Boom! Chapter 5! I was going to wait to post this chapter, but I was anxious to finish off this arc lol. It's great though! These first five chapters were the Kamari Arc. Moving forward, we will have a series of arcs leading up Kamari meeting Fairy Tail. But that's much later down the line. The next arc is the Pokémon Village Arc. That will be a short arc like this one.

Firstly, reviews!

Terejina: Thank you for your review! Also thank you for catching that lol I reviewed the chapter over and over and never noticed lol. Then again, it was in the middle of the night so I definitely wasn't paying that good of attention lmao. Thank you!

The musical inspiration for this chapter was H.A.T.E.U by Mariah Carey. It's December so Mariah Carey binge is inevitable lmaoo

But anyways! I hope y'all like the chapter! Feel free to review or PM me!

Fairy Tail's Moonlight

Chapter 5: Moonlit Heartaches

Articuno left soon after their conversation finished. Business to attend to, she claimed. Kamari supposed it made sense. Articuno gave off the air of a deity; who was the say they didn't have their matters to attend to? Upon her departure, Froslass escorted Kamari back inside and stayed with him. She didn't supply any conversation. Nor did he. They found satisfaction in the silence. It gave them time to think and process their emotions as the wind howled from the outside.

In the meantime, Kamari dug through his bag. It hadn't felt heavy, yet it stored a ludicrous number of items! Cooking supplies, camping materials, bags of colorful berries, strange discs, and even more miscellaneous stuff. Honestly, he couldn't make sense of half of it. Only Froslass could when she noticed his confused expression and floated over.

(These are special berries.) She has explained. And the more she spoke, the easier it became to accept. Something about it clicked. Whether it was how fantastical the claims were or the familiarity prickling in the back of his head, he didn't know. But he hung on her every word and asked questions whenever he could.

Some she couldn't answer. Most of these items were man-made and Froslass didn't know much about the technology nor how people used them. (I never paid mind to the advances of human technology.) She proclaimed, raising her head. A slick grin slid across her face as the temperature dipped down. (It rarely saved them from my wrath.)

With sputtering apologies, Kamari took her word for it. He decided to figure the rest out later. For now, he focused on getting dressed. Thankfully, his bag had a few sets packed away at the bottom. Neatly folded and smelled of fresh berries and the open sea. A cologne, he realized. His favorite—Mommy brought it for him.

Getting dressed was easy, freeing. Pieces of forgotten memories were pieced together. Of Mommy presenting the clothes to him in during the late night. A smile across her lips, illuminated by the scattered stars and the waxing moon.

"It's what you deserve," she spoke softly. In her brown eyes, he saw the moon beaming down onto him. "For all your accomplishments, my little moonlight."

The memory faded when he accepted the gift. But the warmth of her smile embraced him deep in his bones. Under her guidance, he put on the clothes. Shimming into his black joggers, lacing up his heavy silver boots, and pulling over the black and silver, moon-themed hoodie. A dashiki hoodie, he noted. Even his joggers followed the moon-theme with silver dust-like designs sprinkled down the sides.

All made personally by Mommy's hands. A fashion designer, his mind recalled. She started a fashion line and sold many designs in stores. This set—with its matching sneakers and tops—was her Lunar Alignment set.

A gift for him.

"Thank you, Mommy." He smiled, brushing the tears from his eyes. He finished off his outfit with a powder belt, clipped in place by a golden crescent moon buckle and a silver bracelet. The bracelet fitted perfectly on his wrist and filled his heart with an ancient power. Different from the belt. The six orbs clipped around his waist brought him a security he was familiar with. The same security he felt when around Primari and Salamari in his dreams.

Now, if only he knew what to do with his hair…

Froslass approved of his attire. She had left while he dressed— (A man doesn't change in the presence of a lady!) She had admonished him before departing out into the snow. She returned when he finished, carrying with her an armful of berries. The blue ones, he noticed. Oran berries, she called them.

She gasped when she saw him. However, with a wistful smile, she praised his choice of clothes.

(My Mistress said you were guarded by the moon.) She remarked, offering him a few berries to snack on. (The Moon Mistress would be proud.)

He meant to ask who that was but got distracted with the berries. They tasted great! An explosion of flavor in his mouth as it eased away the stress and fatigue slithering through his veins.

Instead, he dug through his bag and found a beautiful flute. As silver as the moon and accented with an oddly bat-esque crescent moon on the side. A lovely instrument—he didn't know he played! Singing came easy once he learned his name. Perhaps this was his to play as well.

Froslass, however, disagreed. (That's for the Moon Mistress!) She exclaimed, urging him to put it away and keep it safe. After a one-sided argument, he listened and safely stored it in his bag. (Don't handle it so frivolously!)

A strange comfortable silence fell over them. Kamari spent most of it digging through his bag, eager to uncover more secrets within. Froslass left him alone. Though she made a point to watch him. (My Mistress would scold me if you became erratic.) She claimed. Kamari didn't quite believe her. Those poorly veiled smirks she wore when he asked her question told him all he needed. She enjoyed his company. Even if she refused to admit it. He giggled. Even snow spirits needed friends.

