With "For Granted" finished I thought I was finally out of the woods. I didn't expect, though, to get so much feedback to make one last chapter! Even people who never reviewed my story sent me messages to make another chapter. Because I already put the story under "complete" so everyone thinks it's done, I decided to take peoples' requests and add another part to "For Granted", except it's a mini story instead (I failed on the whole one-shot idea.) . My awesome reviewers of "For Granted" are ripitupgenki, Butterflygirl1234, archsage328, Dark Fox Tailz, Mandy, and KairiOliver. This story is for you guys! Again the fight scenes of Tiger and Hare are based on Dark Fox Tailz ideas and suggestions. This is much more serious than "For Granted", but I'll toss in some comedy as well. So, to get a lot of this, READ "FOR GRANTED" FIRST!

This is set sometime between Grey Wolf's defeat and Naga's defeat.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Monster Rancher or the characters. I'm just a huge fan. Tecmo owns everything. I just own the plot.

Deepening Appreciation

Chapter 1: On The Road Again

The sky couldn't be any more blue and it shone without a cloud in its midst. The small town in the closure of the surrounding forest was filled with life as people took off for work and others went to the market area to replenish their food stock. The villagers had become accustomed to the newcomers who had made camp in their lively town and no longer felt threatened by their presence. A young Dino ran through town pulling along a cart full of barley for his master, but the clumsy dinosaur monster tripped on the gravel under his feet. Before his body could connect with the cold ground, though, a large rock hand caught the beast and helped him into a standing position.

"Thank you, mister!" The Dino thanked with a wryly smile as he looked up at the large rock monster standing before him.

"You're welcome… Have a… nice day…" Golem replied with a smile as he slowly made his way through town. The rebels had made quite the impression on the town and while their sick comrade had been resting, they often found themselves helping the townsfolk with choirs. This made them well known and well liked. The Golem purebred had left early in the morning to gather up some needed supplies for their upcoming journey while the other rebels packed up their gear from the inn. The time had come and they were finally leaving.

Whatever illness had plagued the rebels was finally at its end. When Tiger and Hare had fallen sick, the group was sure the duo would be sick for weeks like Holly. It was soon found out, though, that being monsters made their immunity to fight the illness far better than they thought. Within several days the two monsters were as good as new and ready to travel once again (and fight with each other once again). Traveling was out of the questions, however, because the young girl wasn't as lucky. Holly took far longer to recover and even fell into several relapses, causing the rebels great stress and grief.

Now, three weeks after Holly first fell ill, she was finally leaving the hospital. The doctors basically begged the girl to stay, for her body was still recovering and her immunity to illnesses had weakened immensely, but Holly politely refused. Even the other rebels tried to talk her into staying since they feared for her health, but the young girl was determined to leave. Since the group had been in the town for so long, Holly feared the town was in danger because of their reputation. For the villagers' sake, Holly knew they had to leave.

Genki surveyed the inn room to ensure they had all of their belongings before looking over to the other rebels. Mocchi looked relieved to be leaving and Genki knew it was hard for the energetic monster to stay low key for so long. Suezo had a look of relief and anxiety on him. He was relieved to get back on the road again, but he knew Holly was far weaker and could easily die from a common cold. He would rather stay in the town for another few weeks until his partner was in better condition, but he knew Holly's stubborn side and he knew she wasn't going to stay. Hare and Tiger looked like they were relieved to ditch the town, but their angered looks at each other hadn't stopped since Holly had first fallen ill. What started as a tiny bickering match had turned into something far greater, and Genki was worried. The duo had never really physically fought until the wielder of the Magic Stone had fallen ill, and their hatred for one another was very evident.

"Genki… Golem found good… food for us…"

Genki's attention was turned to Golem, who was now outside the inn window. He held up a bag full of supplies and Genki gave the rock monster a thumbs up. Although Golem liked towns, he much preferred the open road where nature still ruled. Gravel roads and brick buildings weren't things the rock monster particularly enjoyed, so heading back on the road was a blessing.

"Now that we're all packed, our last stop is to go pick up Holly at the hospital. Let's get moving!" Genki announced as him and Mocchi quickly posed epically while the other rebels sweated.

