Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters
"We've made it to civilization!" Ruby cheered when he saw the small inn at the end of the road. Words couldn't describe the relief he felt when he saw the tiny building and what it meant to him. It was a benchmark in his journey home to his sisters.
Sapphire on the other hand did not share his excitement, at least not entirely. She was excited that they were almost home but she gave a sad look back to the forest. It reminded her of the trips her father took her on when she was a child. Ruby was no company compared to her father but the memory was a comfort to her, though those memories did bring a tear to her eyes in the nights.
It was already dark so Sapphire suggested that they stay the night and Ruby agreed with him, a rare thing she found from their discussions to this point. She couldn't understand the man that didn't have more depth and as single minded as a mule. It frustrated her to no bound that he saw her as nothing more than an inconvenience. She knew he wanted to return to his sisters quickly but it still hurt.
Ruby palmed the bag of coin Blue had hidden in his satchel. They should have enough coin for a room and passage back to the estate. He wondered if he could negotiate a dinner for them but he wanted to save as much of the coins as possible. Sapphire was already gone from his side and entering the small inn.
The heat of the inn overwhelmed him from days of the cold outside when he walked inside. Sapphire sighed as warmth spread through her bones. She went to the counter and tapped on the desk but no one came to greet her until she felt Ruby towering over her.
When a woman came to greet them, Ruby nudged her to a chair and she rolled her eyes. Her foot ached from their long walk but she refused to let him see that. Instead she asked the woman to take her to the available room. She nodded and gestured to a young girl to lead Sapphire. Ruby stopped her though and handed her the satchel so she could ready herself for bed.
Sapphire thanked him and wondered why he did not retire like she was and instead went to speak with the owner. She told herself that what he did was not her business and followed the girl to the room. It wasn't much but then again she didn't need much and the warmth of the fire was more than enough. She went to the fire and light it but moved to the window immediately after.
The fire was warmth enough at her back as she carefully swung her legs over the edge so she could sit on the window. She had sat at the edge of like so when she was a child while her father showed her the stars. She couldn't say what she was feeling and closed her eyes so she could block out what her world had become. She missed him so much and wished that she could speak with him.
She sighed and looked up at the stars and she easily found the North Star that always stayed at the center of her sky. It was always there and she wanted to believe that it was her father though she knew that it was nothing more than a cluster of gas that would fade away with time.
She carefully moved until she was able to take the text from the satchel. She couldn't recognize the letters since it had been so long since her father had taught her, her letters. She knew the drawing of the stars by heart though since it mirrored her sky so well.
"Oh Poppa," She sighed to herself as she turned the page, not knowing what she expected or wanted to see on the next page. She wondered what her father would think of the text since she knew he wanted her to learn his trade through experience and not through others'. But the pictures fascinated her as she compared them to her stars. She wondered if her father had owned a text like this once.
"Don't jump!" She turned back at Ruby's scream and he all but took her breath away when he pulled her back from the window none too gently. He fell back with her spawned over his chest. She was dazed for a moment before Ruby groaned beneath and she moved off him so he could sit up."
"What were you trying to do, trying to throw yourself off the window as such?" He screamed and she pushed herself to her foot and glared at him.
"I wasna about ta jump!" She yelled back. "I was just watchin' the stars when ya burst into my room and if I were to die and it would've been by you! I was perfectly safe and you coulda pushed me right off. Wha'cha doin' in my room anyways?"
"I thought you would want some dinner," He gestured to the tray he had dropped when he rushed to supposedly save her. She was swaying forward and back and his heart stopped at the thought of her falling forward. But he refused to show his care and carelessly tossed, "I cannot have Blue lecture me for your death."
"I am not hungry," She crossed her arms and sat back on the bed. "And where else am I to sit to watch the stars? You're not watching the stars until the wind is in your face, is what my father always says. Now you can leave me alone to sleep."
"There is only one room available," he lied. He didn't want to waste any more of Blue's money than he needed to and knew that Sapphire would insist on him sleeping in another room if she knew the truth. He didn't want to cause her discomfort but he had to focus on his sisters before anyone else.
She let out a less than lady like curse that had his brow raising. She fumed for a few moments at God or any higher being before she turned her gaze back to him. She couldn't very well force him to sleep on the floor when he didn't have any more control over their situation than she did.
"You sleep on top of the blankets," She told him and he knew there was no room for argument. He was lucky that she didn't just tell him to sleep in the stables. He took what was left of the dinner he dropped and placed it on the table next to her insisting that she ate. She took the bread he handed her and she returned a quite thank you.
