Here's another chapter, where our characters, or mainly Cynthia, are tasked with the unthankful task of working at the front desk, which is essentially waiting for their guests to arrive. Only she can't sleep. Poor girl. But that's okay! Another guest will come soon enough, and this guest is someone rather… familiar. I won't say who, but it's the last person you'd ever think of!

KedharS: Unfortunately, things like this won't last for very much longer. Cynthia's going to go on as a working girl, having to look after the front desk.

Aquahaze675: Sadly, we won't get the chance to see, since Lila and Darla will retire to their room in peace, while Cynthia is forced to get to work.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 435

Cynthia did not enjoy her duties that evening. She was already ready for bed the minute she came out of the bath, her body having calmed down enough for the fatigue from the past nights to be set upon her, and it was an entirely miserable fact that she could not go and slip right into her futon while still feeling all warm and toasty and slip off to sleep.

No, Cynthia had to go to the front desk and relieve her grandpa, sitting there in mind-numbing boredom as she struggled to stay awake, waiting for the guests to come in. There would only be three parties checking in tonight. That wouldn't be such a huge issue, if not for the fact that one of the parties was scheduled to be checking in at three in the morning tomorrow.

So instead of drowning herself in a threesome with the beautiful idols Darla Drake and Lila Seelie (she was nothing if not an optimist) she sat in the chair and was browsing on her phone, trying as hard as she could to keep from falling asleep on the job.

There was one saving grace. Sango, in all of her pity toward Cynthia's situation, had elected to stay by her friend's side and keep her company so she wasn't totally stuck in this slog. She wouldn't go all the way with it, of course, since she needed to get sleep at some point tonight. But she was fine with keeping Cynthia company for a little while, at least. So the two girls were seated behind the counter watching youtube videos to pass the time as they waited for the guests to arrive.

But to their surprise, it wasn't a guest who walked through the door first, or even Marion, who was admittedly expected to come back much later.

Instead, it was Violet who strolled into the inn, a satisfied smirk on her face that made Cynthia's lips turn into an irritated pout.

"Hey there, Red," Violet said, waving at Cynthia.

"Hey, Red," Cynthia replied, her tone much less jovial than her sister's. "You've been gone all day, where have you been?"

She asked because she didn't want to acknowledge that her sister was probably exactly where Cynthia expected she would be, doing exactly what Cynthia expected she would have been doing. But the smirk on Violet's face told her that was a false hope for the girl to hold.

"Oh, you know, doing a little bit of this and that, you know how it goes," Violet replied, her eyes shining gleefully as she watched her sister squirm. "I'm sure you've had your fair share of suitors, you must be beating them off with a baseball bat."

Cynthia gave her a sour look in response.

"It went exactly how I planned it, of course," Violet said, putting it in no uncertain terms what she meant. "She was rather great, I must say."

"You mean you actually got with Flannery? THAT Flannery?" Cynthia asked, her mouth dropping open in surprise. Even though she expected it, she still didn't believe it had actually happened. But Violet didn't lie about stuff like that, and the shine in her eye was genuine. "I… wow, Violet, that's just… I can't believe it."

Sango couldn't believe it, either. She was just as shocked as Cynthia, if not more so, not having nearly the girl's experience with Violet. But she had heard about Flannery. The beautiful female gym leader who used fire type pokemon, who made her home in Lavaridge Town and, she knew (thanks to Cynthia's irritating rants and obsession with certain… materials) was consistently in the top 5 of "Gym Leaders I'd Most Like As a Girlfriend" AND top 5 of "Gym Leaders I'd Most Like To Have a One Night Stand With", something that was surprisingly difficult.

Violet had seriously gotten with THAT Flannery? Sango was honestly a little impressed. Even Cynthia couldn't help but look a little cowed by her sister's accomplishment.

"It was great, we spent the whole day together afterwards," Violet sighed wistfully. "But, I'm not a one-woman kind of girl, you know?"

Violet reached into her purse and withdrew a folded sheet of paper and a pen, making a very obvious check mark motion on it.

Cynthia and Sango both had a pretty good guess about what else, or more specifically, who else, was written on it.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, little sister, but it's been a long day, and I could use some rest," Violet smirked, her blue eyes flashing at Cynthia as she reveled in the mix of angry emotions that her little sister was stewing in. "Have fun on front desk duty!"

