First off in my Valentine-themed Pokemon stories, we have Kureno and Hiyoko, my favorite starter and his ray of sunshine in the form of a Togekiss. This is the longer of the oneshots I have planned so far, but I don't know how the last one will turn out.
I don't own Pokemon, but these Pokemon are fixed to my liking. They exist in my (MIA) HeartGold game.
"Hey Kureno, I'm glad that today's so clear and warm," Hiyoko trilled, the Togekiss perched on the back of the Feraligatr's neck as he walked along the fountain's edge in Johto's National Park.
Naturally, he didn't mind so long as she could keep still, which she was doing a good job of despite her attention span. The Feraligatr knew that the Togekiss on his neck was always in spirits that soared to great heights whenever the weather was good like this. In order to see this happiness, Kureno always looked forward to nice days.
"What about you, Kureno? Doesn't the weather make you feel great?" the dove-like Pokemon asked, looking down at his head even though she couldn't see his face.
"It's nice, yeah," Kureno replied shortly, tilting his head upwards just a little bit to look at her. He could see the edge of one of her wings and caught a glimpse of the red and blue-tipped crown-like spikes of her head. It always gave her a regal appearance. Kureno looked back down to see where he was going, pausing when he felt Hiyoko moving around again.
"Kureno, brace yourself!" Hiyoko chirped, her tone of voice suddenly happy and childlike. She felt Kureno tense up, then pushed herself off and flapped her wings, becoming airborne within seconds. She immediately raced off ahead of Kureno, stopping when she didn't see him following. "Come on, let's race or something," she sighed. "The wind is perfect for soaring around," she added, giving him a bright smile.
Those smiles are what Kureno felt could uplift his own spirits as well. Especially since they were the first two on Viccy's team while traveling in Johto, their friendship was irreplaceable. Whenever the crocodile lost a battle, Hiyoko would always be there to console him instead of allowing him to violently take it out on others. They both evolved together: Viccy had them evolve at the same time, respectively, into Croconaw and Togetic. Nothing changed except for their abilities and their looks...and perhaps Kureno's feelings for Hiyoko. He was somewhat glad that the dove was as oblivious and dense as she was, but it also troubled him because she couldn't understand the feelings that were in his head. Well, she shouldn't have been able to understand them if they were only in his head.
"Hiyoko, if it's a nice day, then we should relax like Kireme and Rena, right?" Kureno suggested, pointing towards the shiny duo that consisted of a Sandslash and a Bellossom. However, Rena wasn't relaxing, but was practicing twirling around. The clumsy Bellossom almost tripped when Kureno looked at her, earning a small chuckle from Kireme. "Well...at least Kireme is relaxing," Kureno said once he turned back around. The reply he got back was a pair of glimmering brown eyes and a slightly pouty lip. Kureno sighed, then looked around for another excuse. "Hiyoko, it'd be nice to have a race, but it's kind of crowded around here on the ground. You'd have an advantage with no obstacles," he said once he realized it, "but...if you want to fly, I'll be here watching you," he gave her an assuring smile, which seemed to satisfy the bird. He went to the shiny duo and sat beside them, looking up at Hiyoko twirling about gracefully.
"She's quite a handful, isn't she?" Kireme smiled slightly when Kureno leaned back and sighed.
"Definitely...but it's worth it. She's important to me," Kureno replied, eyes following Hiyoko as she flew in a spiral.
"In more ways than one," Rena pointed out, waving up at Hiyoko warmly and turning her attention back to Kireme and Kureno. "If Viccy was interested in those Contest things, you two would make a really great pair. You do even now," she said happily, returning to her self-practice.
"I can say the same about you two," Kureno told Rena, a smile crossing his face when Rena and Kireme's faces both grew slightly pink. "The teamwork that you two show surprises me. Outside of battles, Kireme helps you to practice your dancing. Both of you are dead obvious about it," he said, then gazed back up at Hiyoko.
"I wish that she would notice though, that you care," Rena pouted a little bit, pausing in the middle of one of her spins.
"She does notice that I care," Kureno raised an eyebrow, looking at the flower questioningly, who had turned around fully to face him.
"I meant as more than a friend, of course," Rena put a hand on her hip, winking at Kureno. "When Zutori," she said, ignoring Kureno's quiet growl, "came to be part of the team, your feelings really showed so much. I thought for sure that she'd see how you feel! But her head seemed to be floating in Altaria wings the entire time," she sighed, crossing her arms.
"If she doesn't notice, that's fine with me," Kureno sighed, looking back again at Hiyoko. "She's my friend and always will be. At least I'll never lose that connection," he added quietly.
"Strong words coming from you," Kireme glanced at Kureno with an inquiring expression, "but you're never going to be happy unless she knows, right?"
Kureno didn't answer, but instead stood up, smiled, and allowed Hiyoko to return and perch on the back of his neck.