He looked down at the tattered hem of her pants and frowned at the slippers. They were almost worn to paste and he knelt in front of her. She gasped when he took her foot and slipped her show from her feet. She was about to kick him with her other foot when he began to rub her foot. She sighed when he pressed her thumb into the arch of her foot.
"Your feet are cut in ribbons," He said disgusted with himself for making her walk so much without thinking about it until now. She didn't complain as they walked through the forest and he couldn't see any sign of exhaustion as she walked. The blisters set his blood cold. "I'll send for some warm water so we can clean and wrap your feet."
Ruby was taken back when she kicked him with her other feet, sending him across the room. He pressed his hand to his blazing cheek when he regained his ability to move and could only gawk at him. Her face was crimson red as she screamed at him.
"Who ya think ya are? Ya don't just take a woman's feet and… Ya just don't do that!" She fumed and drew a blanket around her as if it would protect her from his stare. "Do ya have no sense on wha's proper? I thought ya were raised to be a gentleman."
"I guess I have been… detached from what is proper." He whispered to himself, something that he developed from long nights alone. He didn't spend much time with woman on his travel and he knew that she was now uncomfortable with him, lashing out with rage. He stood a good distance from her so that he wouldn't scare her. "I'll go see the innkeeper about getting you some hot water and new clothes."
Sapphire didn't say anything and threw a pillow at him instead. He closed the door before her and the pillow fell mutely to the ground. She let out a huff and collapsed on the bed. What kind of man would merely take a woman's feet and… massaged away her aches? She couldn't understand the man at all!
She looked back to the text Ruby gave her that dropped to the ground when ruby pulled her away from the window. She winced when her bare foot touched the ground but she moved to the text and brought it back to the bed. She laid back and looked at the drawings in the book. She looked up to the ceiling and wished that she could see past the wood to her parents' star. It made her feel connected.
Ruby walked in carrying a heavy basin of warm water and clothes slung over his arm. He almost thought that she was sleeping for a moment but saw the silent trail of tears flowing down her cheeks. His chocked on his need to rush to her but knew that this was a private moment for her. He placed the basin beside her and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Poppa," She whispered and he felt conflicting feelings washed over him. It was obvious that she loved her father and he wondered why he his relationship with his own father wasn't like hers. She felt his gaze on him and tilted her gaze up at him. She turned away immediately and hated that he found her crying.
"Let's get your feet tended to," He didn't comment on her tears and silently handed her a napkin instead. She hesitated before placing her feet into his hands and hissed when he pressed a warm towel to her feet. He was more than gentle when washing the dirt from her feet and wrapped it delicately. "We should wait until your feet heal fully before continue on our journey."
"But what about your sisters," She asked as he moved onto her next foot. She knew that he was desperate to return to his sisters after years.
"My sisters are strong and will have no trouble taking care of themselves without me." There was something sad in his voice so she asked. "I'm not going to let your beautiful feet continue to be scarred because of me."
"Why did ya leave in the first place? I can tell ya love your sisters and they wanted ya to be with them too. Ya put your sister before my feet." She asked and his hand froze for a moment. His hands were slower when he went back to binding her feet again. He couldn't find any reasonable answer to give her so just gave her an honest answer.
"In time you will find that I am a very selfish person." He couldn't look her in the eyes. "I was close to my sisters but I couldn't stand to be with my father. We didn't get along to say the least and I wanted to find something different from him… something beautiful on its own. There had to be a place that was beautiful in the world so I went in search of it."
"Ya must be the most stupid thing I ever heard," She huffed which shocked him. He knew that he was young and wasn't logical when he made his decision all those years ago but he didn't think that she would be so blunt. "Ya had sisters who loved ya and the most beautiful estate I ever seen and you wanted more? Come with me!"
She took his hand and dragged him to the window and all but pushed him out the window. "Ya traveled to whose know where and ya didnna find something beautiful? Look at those sparkles. They're beautiful and ya don't need to go far to find it."
"Stars?" He asked skeptically. He had stared at them for his journey so long they were just dots in the sky. "They're just navigation tools, if anything. I don't see anything more to them."
That seemed to be the words to enrage her. "Those stars are not only tools! They're stories and lesson for our children. They're a comfort to us when and something constant yet ever changing. They're a benchmark to the moon. It's something to aspire to so they a damn lot more than tools."
"But they are that," Ruby pointed out and she huffed. He noticed her limp though and took his boots. He took her hand and held the pair out to her. "Since we both want to return home, I suggest we compromise. You can wear my boots for protection."
