot more at ease. Chris looked around his own side, and contemplated following Farah's lead and taking a nap as well, but he quickly decided against it. He wasn't tired at all. In fact, there's someone I want to talk to.
Trusting that Farah would be okay on her own, Chris left the suite again and took the elevator down to the hotel lobby. When he got back out to the street, the sky was clouding up. The air didn't feel like rain but he started to wish that he had an umbrella with him, just in case. But no matter. He'd be back indoors soon enough.
"Well, I have to say, I am surprised to see you again."
Brock crossed his arms, contemplating Chris standing in his office doorway. He had been seeing to some business with the gym's files when Christina, his assistant, had come and announced that the younger trainer would like to speak with him. Brock had left the records room and went to his office, where Chris had arrived shortly afterward.
"Surprised?" Chris asked. "Why?"
"Because you seemed so down the last time we spoke," Brock said. "And so much time passed since the last time you were here, I figured you had moved on." He motioned Chris inside. "Please, come on in and have a seat." Chris walked in past Brock and took a chair in front of the Gym Leader's desk. Brock followed him in and went to his own chair behind the desk. "It's our day off today, so I have plenty of time to talk. What's on your mind this time?"
Chris rubbed his chin with his hands. "I'm feeling a little lost right now," he began. "I tried to follow the advice that you gave me, but...it didn't really work out the way that I had planned." He recounted to Brock his activities of the last month. Chris tried to remember every single thing he had done that was related to his pokémon training, with a certain thing obviously left out. Brock listened attentively, offering no commentary and refraining from interrupting. Chris finished his recitation with the cave-in and subsequent events.
"So, you feel like you've failed," Brock said, once Chris was done talking. "Your pokémon is hurt badly and you see it as your fault."
"Right," Chris said. "I should have had the sense to stop Lara and Farah from going into battle. But I let my ambitions blind me to the possible consequences."
Brock looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't disagree with you that you've failed," he said slowly. "But I have to take issue with your diagnosis of what manner of failure it was."
"Once again, I don't understand."
"From what you've told me, you've matured incredibly as a trainer since you lost to me." Brock stood up and began to pace back and forth behind his desk. "And it's apparent to me that you took my advice and followed it to the letter. So your failure is not in your methods."
Chris just looked confused. "Then, the failure-"
"Is that you believe you've failed."
His words were met with an incredulous stare. "But that doesn't make any sense at all!" Chris protested. "How can I have both failed and not failed?"
"Maybe I'm being too cryptic," Brock said. "Allow me to explain. You did exactly what you are supposed to do as a trainer. You allowed your pokémon to take the lead in exactly the way that I advised you to."
"But Lara ended up hurt," Chris said. "That's not what should happen."
Brock raised an eyebrow. "No? Do you think that, given a similar situation, your Weaviles are going to do the same thing that led to the accident you all experienced?"
"Well...no, probably not. They've learned not to..." Chris's eyes widened. He leaned back in the chair, his mouth slightly open with sudden realization.
"Exactly," Brock said, pointing a finger straight at him. "Learning isn't something that should be only the trainer's responsibility. The point of the training that I talked to you about is not just so that you can learn to trust your pokémon. It's also how your pokémon can learn things for themselves." Brock sat back down in his chair and folded his hands on top of the desk. "The way that most trainers train their pokémon, the pokémon has no say in what goes on. Every move is dictated by someone else. This is the key difference between a good trainer and a great trainer. A great trainer knows that he can rely on his pokémon because they know what to do in any situation, and can act accordingly without any outside influence." Brock sat back and put his hands behind his head. "So, you see, your true failure is not that you allowed your pokémon to become injured, but that you are not recognizing the experience gained."
"I...I understand," Chris said. And, wonder of wonders, for the first time since arriving in Kanto he really and truly did.
"It is terrible that the lesson came at such a cost to one of your trusted partners," Brock said. "But in the end, the strength that you, she, and the rest of your team will gain from this experience will balance the debt, and then some."
Chris nodded. "Whatever doesn't kill you..."
"...only makes you stronger," Brock finished with a smile. "Precisely."
As Chris had suspected, Farah had gone to bed with the intention of taking a nap to recover from the extreme stress she'd been under over the past two days. She wasn't able to sleep, but it did feel nice to just lie down and for the first time in her life be alone without feeling uneasy. Farah lay on top of the sheets with her eyes closed, letting the coolness of the silky coverings soothe her body. While she rested, she thought about the changes that had rushed into her life so quickly.
