Author's Comment: This chapter's actually a pretty serious one, with little to no jokes. I'm sorry for the readers that come for the humor, but there will be some chapters like this. Just bear with me. Everyone else, please enjoy and of course, special thanks to my loyal reviewers, calius and ASiriusWriter (yay for the feels!).
Chapter 7: Seventh Night
A soft knock comes to Sokudo's bedroom door and the Ninjask can't be bothered to respond, at least for the moment. Another knock comes, along with the soft voice of his shed, and he closes his eyes tight.
"Brother," Kowai starts. "Can I come in please?"
"No..." the living cicada grunts, barely even turning his head to the door.
"Please, brother," the Shedinja pleads. "It's important."
Sighing heavily, Sokudo opens his glazed eyes to look at the tree sap jar currently held in his claw, taking a few laps before answering. "Fine..."
"Thank you, brother..." The door opens a bit, the Shedinja peeking inside to see its Ninjask slumped on his bed, an almost dazed look on his face. Judging from the half-empty jar of fermented tree sap, he's probably starting to get a bit drunk. Kowai doesn't really know what to think and decides to just go on with what it wished to talk about. "Brother, do you know what tonight is?"
Sokudo doesn't answer for a moment, just staring at a small patch of his blanket in front of him before grumbling his answer softly. "Yes..."
Kowai waits for its brother to continue and realizes that the Ninjask will need a bit of prompting. "Can you tell me?"
Again, it doesn't get an immediate answer, the Ninjask taking a breath before taking another few laps of his tree sap. When he does choose to respond, it is in another grumble, as if all his energy is gone. "The seventh night since you started going out with the Yamask..."
"And do you remember what that means?" Kowai mutters back, its voice still gentle in its prompting, given its brother's obvious state. This time, it gets no answer despite how long it waits and it whimpers a bit. "I don't want to hurt you, brother..."
"Then why..." Sokudo utters dully. "Why make that deal apart of this...?"
"Personally," Kowai starts, turning away a bit. "I didn't think you'd agree with it. But you did, and I have to carry it through..." It floats closer. "You're a very brave Pokemon, taking such a risk. Very foolish, but very brave..."
This gets a short, bitter laugh from its brother, his voice breaking its monotonous tone for the moment. "Somehow, I'm finding it hard to accept this compliment..."
"I understand," Kowai whispers, before floating even closer and pressing into Sokudo's side. The Ninjask grunts a bit, but does nothing to push the Shedinja away or verbally object, despite the husk having already gotten its Cuddle Sessions. Kowai immediately knows that it is because of his semi-drunken state and it feels the impulse to test how much it can get away with. But it controls itself, for the moment. "Would you like to know where you stand right now?"
"Not really..."
"So you wish to spend the night with suspense?"
"Trust me, I'll be too drunk to feel such a thing..." Sokudo tells it. "And hopefully, I'll still be drunk when you get back, so I won't remember too much of the pain that follows..."
"You really think it'll be that bad?" Kowai can't help but ask.
"I know it'll be that bad," Sokudo retorts half-heartedly. "I was stupid to take that deal, but what's done is done, and it's not like you'll kill me... Hopefully..."
"Heh, I won't go that far, brother. If it comes to it, I'll take it easy on you." Kowai tries to reassure, although it easily senses that its words isn't taken seriously when the Ninjask huffs a bit.
"Thanks, I'll try to remember that through the torture..." Sokudo begins lapping the tree sap again before laying his head down on the bed, his drink obviously taking more and more of his mind with every lick. Kowai isn't used to this sort of behavior from its normally energetic and aggressive brother and it bothers it quite a bit. Purring in what it hopes is a soothing manner, it nuzzles into its brother's neck gently.
"Brother, I have a gift for you," it tells him, in another attempt to get him to cheer up a bit. But it only gets another grunt and it pulls away. "I'll be back. I'll get it for you."
With that, the Shedinja flies out of the room, Sokudo closing his eyes again as if trying to go to sleep. Personally, he thinks he has every right to act like this, to wallow in his own self-pity, as he knows Kowai's unpredictable nature left his future uncertain. Even if he had accepted the husk's offer to tell him his fate, he knows full well it can change at the drop of a hat, and probably will. Best not to get his hopes up, as this might very well be the last night in a long time that he'll be pain-free. He remembers the last time the Shedinja hurt him, all the pain and torment, and the near-fatal sickness that followed... He's pretty sure he'll have to endure that again.
After a few minutes, Kowai returns with a small object in its mist and it places it very delicately in front of its brother. "I was going to wait a bit longer before giving this to you, but I think you deserve it now..."
Sokudo opens his eyes just a bit to peek at his brother's offering before he feels his body stiffen. It is a shell, with its mother-of-pearl lining gleaming with iridescence. He feels his breath catch in his throat, and he tries to swallow it down. "Kowai, where did you get this...?"
