A cool breeze blew through the garden, a flurry of leaves flying off of the tree they had once hung from. A sea of red, brown, orange and green enveloped the yard behind the villa, the pattern only broken by the occasional leaping of an Emolga from tree to tree, gathering the sun-ripened fruit from the branches to bring to her fellow Pokemon. She grasped the firm skin of a bright blue Oran berry and tugged it loose, nearly losing her balance in the process, and bit into it before jumping out of the tree and gliding over to a large blue creature. Slowing to a stop in front of him, she spat out the berry and spoke.
"Cyan? You wanted this berry, right?" She asked, and she couldn't help but shiver a little as the Samurott lazily raised his head to gaze at her. His body was adorned with multiple armor-esqe shells, with swords hidden in the gauntlets on his forelegs. A wise-looking, bushy silver mustache adorned his muzzle, and he was crowned by a large shell with a vicious spear-like protrusion in the front. She gulped a bit as the formidable Pokemon looked at her with his striking red eyes, and held out the Oran berry, looking away with her eyes clenched shut. However, she jumped when she felt a soft, fuzzy feeling in between her ears, and she looked up to find the Samurott nuzzling her with his nose.
"Yes, Sara, this is exactly what I wanted. Thank you," His voice was soft and sweet, the complete opposite of what his appearance gave off, and she immediately slackened her posture, giggling a little as the coldness of Cyan's nose tickling her ears. She watched with awe (and not a little fear) as the sea lion speared her held berry on his helmet before plucking it off with one of his front paws, placing it to the side of his designated bed. He reached out and gave her another pat before speaking again.
"That's all I need you to get me for today, Sara. Why don't you go play with Arc?" Cyan suggested, and the Emolga's face broke into a happy grin.
"All right! Thank you, Cyan," She exclaimed, and she dashed off to go find the aforementioned Victini, tail wagging in delight. The Samurott chuckled as he watched the flying squirrel leave, and he picked up the Oran berry again, stomping towards a small barrier of shrubbery and vines. Pushing his way through them, he found himself at a small pond, water sparkling from reflected sunlight, a couple rocks plopped on the edge of the waterside. In between the two rocks was another Pokemon, along with an odd, oval shaped object. He smiled, letting his pose droop a bit as he breathed in the fresh, clean air. He lowered his head to the pond, lapping up a few quick sips before walking over to the Pokemon between the rocks. As he reached her, he stopped to look. Despite the fact that he saw her every day, he felt his face flame.
A tall, monk-like body tended to an egg, the pink fur contrasting the occasional purple patch of fuzz. Sleeve-like flaps drifted down her arms, keeping her nimble paws out of his sight, and her long tail flicked back and forth, drawing his attention for a moment. She turned around to face him, giving him a good look at her brown eyes, augmented by her purple eyelids, and as she gave him a warm, loving smile, he couldn't help but smile back.
"Cyan," Her voice was calm, but firm, and he felt himself move forward at the sound, pulling the Mienshao into a tight hug. She gasped at the sudden gesture, but quickly hugged back, her long sleeves wrapping around Cyan's body. They stayed that way for a few minutes before pulling apart.
"How is the egg, Erin?" He asked.
"It's doing well," She replied. "I think it's going to hatch today. We ought to tell Bill."
He raised a skeptical eyebrow, although he could not keep the excitement out of his voice. "It's going to hatch today? So soon? We've only had it for a month."
The weasel nodded vigorously before leaning over to pick up the egg, hoisting it into the air with a grunt. It was yellow, with a large red stripe going around it, and a few small smudges from dirt and grass - a Mienfoo egg through and through. Slowly waltzing over to Cyan, she sat down next to him, cradling the thing in her lap. Cyan leaned onto his hind legs, staring at it with a look of contentment on his face.
"It's a boy, you know," Erin said, and Cyan glanced at her.
"It is? How can you tell?"
"I can tell by its aura. I might not be as good as, say, a Lucario, but I have enough aura sensitivity to understand this. It's a boy."
Cyan's brows furrowed as he stared down into the pond, looking at his reflection in the crystal-clear water. A boy... he and Erin were going to be parents to a little Mienfoo boy. His eyes glazed over as he went into a trance, blanking out everything else around him. He had always wanted a child, although he had never cared what gender it was. He had given up long ago on having a baby Oshawott who he could pass on his swordshell abilities to, but he hoped that both Erin and their child would be open-minded enough to give it a shot, even if the swordshell wasn't used by their species. Suddenly, the enormity of it all hit him head on like a truck, and he flopped onto his belly, the horn of his helmet dipping slightly into the water. He was only broken from his trance by a soft paw poking his cheek. He turned his head to give a sly look at his mate, who was deep in thought.
