AN: Hello, friends. Did you miss me? No? Okay.
Anyways, I've been a big, lazy butthole, but I managed to crank out this little bad boy—I hope it tickles your reading fancy and what not. ;D
Much to his unfortunate discovery, Satoshi realized that no migraine medicine would have been strong enough to dampen the head-splitting caterwauls of an angry five-year-old girl. "Suzu-chan," he asserted lifelessly. "For the last time, I said it's bedtime; now go brush your teeth and get ready for bed."
"I don't wanna!" the child pouted, vehemently shaking her head and loosening a wave of brown hair from one of her pigtail ribbons. Sometimes, it still surprised him how much she looked like her mom.
"Please, for Daddy?" Satoshi sighed and pouted back at the child, though the plea did little to move her. Faintly, he could hear the familiar snickers of a Pokémon from the couch and turned to brand Pikachu with a dirty look. The rodent let another chortle slip out before settling back into his previous position as a cozy ball on the couch cushion. Satoshi turned back to Suzu and reluctantly said, "What about for Mommy?"
The anger fell from her face, and soon enough, she made a slow path to the bathroom. "Thank Arceus," he groaned before flopping onto the couch next to Pikachu. "I think I'm going to need another aspirin."
Moments later, Suzu trudged slowly down the stairs to the living room, brushed, cladded in her onesie, and utterly grumpy. Even when she was irritated, she was still adorable. "Alright, kiddo, let's get you tucked in."
"Hmph!" She snubbed her nose at him before stamping her foot. "I'm not going to sleep. Not without Mommy."
"You know Mommy can't be with you right now," he said, his face slightly lowering. "She's all the way back in Hoenn."
"Then I don't wanna go to sleep! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!" she yelled in a decibel of which he hadn't imagined humans were even capable.
"Chaa…" Pikachu cooed and miserably massaged his ears.
"Suzu-chan! Don't make me raise my voice." Satoshi already had such a short fuse, and at this point, he was one decibel short of going ballistic. "Or do you want me to count to three?"
At the threat, the girl suddenly smirked and crossed her arms. Oh no, she didn't.
With his eyes narrowed to daggers, Satoshi asked, "Are you really testing me right now?" And to his horror, her grin grew ever so slightly. "Fine. I didn't think it had to come to this."
"One," he began, though Suzu looked nowhere near wavering.
"Two." In fact, it seemed like she was enjoying this way too much.
"Two and a half," Satoshi drawled out, but to no avail. This was really bad. Satoshi never had to count to three before, and quite honestly, he hadn't had anything planned since he'd started at one.
He spared a small glance at Pikachu, who gawked at him in equal perplexity. The two exchanged some strange, furtive looks before nodding at one another. "Three." And without a second thought, Satoshi said, "Hit her with a thunder shock, Pikachu."
Suzu squealed as she ducked behind a throw pillow, just narrowly evading the streak of electricity that hurdled toward her. "Haha! You missed!" she sung and stuck out a playful tongue at the pair.
"We'll see if you're so lucky the next time," Satoshi joked. He stooped down on the couch to pick her up but was startled to see her dart like a sprite out of his reach.
"Catch me if you can!" Suzu shrieked gleefully and scampered up the stairs.
Satoshi laughed before pointing frantically at the staircase. "C'mon, Pikachu! We can't afford to lose her!" With that, they quickly scaled the stairs, arriving at the top just in time to catch a glimpse of Suzu stealing away into her bedroom.
"Where's Suzu-chan, I wonder." As he tiptoed lightly into the room, Satoshi noticed the slightly cracked closet door. "Ha, gotcha," he chuckled. Then, slamming the door open, he instinctively scooped up the child hunkered amid the hangers and tossed her onto her bed. He proceeded to bury her wiggly body beneath a swamp of covers.
"Noo!" Suzu hissed as she strained against her confines.
"I told you not to make me count to three," Satoshi teased her as he continued to pile more blankets and stuffed animals around her sides in a flimsy attempt to restrict her movements. Pikachu also helped in weighing her arms down with the various pillows that were strewn on her bed.
"But I don't wanna go to sleep!" the girl screeched. Then, tossing her head back, she squealed again and pounded her fists against his stronghold of duvet covers.
After a few, torturous minutes of screaming bloody murder, Suzu settled down in her flailing fits before growing eerily still. Satoshi paused in his busywork to look at her—though her hair served to hide most of her face, he managed to decipher two bleary, blue eyes peering from her disorder of bangs and promptly felt his heart drop.