They fell into a pattern Kamari didn't care to break. Not until they received a surprise guest in a familiar face. He raced into the race, making a racket as he flailed his arms. Kamari had no time to reply before those arms latched onto him in a hug. The newcomer should have been cold to the touch from all the running in these thin robes. But he radiated warmth of his own as he babbled nonsense into Kamari's ears.

"Aquilo?"

His roommate pulled away and began scolding him. Yet he didn't look as he remembered. His skin now a light brown that couldn't be reached from simple tanning. His messy hair shifted into tight and short, white curls that stood up under their power. Much like his own, only these curls were healthier.

" …You should have found me. Why did you—hey! Are you even listening?"

"You look so…different."

Aquilo stepped back and sighed. His arms caressed his biceps as snowflakes fluttered across the air around him. "I do," he stared at him with those big blue eyes, now watery with poorly restrained tears. "I know its…ugly."

Kamari blinked and reached out to hold his friend's arms. They were cold, but he didn't feel a chill. Nor did the snowflakes do more than melt against his skin.

"You're far from ugly." Kamari smiled. Slowly, he leaned in until his lips were inches from Aquilo's ears. "Not to me." He finished, kissing Aquilo's browning cheek.

When his lips left Aquilo's skin, the cavern faded away.

He found himself on top of a mountain of some kind. Sweating as fire flared around him in vibrant streams of life. Most of which came from a strange silhouette. Dog-like, it barked and growled in distorted sounds. It raced at him, cloaked in rings of fire!

"Primari!" His voice—younger again and filled with strength and confidence—boomed, "Aqua Jet!"

A creature intersected the dog, cloaked in a veil of water! The dog went flying and the creature chased after it. Sliding on its belly as it unleashed streams of water and bubbles at his command. In no time, the dog collapsed, unable to continue.

"Nicely done," a loud voice exclaimed, clapping for him. A boy, no older than him, walked over. He was shirtless, putting his rich ebony skin on display. Dressed only in a pair of red shorts, a dark red belt, and black and red sandals. An amulet of some kind danced around his neck with each step he took. The stranger stopped just before Kamari and smiled. His brown eyes burned with a passion matched only by his wispy brown and red hair.

"You and Primari have come a long way."

Kamari blushed under the compliment and rubbed his hands together. "We have a great teacher in you to thank."

The creature—Primari? —took his side and cheered. She looked different than he remembered. Taller and draped in layered white and blue ruffles that looked like a dress! Her ears were longer and stood up, fading into two white bubbles, almost like pigtails. She looked like a pop star.

The newcomer laughed. "I hope I'm not just some teacher." Kamari found hands enclosed on his and his blush intensified. "Then this would be inappropriate."

They shared a kiss. A simple kiss, really. Yet it sent fireworks through his mind and set the butterflies in his stomach ablaze. He had a boyfriend! Yet another person who loved and possibly searched for him. He had a boyfriend…and he kissed Aquilo. An innocent kiss—a peck to cheek left nothing to write home about! But it sent aching pain through his chest and forced him to tremble. The pain brought him free from the vision. And tore him free of Aquilo.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have done that."

Kamari glanced up and, to his horror, Aquilo recoiled. His nose upturned as his face twisted into a nasty scowl. Thick silence blanketed over them. Far from welcoming like his time with Froslass. This one begged him to interrupt with a statement, but he couldn't find the words. No combination sat right in his head nor did they mesh well in his mouth. Yet the longer they stayed in silence, the more his heart was ripped asunder. Not only from the pain of potential infidelity but the pain of losing a friend.

(Aquilo,) Froslass floated over with an Oran berry clutched in her hands. (I see you've returned. At the call of my Mistress, I assume.)

Aquilo ripped his gaze from Kamari and responded with, "Hi, Froslass."

Froslass nodded and offered him a berry. (Aquilo is an apprentice of my Mistress.) She supplied easily. (He comes here from time to time. A tolerable one, I supposed. Far better than the other boys in that temple.) She blinked at Kamari's startled face and giggled. (Right, you wouldn't know. Aquilo found you. Would have brought you to my Mistress, but the monks interfered.)

"You're awfully chatty today," Aquilo remarked with a shrug. "Can't understand a word though. You know this."

Kamari raised an eyebrow. "You can't?" His eyes darted between them before he settled on a shrug of his own. "I can, pretty clearly too."

Aquilo shot him a strange look. Froslass swiftly took over, holding up a hand. (Most humans cannot understand pokémon. Only a select few have learned your language or developed telepathic abilities—like my Mistress.) Froslass explained. (But you…you, Kamari Agrinya, are different. You have a gift.)

"A gift?" Aquilo gave him another strange look that drove a wedge in his chest. For now, Kamari ignored him. Including his sharp questioning as he gave Froslass his full attention. "Whaddya mean?"

(I know only rumors and poorly woven legends.) Froslass shrugged. (But you were born and blessed by a powerful forest to commune with pokémon. I do not know the full extent of your powers. Only that they will grow with you.)