"What is it, Erin?" He asked, voiced laced with some concern.
"Well... we haven't thought of a name for the baby, have we?"
Cyan did a double-take. She was right, they hadn't agreed on a name. They had brainstormed a few when the egg had first been laid, but neither of them had really liked any of the suggestions (and considering that the egg had all but just been laid, Erin was too exhausted to care). Later they turned to the rest of their Pokemon comrades as well as their trainer for names, but that endeavor had also turned up empty. Now, though... now that they were sure it was a boy (or rather, sure in Erin's aura-sensitivity that said it was a boy), it would be easier to think of a name. Right?
"Hmm..." Cyan grunted, face slowly morphing into the same look that Erin wore. "Hmmmmm..."
He wracked his brain. Boy names, boy names... He could think of lots of common ones, like Ryan, Adam, Jacob, and so forth, but none of those seemed to fit the kind of child they were having. Being a Mienfoo, he'd be a lot like Erin in constitution - strong, yet frail. When Bill, their trainer had first caught Erin, she had been suffering from a terrible cold, and she had only gotten better after she had eaten multiple bowls of warm soup whipped up by Garnet, Chief, and Bill. He himself had tasted the trio's cooking before, and he knew that the combination of the Zoroark, the Excadrill, and the human were quite the cooks. But that was completely off-track of what he was supposed to be thinking about. Boy names, boy names... Suddenly, Erin's head looked upward.
"Hey, I thought of one," She said, and Cyan looked at her. "How about Owain?"
Cyan flinched at the word, a feeling of regret and loneliness pooling in his stomach and showing on his face at the mention of the name. He knew that Erin had meant well when bringing up his father's name, but deep down there'd always be the feeling of sadness at never meeting him again. He thought back to the last time he had seen the elderly Samurott that was his father - three days afterward, he had gotten caught by Professor Juniper to be a starter Pokemon. And then, months later, that was when he met Bill... which in turn led him to meeting Erin, the absolute love of his life. Funny how that worked. He turned away, looking at a cloud in the opposite direction, and he heard Erin sigh. Before he could do anything else, she had forced his face back to look at her and planted her lips on his own.
"Mmph..." He melted instinctively into the kiss, lifting a single one of his paws to wrap around Erin, pulling her closer to him. Her paws grasped at his cheeks as he stroked the small of her back, her sleeves draping over his neck as he sat up straight. The Mienshao lifted herself onto her tiptoes to continue the kiss, but he soon was out of her reach, and they broke for air, breathing heavily. Despite themselves, their eyes shined happily. Wrapping him into another warm hug, the pair swayed back and forth, simply enjoying each other's company. Nothing could cause them unhappiness, just the two of them in their own world.
Soon, Erin spoke.
"I didn't mean to remind you of your father. I..." She trailed off, and Cyan looked at her. The sadness was gone from his face, replaced by understanding.
"You thought naming our son after him would be a good way to honor him," He finished for her. "Or honor his memory..."
She nodded slowly, lips curving into a small smile, and they separated as Erin took a few steps back to cradle the egg in her lap again. Her eyes widened as it suddenly bounced. Cyan grinned.
"I guess you were right... it's going to hatch soon," He teased, and she gave him a mock look of despair, throwing her paws upward theatrically.
"Oh no! I don't think I'm ready to be a mother! Whatever shall I do?" She laughed midway through her rant, causing Cyan to bellow out a hearty chuckle as well, which trailed off into a series of uncontrollable snickers and giggles. Soon their bodies were sprawled out on the grass, shaking in joyous mirth. Wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, Erin crawled over to Cyan, wrapping herself up in his chest, head nuzzling into Cyan's cheek. Their egg was nestled behind her, Erin's tail wrapping around it unconsciously.
"This... this is good... isn't it?" She whispered contentedly, eyes closing as she let herself fall into the comfortable feeling of companionship. Before she could even hear an answer she had fallen asleep, snoring almost inaudibly. Cyan smiled, closing his eyes as well, as the sun peeked out from above the trees, light heating up the area.
"Yeah... yeah it is."
And as he fell asleep, for the moment, all was right in their world.
A/N: Is it bad that I've come up with a _shipping name for this pairing (Oshawott line x Mienfoo line)? One that, incredibly, hasn't been taken (Google gave me no results)?