He realized the demon had morphed into something far worse than he could have conceived—a cute, inconsolable five-year-old. And if there was anything he dreaded more than a mad Suzu, it was a sad one. He lifted his gaze toward Pikachu and found him guiltily licking her cheek.
"I just want my mommy," she sniffled against a pillow and feverishly swiped at her eyes.
Leaning over, Satoshi swept some of her messy locks aside and brushed his thumb over the fat tears that traveled down her cheeks. "That's a pretty tall order, kiddo."
"I know."
Satoshi racked his brain for a bit, mindlessly rubbing Suzu's head all the while. Then he grinned. "If l let you talk to Mommy, will you promise me you'll go to sleep afterward?"
"Yes," she hiccupped more slowly, blinking away a few tears.
"No complaining, no screaming, no fighting—you'll fall straight asleep?"
"Yes, Daddy," the girl muttered, failing to disguise the irritation in her voice. Pikachu was quick to react, wildly chortling in response.
"Alright," Satoshi laughed before conjuring a small device from his pants pocket.
"What's that?" Suzu asked with a quirked brow as she watched him toggle with the device.
"It's a Holo Caster," Satoshi replied before returning his attention to the screen once more.
"But what do you need it for—" Just then, the device spat out a sliver of light, and a soft face soon materialized in the blue projection. "Mommy!" Struggling out of her cocoon, Suzu greedily snatched the Holo Caster from him with her grubby, little hands and beamed at the shimmering hologram.
"Hi, honey," Haruka greeted sweetly, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "What are you doing awake? If I remember correctly, it's way past your bedtime."
"I miss you," the girl mewed. "And Daddy's being a big meanie."
As if on cue, Haruka began to snicker. "Aw! I'm sorry." Then, fighting against the smile on her lips, she locked her sights on Satoshi and accosted him with a fake leer. "Satoshi! Stop bullying her!"
"I'm not! I'm the victim, here!"
Turning to Suzu again, Haruka added, "Don't worry; I'll punish him later." Satoshi didn't miss the covert wink she sneaked him and promptly blushed.
"So, how's Hoenn? Do you like it?" Suzu asked innocently, to which Haruka's eyes immediately lit up.
"Oh, I just love it! They have the prettiest beaches, and the people here are so nice, too. Everything is just as great as I remembered it."
"Did you see Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Max?"
"Yeah! I hadn't seen them in a while, so it was fun to spend some time with them."
Suzu shrunk back in her covers as she listened to Haruka ramble animatedly on—the woman seemed suspiciously too content. "Do you wanna stay in Hoenn?" Suzu asked suddenly, though she fearfully interrupted with another question before Haruka could compile an answer. "Are you gonna leave me and Daddy and Pikachu behind?"
At the last question, Satoshi felt his heart seize up. Haruka leave him and Suzu? And Pikachu? Now he was especially unnerved. What could possibly prompt such a twisted question like that from a five-year-old? He whipped around to implore the child.
"Of course not. You know that I would never abandon you guys," Haruka reassured her, and upon hearing this, Satoshi felt his own heart settle once more.
"Then when are you coming home?"
Haruka bit her lip and looked to Satoshi, who simply shrugged his shoulders. "I'll be back before you know it. But for now, you're just going to have to make do with your dad."
Ever so reluctantly, the girl nodded. "Okay."
"Now, will you go to sleep for Mommy?"
"But I'm not ready to sleep yet! I'm not even tired!" Suzu interjected.
Haruka pursed her lips in thought before clapping her hands together. "I have an idea. How about I sing you a special lullaby?"
At those words, Satoshi and Suzu suddenly perked up.
"Special?" Suzu asked.
"Yeah. I learned it from Grandma; she used to sing it to me and your Uncle Max just before we went to bed," Haruka explained. "And it never fails; I bet even a Loudred wouldn't be able to resist falling asleep if he heard it."
The child laughed before snuggling back into her covers. She gazed eagerly at the hologram, her hands clasping tightly to the Holo Caster.
"Are you comfortable?" Haruka asked, to which Suzu vigorously nodded.
Then Haruka began to sing. Her voice sailed through the air like a soft ribbon of silk, so warm and delicate that Satoshi struggled against the weight of his eyelids. "When daytime turns to night, when the moon shines bright. When you're tucked in tight, when everything's alright. Slip softly to that place, where secret thoughts run free."