~~xx...クレノｘヒヨコ...xx~~
"Valentine's Day? What kind of a day is that?" Kureno raised an eyebrow as Rena twirled around happily on top of one of the benches in the Pokemon Center.
"It's supposedly a romantic day where someone lets the person they love know about their feelings," Rena said in a dreamy voice, the pink petals of her head flowers seemingly fluttering as well. "Viccy was talking about it before we left the park. She immediately went into one of those phases where she was making Zutori practice his Attract," she shook her head slightly. "Poor Zutori has it tough," she shrugged.
"No offense Rena, but I don't give a damn about that stupid condor," Kureno sighed again, shutting his eyes for a few seconds. "So do you know more about this Valentine's Day?" he asked her.
"Rash as always," Rena sighed, then her eyes moved up to meet his. "If you want to know more, it's actually better to ask Inferno about it," she replied, making Kureno's eyes open wide in shock. "Yes, you heard me right. Inferno. The Flareon with the same personality as you," the flower told him.
"Thanks," Kureno said, then walked over to Inferno, who wasn't that far from Rena. "Hey Inferno, Rena said that you know something about this day, it's-"
"Valentine's Day, yeah," the sassy Flareon replied, flicking her tail a bit. "Are you going to confess to Hiyoko?" she asked Kureno.
"What about you and Storm?" he retorted, making her recoil in mild shock, then sighed and shook his head. "Sorry," he said hastily.
"'S fine..." Inferno said shortly, then slammed a paw on the ground. "That damn Jolteon, I don't know what to do about him!" She snarled.
"Well, we're both in the same situation, obviously. I swear to Arceus that Storm and Hiyoko must be related in terms of complete obliviousness," Kureno groaned, slumping down and looking up at the ceiling hopelessly.
"If you plan on confessing your feelings...why not get her a gift?" Inferno suggested after kneading her paw carefully on the ground to get rid of the shock of the powerful contact.
"A gift?" Kureno asked, looking at her with his golden eyes.
"Yeah, like...you know, how Storm always gives me roses," Inferno pointed out, referring to the uncountable instances that burned roses lay between her and a teary-eyed Storm.
"He's more hard-headed than a Cranidos," Kureno thought to himself. "I see," he said, nodding a little bit.
"Knowing Storm, I'm gonna be showered with them..." Inferno shuddered. "What he fails to realize is that the smell annoys me unless it's a certain type of rose," she muttered.
"I'll leave you to think about that," Kureno said, then stood up. "Speaking of which, when is Valentine's Day?"
Inferno glanced at the sun outside, which indicated that it was evening. "It's tomorrow."
~~xx...クレノｘヒヨコ...xx~~
"What would be good to give to her?" Kureno gnashed his teeth together in frustration. With the knowledge that he only had the rest of this day—no, evening—to prepare something to give to Hiyoko really riled him up. He was back at the National Park, having gone on his own with Viccy knowing that he could take care of himself. He walked to the fountain, sitting in front of it and looking around. The weather was getting cloudier, making him frown. No wonder that Hiyoko's good mood had slightly evaporated.
A couple of Sunkern, followed by a Sunflora, walked past, the Sunflora carrying different types of flowers. He looked at them with some interest as one of the Sunkern launched a Leech Seed to allow the vines to extend out. The Sunflora cut the vine and stripped it of its leaves, then began weaving the flowers along it and tying off the ends.
When Kureno saw what it was, he stood up. "E-excuse me," Kureno said as he cautiously approached the Sunflora and Sunkern. "What you're making...can you show me how to make it?"
A few hours passed, which involved Kureno holding intense frustration in, several "tests" lying about, and finally one that he was satisfied with.
"Hey mister, are you planning on giving it to someone?" one of the Sunkern asked with a mischievous smile.
"You could say that," Kureno's face flushed a bit.
"It looks like you worked really hard on it," the other Sunkern commented happily.
"I hope she likes it," Kureno smiled softly.
"It'll get kind of messed up if you handle it around like that though," the Sunflora said, then waved one of her leafy arms at a nearby Caterpie, which came over and began spinning a pouch. A few minutes passed before the Sunflora touched it, satisfied with its dryness. "It'll be better to carry it in here," she told Kureno, who put it inside of the bag. "We'll be leaving now, thank you for your help," she said daintily, standing up and beginning to walk off with the two Sunkern.
"W-Wait! What about..." Kureno's voice faltered, then he began to stand up.
"You only asked if we could show you how to make it. We never agreed to let you keep it," the Sunflora raised an eyebrow, then nodded at the Caterpie. On cue, the Caterpie used String Shot to tie Kureno's legs where he stood.
All of the frustration from earlier was beginning to come back to him. "You-" he snarled, charging up an Ice Beam, which caused the Sunflora to back off nervously. Upon seeing her face full of fear, he felt the warmth of two wings wrap around him and make him stop. The Sunflora and the two Sunkern, along with Caterpie, took this opportunity to run off.