She was no longer her sister's lover. That was the biggest change. While she felt a small measure of sadness that the relationship was over, she took comfort in the fact that it was ending on mutual agreement and that it was the best thing for both her and Lara. But she did have to admit that there would be certain aspects of her old life that she would miss. There was, after all, nothing like sharing your most intimate moments with someone who understood you completely and only as a twin sister could.
The other change was the admission to herself and to her sister that she loved her trainer in a way that she could not have allowed herself to acknowledge while she was still tethered to Lara. This was not a very big change, though. Now that the walls around many of her feelings were fading away, she could see that this affection had been present for a lot longer than the month since they'd arrived in Pewter City. The only thing holding them back had been the inveterate devotion she'd had to her sister.
That train of thought led to another. Farah found herself wondering what it would feel like to be with Chris. She had never had sex, not with a male anyway, although she certainly understood the basic mechanics of the act. What would his penis feel like when it entered her body? Would it be very different from what being with her sister had been like, or basically the same? She imagined it would feel good. His finger had certainly felt very good that one time. But what if it hurt? His penis had seemed pretty big the last time she saw it. And she was a good bit smaller than him, a mere three and a half feet to his six. Daunting prospects for a first-timer, indeed.
Her mind once again drifted back to that morning when she had taken him into her mouth, hoping to drive off the depression that had come over him after losing his gym battle with Brock. Before, she had considered her actions nothing more than a friend helping out another friend. Now, of course, she knew that she had been motivated by forces that she herself had been unable to understand at the time.
Farah tried to remember exactly what that morning had been like. She found that she could recall every second with astounding clarity. Her first little lick at Chris's face, trying to make him smile. She remembered the unchanging expression that he'd had. That had led to the next moment, when she began to remove his pants.
He didn't like that, at first, Farah thought, a grin coming to her face. Chris's reluctance seemed comical to her for some reason. Hadn't he understood that all she had wanted to do was make him happy again? But then, the language barrier sort of made my intentions unclear. One must remember that I do possess a fearsome set of teeth. He probably thought that I was looking to add meat to my diet. She snickered at that thought. And I was, in a manner of speaking!
Farah's right hand crept down her belly as she thought about touching his cock for the first time. When her fingers had gripped it, it had felt kind of floppy and spongy. That had changed when she concentrated on stroking it. She recollected an odd sense of satisfaction at holding his fully erect penis in her hand. Seeing the effect that her actions had on his body had been gratifying and arousing. When he'd finally given in and ceased trying to get her to stop, she'd been encouraged to become bolder, eventually putting her mouth on him.
She shivered as her fingers reached the space between her legs. Just thinking about doing something with Chris was exciting her. Farah rubbed her hand over the smooth fur on her privates. A very long time had passed since the last time she needed to pleasure herself in this way, but she was most definitely feeling the urge now. The Weavile felt around herself until she found her slit; she didn't have to search long. She knew her own body very intimately because it was exactly like her sister's. She pressed a finger between her folds, exercising caution because of the sharp claws she had. A low moan escaped from between her lips as she found how wet she had become. She began to slide a finger up and down between her nether lips. Moisture was leaking from inside of her body, dripping down from her pussy to the bed sheets.
Spreading her legs wider to give herself better access, Farah sat up and brought her left hand up under her red feathered collar. While her right hand administered relief to her lower parts, she squeezed her breasts, massaging the nipples and gently pinching them between her fingers.
Mmm...that's nice, she said to herself. When she judged that she was lubricated enough, she slowly eased a finger into her vagina. A long, satisfied sigh came from her mouth. She lay back on the bed again, her head turned to one side. Her mind was suddenly filled with the image of Chris, naked and standing over her. She imagined that it was him doing this to her. She pictured his hands roaming over her body, touching her in all of her most intimate places. Farah could almost feel the added pressure as he joined her on the bed, lying beside her. She would reach over, touch his body. She remembered how she needed to do it, too.
*Oh, gods!* she cried out, as the pleasure she was giving to herself began to intensify. The Weavile withdrew her finger from herself and turned over onto her stomach. She made sure her head was comfortably cushioned on a pillow, and then she lifted her rear into the air, getting on her knees. In her mind, Chris was gripping her waist, pulling her up. Farah reached back and put two fingers at her entrance. She traced them around her sex, swishing them in her own fluids. Her fantasy version of her trainer was teasing her with his penis. She moaned, as though begging him to continue. Then she gently pressed her fingers into herself. The feeling of her own digits going inside of her body, combined with her vision of Chris penetrating her, threatened to drive her crazy.