"On the beach the other day," Kowai tells him. "I found it, and the Yamask let me have it. It reminds me of you, though I'm not sure why. Beautiful, isn't it?"
The Ninjask stays quiet for a while, just staring at it as more unwanted memories flash in his head. Taking an unusually shaky breath, he forces his eyes away blinking hard. Kowai hesitates when it swears it sees a little drop of water trace its brother's cheek. Is he...
"Brother... Are you crying?"
"No," Sokudo immediately answers in a rather defensive tone, shaking the stray tear off. "Just... Just get that thing out of my house."
"Why?" Kowai asks in horror, not sure why the other Pokemon is rejecting its gift like this. It thought the shell was pretty and it was hoping its Ninjask would too. But it seems that isn't the case as Sokudo pushes the shell away with a claw.
"Doesn't matter, Kowai," Sokudo hisses in the best snappy tone he can pull off. "I want it out of my sight and out of my life."
Silence as the Shedinja stares at its brother and at the shell. It doesn't want to get rid of it, but it doesn't want to upset its brother anymore. This shell meant something, but apparently it isn't anything good. It wonders about it, but decides not to push, not yet, before giving a whimper.
"Okay... I will," It tenderly takes the shell back, looking at it with a sorrowful whine before tucking it into its mist-filled body. It stares at Sokudo as the Ninjask shakes his head again to rid himself of anymore stray tears before laying himself back down. He takes a big gulp of the tree sap jar before throwing it aside, uncaring of any subsequent mess it might cause. Kowai flinches a bit at this, before giving a slight shudder. "I'm sorry, brother. I didn't think..."
It trails off before going back to snuggle against Sokudo. The Ninjask again does nothing to push it away and he only lifts a claw to groom some dripping tree sap off his mandibles. This gives Kowai the idea to try and lift both of their spirits, and it nuzzles into its brother's neck again. It then tries to imitate the social grooming process, some of its black mist emerging from its small mouth to 'lick' its brother gently.
Sokudo stiffens at the freezing sensation tickling his neck and throat, at first unsure of what his brother's doing. While he is used to the chill of his shed's black mist, he still doesn't like it, especially near his neck. All that does is remind him of the night it almost killed him. So it comes to no surprise that he leans away from his brother, his claw finally pushing it away as he forces out a growl.
"I'm not that drunk," he tells it as firmly as he can, hoping it'll get the message as he's sure he won't have the strength to defend himself if the Shedinja persists. But the husk doesn't, to his relief, and it pulls away with a slight purr, as it had managed to get in a few more seconds than it expected.
"Very well, brother," it says to him with slight humor before turning for the door. "I have to leave now anyway." It gives him a glance, its voice back to the more somber tone. "Whatever happens in the morning, know I still love you."
It only gets a soft grunt before it heads out for that final date...
Yams waits patiently for Kowai to arrive to the sugar maple tree, staring at her mask as she does so. Its golden surface gleams in the full moon's light and she sighs softly, reaching out and brushing off some dust. She can hardly believe how much time has past since she met the Shedinja, and how much progress she has made with it. It went from screaming bloody murder at her, to tolerating her presence less than a foot from it and opening itself up to her bit by bit. It was a difficult road, but well worth it.
She wonders how far it will go. Obviously, she wants the other ghost to love her and she herself cares about it a lot. But does she really love it? She likes it certainly, otherwise she would've given up on it a long time ago. And she does worry about its well-being, like when it tries to play with especially rough waves, or dives into the ocean too deeply for too long. And she definitely enjoys teaching it all about the world around it, and she loves seeing that glint of excitement and curiosity whenever she gets it something new to explore.
But does she really love it? Love it enough to spend the rest of her immortal life with it... or at least until Sokudo's lifespan reaches the end of its rope... If she did get the Shedinja to fall in love with her, enough for it to switch its attentions fully onto her and away from the Ninjask, she'll have a pretty long-term commitment to keep it that way.
All these thoughts are cluttering her head and she closes her eyes as she tries to clear it. She's still too early in the process, with no guarantee of success. She'll cross those roads when she gets to them and until then, she'll keep working and enjoy herself in the meantime.
She opens her eyes again when she senses the familiar presence beside her and she looks up at the Shedinja. Immediately, she puts on a smile. "Hi, you ready to go?"
"Actually," Kowai starts with a grumble. "I wanted to give something to you first."
At this, Yams blinks in great surprise, as she isn't expecting this at all tonight. Clearing her throat a bit, she stays sitting where she is as she tilts her head. Her unspoken question doesn't need to wait long for the answer before Kowai drops something by her mask-bearing tail. Picking it up, she sees it's the mother-of-pearl shell she gave it a few nights ago. She doesn't know how to respond to this at first and when she does, she sounds more than a little confused.