As the light ghost of her words continued to descend upon them, the melody managed to suffuse the room with a certain peace. It reminded Satoshi of his golden days back in Hoenn. Even after so many years, he could still remember the tune.
He looked down at the girl curled up against his side and noticed her grip loosen on the Holo Caster. Though it was obvious she was determined to stay awake, her lids betrayed her as they fluttered slowly closed. "Make a wish, it's up to you. Find the strength inside, then watch your dreams come true." Soon enough, Suzu had surrendered to a series of light snores.
"And she's out like a light," Haruka chuckled before pointing to the dozing child.
Blinking for the umpteenth time against the threat of sleep, Satoshi extracted the Holo Caster from Suzu's hands. "It's been a while since I've heard that lullaby," he said, his face stretching in a small smile. "I actually missed hearing it."
"And I missed singing it," she replied. "I'm glad to see it still hasn't lost its magic."
"Yeah. Look, you even got Pikachu!" Satoshi exclaimed as he prodded the slumbering mass nestled in his lap.
Haruka giggled. "Yup, I'm just that good. You're welcome for buying you some free time."
Satoshi scoffed before reclining against Suzu's headboard. "Whatever." Then, more nervously, he murmured, "I'm worried, though."
"What for? You're never the type to worry."
"Well, you've only just started to serve on the Hoenn contest judging panel, and it's already been so hard to manage without you."
"Don't be such a worry wart, Satoshi. Suzu just needs some time to adjust to the situation," Haruka plainly answered. "And if it helps any, I think you're doing a great job so far."
"That's because you haven't seen the full extent of all the chaos here," Satoshi groaned. "She hasn't stopped crying since you've left, and it's only been a week."
"Aw," Haruka cooed between giggles. "Are you sure you're not just talking about yourself?" With that, she bursted into another fit of laughter.
"I'm being serious!" Satoshi exclaimed and rolled his eyes, though Haruka could see the faintest grin tucked in the corner of his mouth. "I feel really bad that I can't cheer her up."
Then, after composing herself, Haruka said, "Suzu-chan a cute kid and all, but sometimes she can be such a little diva."
"You're telling me!" Satoshi sighed and tossed a frustrated hand in the air. "I honestly don't know how much longer I can keep this up."
"What? Do my ears deceive me?" Haruka cried incredulously, her mouth falling open in disbelief. "Has Satoshi, renowned Pokémon Master and Frontier Brain, admitted surrender to a little five-year-old? And so early in the game, too!"
"It's not like that," Satoshi grumbled. "I'm just tired. I want her to like me, but nothing seems to be working."
"These things take time, but I'm sure she'll warm up to you soon enough. After all, you have eleven more months before my session on the panel ends."
"Eleven months is too long of a time to do anything, let alone take care of a kid by myself."
"Eleven months will be a piece of cake for you! I know you can make this work; no matter what, you always find a way to get things done. And if all else fails, you should know you can call me anytime." Her words offered him some solace, but they still failed to relieve the ache in his chest.
"I just miss you," he said sullenly, and without fail, Haruka's cheeks immediately reddened.
It was weird to see Satoshi so vulnerable, but his honesty served to soothe her own heart, which had been missing him with an equal ferocity. "I miss you more," she softly replied. "Well, I guess I should let you guys sleep now; I almost forgot about the different time zones."
"Alright," he breathed, sheepishly combing a hand through his hair.
"Don't wreck the house too much, okay?"
"I'll try, but no promises."
"Goodnight, Satoshi," she laughed and blew him an affectionate kiss.
"Night, Haruka." With that, the hologram flickered off, leaving Satoshi in a dark, quiet bedroom. He glanced at the two, snoring lumps cuddled against him and checked to see if they were still fully asleep. As he watched their gentle breaths fan over the blankets, he sighed and scooped Pikachu up in his arms, but not before leaning over and placing a light kiss on Suku's temple. "Goodnight, kiddo."
He figured eleven months couldn't be so bad.
AN: Even though the story's not as gooey and romantic as I would prefer, I still hope you guys enjoyed it. :D This one is especially longer than some of my other fanfics, which is cause for at least some celebration.
By the way, Imsorryabouttheendingbecauseitsortofsucks... Honestly, I've been struggling to find a cute way to wrap the story up, to the point where I just said, 'screw it, good enough.' So this is what we ended up with.
Good news, though—I have a few more story ideas waiting in the wing, just as a heads up for the near future. GET PUMPED!