Farah began to simulate what she imagined it would feel like if Chris was behind her, fucking her. She groaned loudly in time with her own thrusts, pushing her fingers deep inside of her vagina. The deeper she went, the more pleasurable the sensations became. Soon her fingers began to rub against the rougher, more sensitive flesh deep inside of her sex. She lifted her head up, biting her lip as tiny spasms began to tremble through her body. Her fingers began to move faster, and she brought her other hand to her chest, squeezing her breasts tightly to increase the feeling. Disgustingly wonderful sounds were resulting from her fingers plunging in and out of her dripping pussy, and the delicious wrongness of it made her go all the faster.
*Oh, Chris,* Farah gasped. *Fuck me harder...harder...* She threw her head against the bed as she reached her peak, screaming loud enough that she was grateful for the muffling effect of the pillow. Her vagina clenched, expelling her fluids out in a shower of bliss that drenched her hand. She couldn't hear anything, could not sense anything at all except for the power and fury of the pinnacle of her sexual energy.
Brock looked at Chris carefully. "There's something else on your mind, isn't there?"
Chris looked up from the floor, where he'd been staring for several minutes. "Why do you ask?"
"I told you my advice, and you're still sitting here," Brock said. Years of experience with both people and pokémon had given him a sixth sense when it came to emotions. And the body language of the young trainer in front of him was telling him that he had an unspoken question still remaining. "I'm years your senior in training pokémon. If you're looking for answers, there's no one better to ask."
Chris rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well...well, it's not really related to training pokémon," he said.
"Come on, spit it out," Brock said. "I still might be able to help."
Chris swallowed, and thought about how best to phrase the question. "Okay, well, there's this...girl."
Brock laughed, and leaned back in his chair. "Ah, the quintessential conundrum of youth," he said. "I assure you, son, I have had my share of romantic exploits. When I was a much younger man, I'd do anything to chase a pretty face."
"Like I said, then, there's this girl. And she likes me, and I like her too, at least I think I do." Chris twiddled his thumbs, trying not to appear nervous or give anything away. "But there's a problem. I know that I shouldn't try to go after her, because she's already got someone. But I think that she's trying to go after me. And I'm friends with the person she's with, too, and I don't want to hurt that. And to top it all off, I'm not even sure that it would really be right to be with this girl, regardless of any of the other stuff."
Brock rubbed his face. "Complicated situation, that."
"Yeah."
The Gym Leader put his feet up on his desk. "Sonny, I'm not sure anybody can really answer your question. I mean, I never really found the right girl for me, so I don't know if I can give out romantic advice." He stroked his chin. "But...if there's one thing I can say about my life, it's that I have no regrets. Because I pursued everything that caught my attention, I felt out the playing field, and so I was never left wondering 'what if.'" Brock looked straight at Chris. "I'm not saying you're just like me, but I know that I would regret it if I didn't at least give something a try."
"But I don't want to break these two up, you know?" Chris said. "I don't want that kind of responsibility."
"Then let me ask you this," Brock said, leaning forward once more. "If she's pursuing you, then can you really say you're the one breaking them apart?" Chris didn't have an answer for that. It was a really good question. "Think about it for a while, and then let me know what you come up with. I'd be interested to hear how this turns out."
Chris got up from his seat. "Thanks, I think," he said.
"I'll see you next time," Brock said. "When you come back for your rematch."
"Oh, but I'm..." Chris stopped, unsure now of what he had been absolutely convicted of earlier in the morning. "Er...all right."
Farah's body collapsed onto the bed. She was still shivering with the aftershock of the powerful orgasm she'd had. She rolled onto her back, breathing heavily. The ceiling seemed as though it was pulsing, and she closed her eyes, listening to the sound of her own heart beating.
I needed that, she remarked wearily to herself. She felt the sheets underneath her legs. They were damp with the product of her exertions. Farah shifted to the side, seeking a drier patch of bed. Finding it, she got under the covers and curled up into a tight ball. Just a quick little nap before Chris gets back. Then maybe...I can... She yawned widely, and fell asleep before she could complete her thought.