"Wha' about ya?" She asked and placed the boots at the foot of the bed. She slanted a gaze at him as she moved beneath the covers. He sighed and said, "Let's get some sleep and forget about this argument. It's a long journey home and I don't want to spend it arguing with you."
"Fine," She sighed not wanting to argue with him and make her headache grow more. She rolled to her side so that she faced the wall. She turned back to him just as he pulled off his shirt. The scars on his back made her heart stop for a moment, wondering what caused such angry wounds. She turned away and forged sleep when he lay next to her and could feel his heat at her back.
She wondered if she would be able to sleep knowing that there was a naked man sleeping next to her even if she was fully clothed and a blanket separated them. She pulled the blanket around her closer and closed her eyes, trying to imagine her parents' stars but couldn't get the image of Ruby's naked back from her mind.
She didn't know when she was able to sleep but the sun was high in the sky when she woke. She moved instinctively over the warm rock under her. She stopped when the warm bundle shift beneath her and froze when a warm hand move over her hair. She pushed herself to sit up and saw Ruby sleeping beneath her. She blushed red and moved from the bed and all but fell off the bed.
Her movement woke him and he leaned over the bed to stare questioningly down at her. She blushed and refused to answer his question so stood with her back straight. "We should be eatin' and getting' ready for travelling by now but you sleep like a rock."
"I'm up," He rubbed his tired eyes and saw her flustered face and wondered what had caused her blush since he didn't think her of a person to blush so. He nodded though and moved to change while she scurried out the door. She leaned back against it once she closed it firmly behind her and pressed a hand to her chest. Why was it beating so quickly?
Silver sighed as he heard Lyra pacing in front of him. The click of a heel on stone followed her rhythm and he found it in sharp contrast to her usually soft steps. Sneasel didn't seem to mind her pacing though and slept peacefully on his lap. He gestured for her to sit and was glad she did when he felt the settee shift next to him.
"Are you wearing new shoes?" He asked and he felt her stiffen next to him which confused him. He couldn't hear her respond and could only imagine what she was doing with her fingers. He cursed his lost sight and how it handicapped him when he wanted nothing more than to be able to read the emotion in her eyes, which he was confident that would be just as expressive as her voice.
Lyra played with her finger and wondered how she could answer him. She was so nervous that he would discover her identity since this was the place they first met. Did he remember anything of her? He didn't speak to her much on it and she didn't want to probe him but she did know that he was still very angry.
"My sister brought me some new shoes," she said honestly and touched the heels.
"And they're very lovely," Blue's voice came to him after the closing of a door. He could feel the warmth of her smile as she moved next to him and hugged him, not bothering with manners. She acted as if she hadn't seen him for years when in fact she visited him almost every day. "I've missed you so much brother and I would like to speak with you in private."
Lyra nodded to her and walked to the door but looked back at Silver. There was a hint of a smile as he handed the kitten to Blue and felt a twinge of jealousy. She understood Blue was like a sister to him but she wanted to feel that closeness with him as well. Blue waited until the door closed behind Lyra before she took Silver's hand.
"You must tell me what you think of Lyra and that you've treat her well." Blue demanded with a large smile. She went to pet the kitten but it forged indifference and returned to Silver's lap. Blue laughed softly at the pair. "What happened to his ear?"
"I don't know," Silver told her honestly. "We found her in an alley and we couldn't leave it to fend for itself so we took him in. He caused a mess of things but good company once he isn't running over my manuscripts. Though I haven't been productive in my work as of late."
"Why not have Lyra help you?" Blue suggested. "I know she loves writing and could easily help write responses to all those eager writers."
"A strange passion for a mere maid," Silver mused. "She had only been reading me the manuscripts that writers had sent to me. I find her latest most amusing though. It is of a woman's deal with a Viking for a few more days to live so she could tell her sister goodbye. As you can guess, the woman and the Viking fell in love. Though she didn't tell me her opinion of it as she did the others though."
"I might know of it," She smiled to herself knowing that Silver very much inspired the wingless angel character. "So what did you tell her? I think that your opinion on that story might've been more important to her than the others."
"Can we not dance around the issue, I like to think that I know you well enough to know what you truly want to speak to me about. You wish to know if I had accepted my blindness thanks to falling in love with the silly little maid you sent me and realized I can live on with her in my life."
"You hurt me brother," Blue faked innocent. "I was only making mere conversation with my dearest brother but if you wish to turn the conversation to Lyra then we shall do so. What do you think of her?"
Silver couldn't tell her immediately because of all the mix emotion she brought in him. "She is truly the oddest woman I have ever met. She thinks that there is more to me than what is; that there is goodness in me. She is truly foolish and kind hearted and bound to have her heart broken by reality. I can't help but think that it shall be shame though when that time comes. Innocence like hers is something I've experienced or touched before."