Cynthia gave Violet a sweet smile that Sango could tell right away was a major red flag, but Violet apparently didn't understand the meaning of. The older woman turned and headed towards the hallway to go back to her room, but before she could get there, Cynthia made a little power play of her own.

Cynthia raised her hands to her mouth and cupped them like a bullhorn.

"HI, VIOLET! WELCOME BACK! GRANDPA AND GRANDMA ARE GOING TO BE SO HAPPY THAT YOU'RE HOME!"

Sango winced, her ears ringing from Cynthia's exclamation. Silver nearly fell out of the air. Violet was the most angry, however. Holding her ears she turned on her little sister and gave her a fierce scowl, Cynthia's voice dying down in response.

A smirk crossed Cynthia's face.

"What was the point of bursting my eardrums like that?" Violet asked, her expression softening from the blind rage it was just in. "Come on, that's a little petty, don't you think, Red?"

Cynthia's smirk widened and she slowly shook her head, her eyes shining at her sister.

"Oh, no, do you want to see petty?" Cynthia asked. "Because you're about to see some real pettiness in action."

Grandpa Roland and Grandma Rose walked into the lobby, stern expressions on their faces.

"Grandpa, grandma, what's up? Sorry I came back so late, but-"

Roland raised his hand to cut Violet's explanation off.

"Violet? Did you bring alcohol into the inn and hide it in your room for your little sister to find?"

Violet froze, her face going pale.

"Erm… grandpa, that's…"

"Because Cynthia happened to find it in your room. And she and her friends were drinking it all night long. Underage drinking under our roof, because you brought that contraband onto the premises. I know you mother doesn't care about that sort of thing, but I will not be having it in my home, do I make myself clear?"

"…Yes, grandpa…" Violet said, nodding sheepishly.

"Come with us. We'll discuss your punishment." Roland grabbed Violet by the wrist and pulled her towards the hallway, Violet reluctantly following after him and her grandma the three headed out of the room.

Before she left the lobby, Violet looked over her shoulder and glared at Cynthia, pointing at her eyes and then turning her hand to point at Cynthia, telling her it wasn't over. Cynthia stuck her tongue out and pulled her eyelid down with her middle finger, flipping her older sister off.

The two sisters fumed at each other from across the room.

Sango resisted the urge to laugh. It might have been funny, but it was clear that they were still upset with each other, for whatever reason Sango couldn't imagine. Sango wasn't sure what she was supposed to say, so she just stared awkwardly at her friend.

"You, uh… you guys are kind of having issues, huh?" Sango asked. "Don't you like your sister? I don't really understand what's going on between the two of you, I mean, your sister likes you, and yet you two are just, well… do you not like your sister that much?"

Cynthia sighed. She sunk in her seat and stretched her arms out across the counter, clearly irritated by the question and yet not totally against it. She raised her head and glanced at her friend. "It's not that simple."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sango asked, confused. "I mean, even though I said that, it's not like I actually think that you hate your sister, I was just saying that it seems kind of odd. So how are you two? Do you like her?"

Cynthia sighed again. It was the most condescending sigh that Sango had ever heard. She was really getting sick of Cynthia sighing.

"I love my sister," Cynthia explained. She gave Sango a rueful smile that made Sango confused. "But I hate her."

Sango had absolutely no fucking idea what she was talking about, and let Cynthia know that with a look of incredulity.

Cynthia sighed, smiling, and shook her head.

"You won't understand," Cynthia explained. "You don't have a sister. It's a sister thing, you know? Maddi might get it, though, but probably not you."

At the mention of Maddi's name, her face fell. She sighed. That was the wrong thing for her to think about.

"Never mind. Maddi might not be exactly the same. Because her sister, well…"

Cynthia let that statement hang there, and Sango nodded in agreement. They both knew full well what Maddi had gone through, and the fact that her older sister was dead.

"…Let's talk about something else," Sango decided, readjusting in her seat to face Cynthia's phone as she flipped it back up. "Anything else we can watch?"

"Castform," Silver agreed. The girls began watching youtube videos again while they waited for their guests to show up.