The walk through town was slightly bitter since the rebels knew they would most likely never come to this quaint little town ever again. Besides the one doctor, the group had been treated very fairly here which surprised them since Baddies had been patrolling the area. Most towns that were in threat of Moo were opposed to having outsiders in their homes, but this town had welcomed them after they started helping around town. The hospital building was as tiny as ever as Genki knocked on the door of the establishment. Lucky for him one of the Mew nurses opened the door instead of the regular doctor. They had enough dealing with him the first few times.

"Good morning! You must be here for Holly, right?" The small cat monster asked with a purr.

"That's right. We're leaving today." Hare replied with a smile as he leaned over to Tiger. "She'd make a cute girlfriend for you, Tiger." He whispered slyly.

"Shut up!" Tiger growled as his face flushed red.

"Okay, you two! Let's go see Holly before you cause any more trouble here." Genki huffed as the Mew joyfully lead the rebels to Holly's room.

"Good luck on your journey!" The nurse said with a smile as she waved them goodbye before disappearing down the corridor. With that, Genki slowly knocked on the door just in case.

"Holly? It's Genki! The whole group's here and we're ready to leave when you are." The young boy called through the door, but the handle slowly turned to reveal another Mew nurse. The entire group face faulted in surprise before straightening out and looking down at the Mew with confusion.

"I just gave your friend her medicine! Make sure she takes a pill in the morning and at night. She has to eat something with it, though, or she'll get sick. She has a good few weeks supply of it, so you should be all set!" The Mew said with a flick of her tail. "She can't lift heavy things for awhile and she can't eat anything heavy. Make sure she also gets plenty of rest, plenty of fluids, and that she doesn't over exert herself. One last thing; don't let her get hurt at all. One wrong cut could be the end of her."

"Thanks, we'll be sure to watch out for her." Genki said with a thankful smile as he hurried past the nurse and into the room. Inside the room seemed more relieving then before, but Genki felt it was probably because the first sight wasn't Holly with IVs in her arms. Instead, Holly was standing up as she packed the last of her belongings. She looked extremely tired and frail, but she also gave off the feeling of determination.

"Holly! Do you need any help?"

At the sound of Genki's voice, Holly quickly whipped around before a smile spread across her lips. She hadn't expected the group to come so early since they were notorious for being late, but this was a pleasant surprise. No matter how tired she was, Genki always made her feel more energized and more positive. He just had that effect on people.

"Thank you, Genki, but I'm all set. You ready to leave?" Holly replied with a smile.

"Yeah, let's get out of this place. The Phoenix is out there calling our names!" Genki exclaimed proudly as he pumped his fist in the air, causing Holly to giggle to herself. Genki was the most determined person she had ever met.

The rebels left the hospital with relief before slowly making their way to the edge of the town. Several of the villagers waved to them and called out their goodbyes as the rebels returned their waves. With one last glance at the village and at the kind villagers, the rebels slowly made their leave. Genki was right when he said the Phoenix was out there, and staying in the town wasn't going to lead them to the legendary bird.

"Grrr…! These bugs are awful!"

"They're annoying everyone, Suezo, so you can stop your complaining."

"Whenever you complain everyone agrees with you, but when I say something everyone gangs up on me!"

"That's because you're not threatening at all. No one would tell Tiger to be quiet."

"Shut up, Genki! Mocchi always complains and no one says anything to him!"

"He's a baby, you numb skull. Of course he complains!"

"Be quiet, Hare!"

Holly walked along side Suezo as she watched the rebels argue over another meaningless topic. Although the complaining was annoying, the arguing kept everyone's minds off the bugs, so it worked out alright. 'It's weird to say it, but I actually missed this.' The young girl thought with a smile as she watched Genki posing on top of a rock before Suezo smacked him down with his tongue. Although they had beaten three out of the four Big Bad Four, they were still a rag tag group of vagabonds.

"Maybe we should ask the Magic Stone for guidance…" Holly suggested as she watched the rebels quiet down. It seemed like forever since they had seen the magical pendant in action and the rebels quickly surrounded Holly with excitement. It was normally such a normal routine for them that it no longer struck interest in the rebels, but now it seemed like the most miraculous thing in the world. The young girl sweated as she watched the group staring at the Magic Stone with extreme intensity, and she laughed nervously to herself before focusing her attention on the pendant.