"You don't want it anymore?"
"No, I want it," Kowai tells her softly. "But my brother wishes for me to get rid of it... So I am."
Looking at the sea shell, Yams feels herself again lost for words. Instead of throwing this shell away, or putting it back on the beach, Kowai is giving it to her? Seeing her speechless state, the Shedinja snorts before turning away, forcing out a hiss.
"You said you wanted it, didn't you? So why are you hesitating on taking it?"
"I just..." Yams starts. "I'm just surprised, is all. I... I didn't really expect you to give me a gift."
Hearing this, Kowai pauses. Is this really being considered a gift? It is giving it to her, yes, but only because it finds the shell much too precious to be discarded in the trash or placed back into the elements. It is sure the Yamask will treat the shell with the respect it deserves, but... "It's not a gift." it insists. "Just leave it at that."
Silence comes between them for a moment before Yams looks back at the shell. "Well, thank you anyways."
Kowai merely gives another snort before it flies off a bit. "So are we going or not?"
"Right," With that, Yams pushes herself off the ground and leads the way to the beach, although she is certain the Shedinja knows the way by now. As she floats, she casts frequent glances at the Shedinja, wondering some more about its motive for getting rid of the shell. Finally, she speaks up a bit. "Kowai?"
"What?" the husk replies, its tone just a little sharp, another thing Yams considers progress.
"Why did your brother want you to get rid of the shell?" she asks gently, hoping she isn't pushing too hard in asking for its business. Kowai glances at her before grunting a bit.
"I don't know," it answers. "He just wanted it out, and I have to respect his wishes."
"Okay," Yams is about to leave their conversation at that, but to her surprise, the Shedinja keeps talking.
"I don't understand," it mutters. "It's such a beautiful thing, so much like him. I don't understand why he rejects it."
"Maybe..." Yams starts. "Maybe it has something to do with his past... Something that bothers him and that he'd rather forget."
"Perhaps," Kowai whispers softly, and Yams feels her heart bounce just a little in excitement. She's had several meaningful conversations with this bug, but it's still a rush when it happens. And it seems it'll continue as the Shedinja looks to her. "While we're talking, I wish to ask one thing."
"What?"
"It's nearing the end of the deal between my brother and I. I haven't made you aware, but I've been giving you a week to prove yourself worthwhile to me. When tonight's over, I won't be obligated to continue meeting with you like this. And just in case I decide to end it all here and now, I wish to know: why did you approach me in the market? And at the sugar maple?"
Yams blinks again, at both the question and the new information she's just been given. Ever since Sokudo ordered for her to go on a date, she hadn't met up with the Ninjask and so has not heard of this deal. She certainly didn't know of this time limit and it caught her off guard. What did that all mean for the progress she made? That it was all a fluke? No... it seems more genuine than that, she's sure.
Remembering the question, however, she snaps out of her thoughts and fiddles with her mask a bit.
"Well," she starts, feeling weird as she tries to think of a lie. After all, she can't tell it that its brother put her up to this. "I've noticed you around for a while, and I really did think you were cute. I was hoping to get to know you that day, is all."
"But why persist?" Kowai continues to press. "I think I have made it pretty obvious in both those occasions that I wasn't interested in you, but still you returned to me. Why bother putting so much effort in someone that, for all you know, will never come to love you?"
At this, Yams falls silent for a minute, genuinely thinking of an answer to that. And when she does, it's in the form of a simple question of her own. "If I may, why do you persist in the pursuit of your brother? I've seen the interactions between you two and it looks to me that he's not impressed by you either."
Having the questions turned around on it, it falls silent. It knows what she just did and it has to admit, she brought up a point. If it can hope that its brother will love it someday, why can't she hope for it to love her someday? Suddenly, it begins seeing this whole thing in a different light, begins seeing Yams in a different light...
"I really want this to continue, Kowai," Yams tells it softly. "I know you probably will go back to rejecting me after all this, but I'm not going to give up on you, just like you won't give up on your brother. And I'm willing to go to any lengths to prove that to you..."
She comes to a sudden stop, Kowai automatically stopping alongside her. This is incredibly foolish, she knows, as it could undo everything she worked for. But she has to do it, to prove her point and prove to herself that she really has made some genuine progress here, that it isn't just the product of some deal. Taking a breath and holding it, she forcibly dispels Sokudo's words echoing in her head, and forces herself to ignore her common sense and reasoning. This has to be done, tonight, as she might never get another chance should Kowai refuse further contact with her. It might scream at her again, maybe even attack her, but at least she'll know for certain that her efforts weren't for nothing.
She reaches out with a hand steadily, her intentions obvious. Kowai doesn't respond, doesn't growl, doesn't hiss, doesn't back away. It just stares at her, still and silent...
Incredibly slowly and incredibly gently...
She touches its claw...