It was 9 o'clock in the evening when the first of their guests arrived. It was a surprise, not what Cynthia had expected. A family of two. A pretty woman with light brown hair guided a young girl with hair the color of snow into the inn. She smiled at Cynthia, her face showing the first signs of age. She knelt down and placed her hand gently on the small girl's back, the girl turning to look at the woman who Cynthia and Sango guessed was her mother.

The white-haired girl nodded her head and slipped her shoes off, walking shyly over to the front desk. When she got there, she glanced down bashfully, unable to meet the girls' eyes. She was too busy studying the floor. She didn't even come up to above the desk, she was so tiny. Cynthia and Sango leaned forward to peer down at her.

"Uhum, um… excuse me?" The small girl asked in the cutest voice Cynthia and Sango could ever have imagined, looking up at the girls with big, sparkling brown eyes. Cynthia had to resist the urge to double over and pass out from the cuteness.

"Yes? How can I help you?" Cynthia asked, making her voice sound as cutesy as she could like she was talking to a baby, identical to the voice that she used to speak to Aud. Now that Sango thought about it, the girl did remind her a lot like Aud.

"M-My name is Kagome," the small girl chirped. "And I… I'm here to check in for my mom and me? Is that okay? Did I do it right?"

"Well, aren't you a big girl?" Cynthia giggled. "Hello there, Kagome! I'm Cynthia! That's two to check in? For a double room?"

Kagome glanced back at her mom. The woman nodded. Kagome turned back to the desk and nodded her head as well.

"Double room."

Cynthia couldn't help herself but giggle, handing the room key over to the little girl, placing it in her tiny hands. This girl Kagome was just so cute.

Kagome held the key up and turned back to her mother, presenting it like a trophy over her head. Her mother smiled and applauded. Kagome ran over to her mom, her tiny little feet pounding against the floor.

Kagome's mother leaned over and whispered something into her daughter's ear. Kagome nodded her head, turned, and returned to the front desk.

"Um…" Kagome said, speaking up again. She had a little more confidence in her voice compared to before, much to Cynthia's adoration.

"Yes? What can I do for you, sweetie?" Cynthia asked, resting her hands on her chin. "Did you want something?"

"Um, is it true that there's a pool here?" Kagome asked, fidgeting a little, her eyes shining with hope. "Err… not a pool. Um… is it… a bath? Right?"

"You mean our hot springs?" Cynthia clarified.

"Yeah, those!" Kagome said, her eyes widening. She nodded eagerly. "Do you have them?"

"Of course we do!" Cynthia smiled. "This is an onsen, after all! We've got all sorts of baths!"

Cynthia slapped her hand proudly against her chest.

"I just got out of one myself a few hours ago! They're a lot of fun, I promise you! You're going to enjoy yourself!"

"Really?" Kagome asked, her eyes widening eagerly, her entire face lighting up. "There really are hot springs here? Mom said there were!"

"Do you like hot springs?" Cynthia asked.

"I don't know," Kagome admitted, rubbing her toe against the floor. "I've never been to one of them before."

"Really? Never?" Cynthia gasped.

"Well, I mean… I've been in hospitals for all my life," Kagome said, looking down. "I… to be honest, well…"

"It's okay," Kagome's mother came to her rescue, walking up to the front desk. Kagome glanced up at her, smiling. "These nice ladies are just curious. You can tell them."

She turned to Cynthia and Sango, a big smile on her face. She was positively oozing with happiness, much like her daughter.

"We're celebrating my daughter's successful operation," she explained. "My daughter has always had a poor heart, you see, and a few weeks ago, she was going in for an operation. Things looked really bad for her, but, well, the doctors managed to make a miracle."

"No, mother," Kagome said, shaking her head. "It wasn't the doctor, it was my big sister! She's the one who saved me!"

"A big sister, eh?" Cynthia said, her eyes glazing over as a coy smile crossed her face. "Big sisters are quite something, alright."

"She doesn't have a sister, she just has an overactive imagination," Kagome's mother giggled. She reached out a hand to Cynthia and she took it. "I'm Suzune, by the way."

"I do have a big sister!" Kagome pouted, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I do, I do! She's really cool and really pretty, and she's got blonde hair and blue eyes, and, and, she can fly, and she likes pizza and ice cream and scary movies, and this one time, this one time?" Kagome held her hands out as wide as she could make them. "We ate AAAALLLLLL the candy we could buy at the movies!" She blushed and looked down.