A power…outside of the plates? Kamari groaned. Great, another headache for him to digest. Thankfully, it was a simple ability. Communicating with pokémon made understanding things much easier. Especially if he found out where Salamari and Primari were.

Froslass excused herself. Something about Articuno calling for her. Kamari watched her leave, but the cold weight of Aquilo's stare hadn't lessened. If anything, it grew, and Kamari knew nothing of how to defrost it.

"Kamari," Aquilo finally spoke after chewing his lip—which looked…fuller—in thought. "Come with me."

Aquilo took him deeper into the cavern in silence. Down winding path filled with bats and strange rocks. The crystals kept the path illuminated, but Kamari couldn't help but feel lost in the darkness. So many conflicting thoughts stampeded through his mind. Focusing became difficult. Not that Aquilo noticed. He walked with a stiff chill, only speaking to advise against a certain path or step.

"Monsters love dropping from the ceiling down there."

No entrancing tales of the time he encountered one of these supposed monsters. Nor a description of exaggerated portions. Just cold responses filled with icicle words.

If this ain't the loneliest walk ever. Kamari sighed, adjusting his bag-strap.

Finally, they arrived at an opening where light and cold wind bled into the cave into howling beams. They arrived at the base of the mountain. Beyond there were tall, naked trees coated in thin layers of snow. A twisting, dirt path led out deeper into the night with only the glimmering moon illuminating its path.

"Articuno asked me to show you out," Aquilo stated, arms folded across his chest. He listed off what she told him, sparing no detail or emotion. A stark change from the Aquilo he always knew. Kamari shifted and rubbed his arms. "Follow this path and you'll find yourself in a small town. The mayor should help you out there."

"Aquilo?" Kamari started softly. "Are you—we—okay?"

Aquilo fell silent to the howling wind. This time, Kamari shivered and thought about grabbing the coat he saw in his bag. Even if only to stop the physical chills wracking his body. It had no power over the chills settling in his chest.

Kamari repeated himself to no avail. This time, Aquilo didn't have the chance to reply. Something interjected with a jovial exclaim of (Aquilo!) And he saw it. A walking, stocky tree came waddling over. Its stubby feet and half of its bottom were brown while the rest as snow white. Except for its flailing arms. Those were green at the branch-like fingers.

"Sice," Aquilo smiled and welcomed the creature with a hug. His smile faded, however, when he turned to regard Kamari. "This is Sice—a snover, according to Articuno."

Sice bounded over and hugged Kamari. He laughed and returned the gesture. Sice had an infectious energy about him. One-touch brought a smile to Kamari's face. It…reminded him of Aquilo.

"We've been partners for some time," Aquilo shrugged. "Articuno has us train together."

(With my permission.) A feminine voice grunted. And Kamari trembled at the sight of a gigantic tree monster stalking over! It was drenched in white snow with the only green coming from its thick arms, heavy feet, and branch-like tail. It glared down at Kamari with harsh purple eyes, freezing over his blood with only a look! Looking into its eyes reminded him of harsh snowstorms filled with screaming voices searching for safety.

(You must be Kamari. My Mistress speaks of you.)

"Aye," Kamari stammered. He licked his lips, finding them oddly dry. "Who are you?"

(You humans here refer to me as an Ice Monster.) It grunted, much like grinding ice. (But I am an abomasnow. And mother to Sice—as Aquilo calls him.)

"Pleasure to meet you."

Abomasnow nodded. She regarded Aquilo with a cold glance before taking off into the trees. She warned him to watch over her son, but Kamari didn't think Aquilo understood. He gave no visible reaction except for hardening his frosty gaze.

"Aquilo?"

"You should go, Kamari," Aquilo replied, eyes forward with clenched fists. "You have a mission, right?"

"But Aquilo—"

"—I said leave!" The snowflakes returned in a whirling rush around Aquilo. Kamari flinched, stepping back. Inside the vortex, Aquilo glared at him. Eyes aglow with cold magic as an unseen wind whipped his curls around. More color returned to his skin, darkening it until it was only a shade lighter than his own. His curls grew longer until they shrouded his forehead and danced at his shoulder blades. Within the vortex, a stranger glared at Kamari with the force of twenty winters. And when he spoke, Kamari didn't recognize the depths. Only the icicles he hurled from his tongue, ceasing all forms of happiness around him.

Aquilo hurled heinous icicles his way. However, only one pierced his heart. "We're not friends!"

The icicle shattered his heart into a multitude of tiny pieces. Tears ran free from his brown eyes and stained his cheeks in rivers of pain. He endured all the hateful words from the boys for months, knowing that he had a friend in Aquilo. Without it…all their insults erupted in his mind, dragging him deeper into the darkness he tried to crawl free of.

He didn't wait for Aquilo to finish. Kamari took off onto the dirt path. Away from Tengu Temple and away from Aquilo and his nasty icicles.

Kamari Agrinya:
Status: Emotional, 2(?) Plates
Age: 15
Location: Left Tengu Temple