The Feraligatr let go of the Ice Beam and slashed at the strings that bound his legs. "Thanks Hiyoko, you stopped me again-" he said, turning around to face Hiyoko. There was no one there.
"Was that...my imagination...?" he thought, then roared and fell to his knees, slamming a scaly fist on the ground and squeezing his eyes shut. "Dammit Hiyoko..." he growled, feeling the rain hit his back. "What am I supposed to do now?" He gritted his teeth together again, hopelessness taking him over.
A few minutes passed before he stood up, letting the rain wash over his face. There was no gift to give her now. "Hiyoko..." he said hollowly. "I'm sorry..."
"E-excuse me...mister..." came a small voice, making Kureno look down.
One of the Sunkern had come back to him. "I-I'm sorry that Mama took what you made away," she fidgeted, looking down shamefully.
"It's not your fault, kid," Kureno sighed.
"But you still remember how to make one, right?" The little Sunkern asked hopefully. When Kureno nodded, she beamed. "You can make one that's better than before," she said, launching another Leech Seed to allow the vines to extend, then took the leaves off herself. "This is the only one I can make because I'm not as good as Mama or my brother," she said with a hint of sadness, "so please, make a beautiful one!" Despite her tone of voice, her eyes were full of the opposite emotion.
Kureno took the vine and crouched down to look at the Sunkern. "Thank you. I'll make the most beautiful one for her," he smiled at the child, patting her leaf and going to the flower patch nearby to find the best ones he could.
~~xx...クレノｘヒヨコ...xx~~
"What took you? You're wet!" Hiyoko gasped upon seeing Kureno rush into the Pokemon Center. She flew upwards, landing on the back of his neck again and nestling into it. It shocked the poor dove to feel how cold his scales were.
"Viccy was about to go out herself," Rena frowned, then looked towards Kureno's hands, which were loosely closed.
"Get over here and get warmed up," Kireme told Kureno, practically dragging the crocodile further into the Center, close to the heating system and Inferno.
"Reckless...luckily you're a Water type, so it shouldn't have bothered you..." Inferno looked up at Kureno from the corner of her eyes.
"Stupid kid," Zutori thought, not even remotely close to the crocodile.
"Kureno..." came the dove's voice, the sound of it shocking Kureno, prompting him to look up. "Kureno, you're so cold...you made us worry being out so long..." Hiyoko continued, making guilt sting Kureno. With that coming from Hiyoko, along with her departing his neck, it hurt far worse than Zutori's choice of words. No, the pain was far more stronger than losing the original gift, or the disappointment of losing in battles, or the loneliness he could see if he lost her.
His head jolted up as the clock struck midnight.
"Kureno, today!" Inferno barked, jumping up with her ears swishing upwards.
The Feraligatr turned around so quickly that Hiyoko was taken aback, the tears actually falling from her eyes. Even though he knew that the tears were because she was worried, he didn't want to see them anymore.
"Hiyoko, today is Valentine's Day, so...I...I made this for you," Kureno said, holding out the floral crown to Hiyoko. It was bigger and more grand than the one that he made earlier. It was speckled with blue and red flowers, but on the two sides, apart from each other, a large blue flower and a large red flower were placed.
"Hiyoko, you're my best friend, and has been since Viccy obtained us because we've known each other since the beginning. When I lost a battle, you were there to stop me from taking out my anger. I know that I'm really stubborn too, and because of that, I sometimes think that you're too good to be there for me like you always have been. But Hiyoko..." he said, his voice breaking here and there. He paused, then took a breath. "You're always going to be important to me, just like a queen upon her throne." With that, he placed the crown upon her head, the flowers complimenting the colored spikes and her body spots.
"K-Kureno..." Hiyoko squeaked, her voice rising in pitch, "s-so you...you..."
"You're not only my best friend, Hiyoko. You're the one I always have loved," Kureno confirmed.
Hiyoko took to the air again, landing on him once more and snuggling into him. "You too," she said softly, then smiled warmly. "You too, Kureno," she said, burying her face in the back of his neck for a few seconds, then lifting her head up and kissing his cheek.
Outside of the window, Sunflora and her two children were watching fondly.
"It's beautiful, mama," the girl said, beaming.
"Yeah, he did way better this time," her brother remarked.
Sunflora looked as she saw Hiyoko kiss Kureno's cheek, and smiled. "That's what love does."
~~xx...クレノｘヒヨコ...xx~~
"He's such a brave soul!" Rena spun around after she saw the kiss, landing gracefully in Kireme's arms. "H-Hey, I landed without falling that time!" She said in surprise, looking up at Kireme with a growing smile, who returned it with just as much happiness. "I-I'll try it again!"
"Later today, my flower," Kireme told Rena as he looked to Kureno and Hiyoko, winking at the embarrased crocodile. "We have all day."