"…But I threw up afterwards," she admitted with a giggle.

Suzune laughed at her daughter, rubbing her shock of white hair.

"Ah, Kagome, you and your crazy dreams," Suzune laughed. Kagome pouted again.

"So she's spent all this time in the hospital?" Sango asked, surprise. "And what happened? The doctors helped cure her?"

"She just got let out of care," Suzune explained to the two girls. "One of the doctors at Saffron General told us that the hot springs in Lavaridge would help with her recuperation, so we made a vacation out of it."

Suzune reached down and squeezed Kagome's hand, Kagome looking up at her and giving her mother a warm smile.

"Our first vacation," Suzune murmured. "As a family."

"I'm happy for you," Cynthia smiled. That girl was one of the cutest things she had ever seen, and she couldn't imagine keeping her cooped up in a hospital.

Or, even worse, the thought that she might have… well, Cynthia certainly didn't want to think about the idea that the surgery could have been a failure.

"Thank you," Suzune smiled. "Let's go, Kagome. If we hurry, then we can take a bath before going to sleep!"

"Really?" Kagome asked, her eyes shining hopefully.

"I'll show you to your room," Sango volunteered before Cynthia could speak up. Cynthia turned and glared at her, Sango sticking her tongue out as she skipped after the two, Silver floating up and following her.

"Hey, Kagome," Cynthia called after her. Kagome paused and turned back, her eyes wide.

"Yeah?" Kagome called back.

"You're going to love the bath," Cynthia assured her. "If you've never had one before, then this is going to be an experience that you've ever had, trust me."

"Really?" Kagome asked.

Cynthia nodded.

Kagome was practically bouncing down the hall with excitement.

A few minutes later, Sango sauntered back into the lobby, taking her seat beside Cynthia again, Silver floating down and settling on the front desk.

"That girl is adorable," Sango said, shaking her head.

"Tell me about it," Cynthia sighed wistfully. "She looks positively adorable, like a little angel. If I have a daughter, I hope she looks as precious as her."

Sango blinked, surprised.

"You want kids?"

"I don't not want kids," Cynthia said, shrugging her shoulders. "Is that such a surprise? Kids are adorable! I love such cuties, don't you?"

"Let's just say that you don't look like the mothering type," Sango admitted. "Then again, the way you treat that little girl Aud of yours, it does seem like you would be a rather kind and compassionate mother, to be honest."

Cynthia smiled proudly, placing her hands on her hips. "What about you, Sango? Do you think you'd want kids?"

Sango thought about it. She thought about her experiences with mothers. Her mom, and Elizabeth, those were the main ones. She remembered her living alone while her dad was out and working on supporting. She reached the conclusion that she had absolutely no right to comment on the stability of a good family unit.

"I think I'm not old enough to think that out yet," Sango admitted. "I'm not very mature, I hate to say. I think I can be a 'big sister' at most, but I'm not ready to be a mom."

"Well, when you see a face as cute as Aud, then you'll definitely know that your destiny is motherhood," Cynthia boasted.

Sango rolled her eyes and grinned. Cynthia was that sort of person alright.

They sat at the front desk watching videos for another half-hour when suddenly the sound of tiny footsteps came from down the hall. Cynthia looked up just in time to see Kagome, her small body wrapped in a bathrobe and barely 70 pounds soaking wet, tackle her into her chair.

"Ka-Kagome?" Cynthia sputtered. The tiny girl looked up at her with those big adorable eyes of hers, her skin flushed and her face lit with excitement.

"You were right, Cynthia! The bath was… was… it was the most ginormously stupendous thing I've ever seen! And the water was so warm, and it smelled so good, and… and! It was absoterrific! Thank you so much!"

Cynthia wasn't sure what she was being thanked for but she wasn't about to argue with the little angel glomping her. She patted Kagome lightly on her snow-white head and flashed a grin to Sango.

"Told you. You can't resist something this adorable."

Sango laughed, rolling her eyes.

I wanted a nice, sweet little chapter first. And I wanted to show that a certain precious thing managed to make it through her surgery intact.