"Magic Stone… guide our way to where the Phoenix lies…" Holly whispered with her eyes closed as the Magic Stone began to glow in her hands. The other rebels watched in amazement as if this was the first time they had ever seen it. The image of the Phoenix shone brightly in the stone before pointing North once again.

"I guess we're continuing North." Holly commented as she quickly put away the Magic Stone.

"Sounds great! Let's head out!" Genki announced as him and Mocchi ran to the front of the group before leading the way. The other rebels followed him without question, though a few of them couldn't help but wonder why they followed the boy. He had pretty poor direction skills.

After only an hour of walking, Holly began to feel it. Normally they would walk far longer without even breaking a sweat, but this was different. Her legs ached and her breathing was becoming labored. The brunette felt a little nauseous as her head became as light as a feather. She didn't want to tell the other rebels for she knew they would surely either have her be carried by Golem (though she didn't want to be a burden to him) or stop their journey all together again. She wanted to hide it. She wanted to pretend she was fine; to act like nothing was wrong. It's how she always operated, but this time something was different. This time, a memory lingered into her head and made her heart wrench.

"Why didn't you tell us you weren't feeling good?" Genki asked, and Holly felt relief go through her entire body as she released the tension in her grip. The subject of Moo would be for another day, but she was relieved it wasn't coming up now.

"…I'm sorry." Holly apologized with a frown as her tired gaze fell onto the hospital sheets that covered her body.

"Huh? Sorry for what?"

"…for slowing everyone down again. First it was the Black Worm poison and then it was when I hurt my ankle. I keep holding the group back." The ill brunette said as her sad gaze fell onto Genki's shocked face.

"Don't be sorry for stuff like that! Heck, you're the one that keeps us on track!" Genki exclaimed as he nodded his head. "Is that why you didn't tell us you weren't feeling good? Because you didn't want to slow us down?"

Holly numbly nodded her head in response while Genki smiled softly. As always, Holly had been thinking about the good of the group and not her own well being. It was something that just came naturally to her.

"Don't worry, Holly. You never slow this group down." The young boy said with a grin. "Don't hide it when you're sick next time, okay? I don't want to lose you."

It was such a simple thing that Genki had said, but it touched her more than anything in the world. At that time she could see the fear in his eyes at seeing her in such a sickly state. She could see the ounce of betrayal as well because she had hid her condition from him. At the time, she could see the relief in him from seeing her awake and the happiness that radiated from him when she first spoke his name, as if he thought he would never hear it come from her again. Although Genki had panicked and fled, which hurt Holly deep down, it didn't erase the moment of honesty and comfort they had shared for those brief minutes. Looking back now, she knew she couldn't possibly hide her fatigue from him anymore.

"Um, Genki…?"

The young boy turned around to see Holly had stopped walking and was looking a little flustered. Genki looked at her with a look of confusion as she played with the end of her vest nervously. She didn't want them to worry for her, but she couldn't lie to Genki either. She just couldn't do that to him.

"What's up, Holly?" Genki asked curiously as the other rebels looked over at the two humans with interest.

"I... um… would it be okay to take a break?" Holly stammered as she mentally scolded herself for sounding so pathetic.

"Huh? Are you feeling okay? Do you feel sick?" Genki asked with concern as the monsters looked at her with looks that matched Genki's. This is what she didn't want to happen. She didn't want to make them worry.

"I'm just feeling a little tired, is all. I'm not use to traveling anymore." Holly said with a weak smile.

"We'll take a break then! A break will do us all some good!" Genki stated with a grin.

"I have an idea." Tiger said with a stern tone. "I'll go up ahead and look for a water source. That way we'll have a good location to make camp. I'll be back soon." With that said the wolf monster sped off into the distance without waiting for the group's reply and disappeared from sight.

Genki laid down in the grass along with Mocchi as they let out a relaxed sigh. It felt nice to be back out on the open road once again. His gaze slowly fell onto Holly, who was sitting on the ground and leaning up against Suezo. She already looked beat from the journey so far and she looked as though she could fall asleep right there and then. The young boy couldn't help but feel sympathy for the girl as he watched her talking with her monster.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Suezo asked with concern as Holly went to stretch her arms out to pat him comfortingly, but her arms were still sore from the IVs so she quickly retracted them.