"Well little brother, I hope that you know why you are confused with her soon," She smiled to herself and leaned back against the settee. "I have truly missed you and if you weren't so mule headed stubborn I would've forced you to live here long before now and I might already have a niece to fawn over."
"Blue!" He blushed. "Do you think of nothing but marrying me off? I don't want love at this moment and I cannot chain a woman I love to half a man. Shouldn't you be focusing on your sisters? They are of marrying age now and… I have only met three. I thought you had four sisters."
"I do. Why do you-" Blue realized her mistake when Silver turned to her angrily.
"Which one was it?" He demanded. "I met one before, when you sent me for flowers for the play. She didn't tell me her name but I knew she was a Berlitz. She came to my house to have her book published and… pushed me. Hell, why didn't I realize it sooner. Been so angry at my blindness I wasn't able to be angry at the girl that caused this to me! What is her name?"
"You don't know her name?" Blue held her breath. Silver was clearly angry and when he stood to pace, he walked into a chair and swore much louder than needed. She knew she couldn't tell him now. She knew he wouldn't hurt her but in this anger she couldn't say what he would say to Lyra. "Please calm down Silver, she told me that it was an accident."
"You're protecting her?" Silver snarled. "You know what she did to me and you want to protect her?"
"What would you do if I tell you?" Blue shouted back. "You are angry and she does not deserve that when she already feel so guilty over what she did. Nothing can change what happened and we only want to help you move on. What do you expect from her?"
"I don't know!" He screamed and marched out the window, not caring that he knocked furniture over on his path. He only wanted to be out of that room. He trusted his sister beyond anything and she had kept this a secret from him. He kept one hand on the wall to guide him as he made his way down the hall until he hit a wall.
"Silver?" He didn't turn at her soft voice but felt her wrap her arms around him. Lyra had heard their screaming but couldn't make out any of the words. After he stormed out, she saw her sister crying and went to comfort her but Plating stopped her, saying that she would see to Blue while she went to stop Silver.
Silver turned in her arms and dropped his face to her shoulder. He was too proud to cry but found that tears flowed from him. He returned her hug, and held onto her as if she was what kept him from breaking completely. "She was my sister. She lied to me."
"She loves you," she whispered back to him, holding back her own tears. She didn't want this to happen. She didn't want to break apart such close siblings. She could only find herself burying her head in his shoulder and whisper so he couldn't hear her. "I'm sorry."
"He hates me!" Blue felt her heart was breaking as Platina rubbed her back. She refused to look weak or cry in front of her sister who needed who her t strong so buried her face in a pillow as she cried. Green watched her and hated seeing her portray this emotion. He had seen her cry for her plays but it didn't make his heart ache to watch as it did now.
"He is merely angry," PLatina tried to console her sister though she did feel awkward being so close to another. Green wasn't much for words but knew that she needed comfort that she refused to take from her sister. The woman was so stubborn, insisting to help others while refusing their help. She needed something to hold onto and he could be that person though he knew that she would most likely want her sister.
He knelt next to her and gentle lifted her face from the pillow to see her ocean eyes filled with tears. He gathered her into his arms as his grandfather did for him and she burst into tears. "Silver feels betrayed and you were not right in what you did, even if it is out of love. I know what you did was out of love but deceit is not how you help another."
"But acting's all I know," she whispered into his shoulder.
"You are not acting now," he replied honestly. "You are a sister and that love motivates you. You are more than your occupation."
Platina stepped back from the two, feeling like an intruder in her own family. She wanted to give comfort to her sister but it seemed that she couldn't do that. She found Dia staring concerned at her and she stopped beside him. "Please saddle my horse, I wish to ride today."
Dia nodded, knowing that she needed to escape her feeling of failure to comfort her sister though he knew that she wanted to but her inability to let go of her own pain was stopping her. She walked by his side as they made their way to the stables. When Yellow saw her frown, she went to her but Platina only quickened her pace. Even when a green haired man took her arm, she pulled away from him sharply.
Dia couldn't stand to see her frown and took out an apple to make a joke about a horse's gluttony compared to his but as he walked backwards into the stables, he fell onto a pile of hay. They stared up at each other for a moment before she helped him stand and she smiled to herself as he stumbled over an apology. She realized that they were standing entirely too close and moved to her horse, whispering that they needed to ride to see the tenants.
At least I made her smile, he told himself as he dusted himself of hay and went to help her saddle her horse. That was a beginning, her smile.