"I'm okay, Suezo. I just got a little light headed is all." Holly replied as she looked up at the sky with a smile. For weeks she had only seen the sky through a window, so it was truly a sight for sore eyes.

"You heard the nurse, Holly. You can't over exert yourself. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will."

Several hours past as the rebels waited patiently for Tiger's return. The sky was beginning to turn into a beautiful color mixture of red and orange, but the rebels weren't thinking about the scenery. Their concern was if Tiger had run into trouble or if he wouldn't get back until far later. The last thing the group wanted to do was to march around in the dark looking for a campsite.

"Figures Tiger would leave us hanging." Hare muttered as he played boringly with his knapsack. "We should have sent someone else that's more reliable."

"Oh, Hare. I'm sure Tiger knows what he's doing." Holly responded softly.

"Yeah, he's the best tracker I know." Genki smiled with pride as Mocchi chirped in agreement.

"Yeah, but I'm a great tracker, too." The rabbit monster huffed as he crossed his arms. "I can find anything just as well as Tiger, if not better."

"Hare, I know you're a great tracker, too. While Tiger uses his senses, you use your mind." Holly complimented. With Holly, there was no taking sides. If someone was better at something, she'd find a skill that was just as good to make the other person feel better, but without insulting the other person. It never failed.

"Well, you're right on that one." Hare grinned smugly at the compliment, which ended the topic about Tiger. "So, Holly, are you feeling better?"

"I feel fine now, thank you." Holly replied with a smile. "A little rest was all I needed."

"Mocchi's glad Holly's okay, chi!" Mocchi said with a smile as Holly gestured the little monster to come to her. The sweet cake like monster quickly ran to her side before Holly scooped him up in her arms like a baby and kissed his forehead gently.

"I'm glad, too, so I can spend time with you guys again." Holly replied as she stroked the young monster's head soothingly and Mocchi giggled happily in response.

"You guys! Look!" Genki shouted as he spotted a fast moving monster heading their way. Before the boy could put his rollerblades on for battle, Tiger quickly emerged from the shadows, causing the other rebels to sigh in relief.

"If I really was a Baddie, I could have killed you since you were so slow." Tiger huffed while Genki blushed from embarrassment.

"Whatever." Genki frowned as he kicked a small pebble with the end of his boot. "So did you find a water source?"

"Hmph. Of course I did." Tiger said, and the pride in his voice was not lost to the other rebels. "It's a small pond out in the East part of the woods. It's about a two hour trip away from here. I didn't sense any Baddies in the area and there's a level spot not too far from the pond that would make for a good campsite. I also spotted a sign for another town that's several miles ahead, though we don't want to travel in the dark. It's best we camp now and head to the town early in the morning."

"Chi! Great job, Tiger!" Mocchi praised as he hugged tighter around Holly's waist.

"Yeah, maybe the next town will have a better selection of food than the last." Genki grumbled as he remembered seeing the vast amount of carrots in the last market place. "So let's get moving!"

"It's a… long trip… Golem will… carry Holly…if she… would like…" Golem offered with care so not to offend Holly as he looked down at the vulnerable girl. If walking for only a little while caused her to tire, Holly surely wouldn't last a two hour trip with no breaks. It wasn't worth the risk anyways.

Holly looked up at the large rock monster before nodding her head. She hated to admit it, but if she were to walk she would only slow the group down. It was already getting dark as it was, and the last thing they needed now was for her to succumb to fatigue. "That would be great. Thank you, Golem." The young brunette thanked as she climbed onto Golem's extended hand with a now sleeping Mocchi in her arms before the rock giant placed her gently onto his shoulder.

With that situated, the infamous group of rebels set with Tiger in the lead. The wolf monster cautiously led the group in silence through the thick forest before they came to a small clearing. Genki could see where several small trees had been torn from the ground and he knew it was Tiger's doing. 'So that's what took so long… He was preparing the campsite for us…' The young boy thought to himself with a smile as he placed his backpack onto the dry ground.

"So, Tiger, are you going to go get firewood like you promised?" Hare teased as Tiger flushed with anger. The wolf monster was hoping the rebels had forgotten about Pixie's punishment, but he wasn't that lucky.

"Yes. Of course." Tiger snarled as he did everything in his power not to bite Hare's neck right there and then. "And what about you? Last I checked you were relieving Holly of her cooking duties for the next week."

Holly watched the two monsters with a frown on her face as Golem gently placed her on the ground and Mocchi leapt out of her arms and ran to Genki's side. She had thought that the duo had volunteered to do those choirs out of kindness and to give her a break in her weak state, but something was off. There seemed to be another reason behind their offers to cook and gather firewood, and she felt as though she was out of the loop. By looking at the other rebels' faces of amusement, Holly knew she was missing something and it made her feel a little uncomfortable. Was she part of some kind of joke?

"Okay guys. Let's get ready for the night." Suezo quickly broke the confrontation with a nod. With that said, Tiger strode off into the woods to gather usable wood while the other rebels began to unpack their camping gear. The eyeball monster had seen the slight look of hurt on Holly's face from feeling excluded from the group and he didn't want her to dwell on it. The rebels had been unsure if Pixie had wanted Holly to know about her help, so the rebels had decided to keep it hidden for now. The last thing they wanted was to anger Pixie for her showing a soft spot for anyone.

Holly slowly made her way to the edge of the camp before setting down her things. The group had been acting different since they had started the journey again and it was beginning to worry her. She pretended not to see it, but Holly could see the awkwardness in the group, especially with Hare and Tiger. After she had seen her ruined sleeping bag, she had been more upset than angry. The sleeping bag had been a gift to her from Pink Eye, because a few weeks before her village was destroyed, Holly and her monster friends had planned to go on a camping trip together. Fate had other plans, though. She felt that maybe Tiger and Hare were acting different because of that, but for a reason she couldn't pin point she doubted it.

'Besides, I have a new sleeping bag that's just as special.' Holly thought to herself as she unpacked the new item. A few days after Holly was hospitalized Genki showed up at the hospital by himself with a wrapped package behind his back. The ill girl was extremely surprised when he placed it gently on her lap before she carefully unwrapped the gift. Inside the box was a new red sleeping bag and by looking at Genki's face, she knew he had spent a lot of time picking it out. The young boy looked a little flushed as he told her the color reminded him of her hair ribbon before he embarrassingly made his way out of the room with another quick goodbye, leaving Holly to smile to herself and hold the gift close to her.

"Hey, Holly!" Suezo exclaimed with a smile, snapping Holly out of her trip down memory lane. "Sit back and relax while we set everything up." The eyeball monster said with a smile while Holly gave him a confused look. He knew Holly didn't want to be useless, but it was time that they treated the girl to a night of relaxation and enjoyment to show her their appreciation. The last thing they wanted was for her to start doing all the choirs.

"But… I still need to do a few things…"

"Don't worry. We have it all under control. Mocchi wants you to meet him by the lake, so off you go!" Suezo nudged the girl forward. "We'll call you back to the camp when dinner's done!"

"Um, okay…" Holly replied with a look of mixed feelings. Sure, it was great to not have to cook, but the last time she ate their cooking she felt worse off than before. Then again, it was Hare cooking this time. "If you need anything, just ask."

"Of course! Now go! The little guy's waiting for ya!"

With that, Holly uncertainly trudged into the woods that led to the clear lake to meet with Mocchi while Suezo grinned in success. Talking Holly into leaving anything that didn't deal with fighting Baddies up to the rebels was always a difficult and nearly impossible task, but the eyeball monster knew she was still too tired to argue much. Now it was time to treat her like a queen, just as she deserved.

"Alright guys. The coast is clear. Let's get to work!"

This was a pretty long introduction chapter and part of me feels the other chapters won't be as long. I apologize if anything messed up on this chapter. I started this on Word 2007, but I finished it on my home computer that only has Word 2003. There are too many versions of that software. o_o; I hope to dish this story out fast, but then again I said that about "For Granted", too, and look how long that took. XD The whole time I was writing this I had the song "Top of the World" by The Carpenters playing on repeat. I love that song. ^_^ Anyways, the next chapter will be about the rebels attempts at showing Holly their appreciation! Will things go right? That will probably be the most comical of the chapters because Dark Fox Tailz and I have some big plans for chapter 3 that are more, uh, serious. So yeah! Thanks so much for reading!

RockyRoadSmith: Signing off! :3