A/N - Thanks for all reads, reviews, faves and follows! =D Only five more chapters after this one!

75 - The Calm Before the Storm

Cleo's chest burned as she raced through the corridors towards the nest rooms. There was no sign of Mischief. A few pokemon poked their heads out of their rooms, voicing questions, but there was no time to answer. Ever faster, Faith overtook Cleo and reached her room first, joined by Spark. The door was shut but the mawile shoved it open and her gasping breaths froze in her throat. Cleo tripped, stumbling to Faith's side. Part of her didn't want to look in through the door, but the heart-wrenching wail made her push past Faith so she could enter the room.

Mischief lay curled up tight on the floor, his paws clasped over his stomach. The sharp tang of bile filled the air, and the vial of poison lay discarded near the far wall, its contents spilt over the dry dirt. Cleo dropped at his side and placed a paw on his shoulder. His fur was damp with sweat and she jerked her paw back from the scorching heat. Mischief's body convulsed and he screamed, curling into a tight ball. Cleo looked up at Faith who was leaning against the door frame, a look of relief on her exhausted face.

"Thank goodness." Faith turned from the door. "I don't think he needs them now, but I'll get some herbs."

"Please get him some pecha berries?" The urgency in Cleo's voice snapped Faith back to her. "I only have a couple."

Faith nodded and vanished quickly into the corridor.

Spark looked from Cleo to the nest. "I'll see if they have any clean hay too."

As Spark left the room, Cleo glanced over at the hay. A sticky wet patch clung to it and she felt her shoulders sink with relief. At least he'd been sick. That meant most of the poison should be out of his system. She reached into her bag and pulled out a pecha berry. Its skin had wrinkled, and it had likely lost most of its healing properties, but it would have to do.

She set the berry aside and pulled Mischief up beside her. He let out a long whine and tried to wriggle away, but she held him firmly and stuffed the pecha berry into his paws.

"Eat this," she told him, but he pushed the berry away. "Mischief, please! You shouldn't have even taken that stuff!"

"Why?" He hugged himself and leaned forwards as his shoulders heaved. He bit back a groan and screwed his eyes shut. "I don't… want to be a monster…"

Cleo lowered the berry into her lap and took a wavering breath. "You're not a monster."

Mischief hunched over his knees, breathing heavily. When Cleo offered the berry again he shook his head violently.

"Mischief, please!" Desperation lay thick in Cleo's voice. "That poison could kill you, and… and…" Tears pricked her eyes and her ears drooped. "I don't want to lose you."

Mischief looked up at her then down at the berry. Reluctantly he took it and bit into it. Another convulsion took over his body and he sank to the floor, his wails echoing around the room. Cleo had to look away, pressing her paws over her ears. She screwed her eyes shut, desperate to block out Mischief's distress. It was too much. Before long, she found herself lying foetal on the floor, whimpering as she hugged her tails around her body until she could bury her face into them. Tears streamed from her eyes and soaked into her thick fur.

Finally, the wailing stopped. Cleo lay there listening for it, just in case it started up again. But all she could hear was Mischief's heavy breathing and the hum of power in her ears. She pushed herself up onto her elbow and craned her neck to look back at the whimsicott. His flanks heaved as he stared wide-eyed at the door, his fist shoved into his mouth. The berry was gone. A wave of relief washed over Cleo and she pushed herself up onto her knees.

The door clicked open and Faith strolled in carrying a small bowl of pecha berries in one paw. A bundle of hay was tucked under her other arm. Spark stood at her heel, her whiskers twitching with anxiety.

"I couldn't find any herbs," Faith said as she set the bowl beside Mischief. "How is he?"

"I don't know." Cleo settled herself against the wall. "I managed to get him to eat a pecha berry."

"That's good." Faith encouraged Mischief to sit up and settled him against the wall beside Cleo. "Can you eat another one, Mischief?"

Mischief pushed the mawile away and she sat back with a wounded expression on her face. It was fleeting. She plucked a berry from the bowl and set it in Mischief's paw. Then she turned to the hay.

"We'll get this cleared up," she explained. "You keep an eye on him, Cleo."

Spark was already trying to remove the hay, balling up one corner of the nest. Faith started at the other end, as if humouring the little dedenne. The mawile's calmness instilled a little hope in Cleo as she watched them work, and she silently tried to encourage Mischief to eat another berry. Faith and Spark had the hay bundled up in no time, and Faith stood back with it in both arms.

"I'll be back soon to set up the clean hay," she said. "Will you be okay?"

Cleo nodded. "We'll be fine." Her words sounded more confident than she felt.

Faith detected it but nodded anyway. "I won't be long." She turned to leave the room with Spark following behind her, clutching a tiny bundle that looked massive for the smaller pokemon.

Spark stopped in the doorway, almost tumbling under her burden. "Shall I get more berries?"

Cleo stared at her and raised an eyebrow.

"For him." Spark nodded to Mischief. "Not me."

Cleo glanced at Mischief who was staring down at the untouched pecha in his paws. "I think we're okay."

"I'll get some anyway." Spark followed after Faith who closed the door behind them.

The room felt a lot quieter now. And cold. Cleo wrapped her arms around her knees and let her head rest on them. A shiver shook her body which she tried to repress. The whole ordeal had left her shaken. Even after Ripwing explained the possible side-effects of the poison, she'd not expected that. She didn't know what she'd expected, but seeing her friend in such distress would be haunting her nightmares for moons.

"Cleo?"

Her ears twitched and she turned her head on her knees to look at him. He was sat limply against the wall with one arm across his lap. The other flopped onto the floor, still clutching the pecha berry.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

Cleo turned face down in her arms. "Don't be sorry for wanting to cure yourself."

Mischief let out a long sigh. "I just want this to go away."

"It will." Cleo sat up and shuffled against the wall. "When we get back to the Fairy Garden we'll ask Xerneas to cure you."

"Will I be sane when we go back, though?" He paused. "Will I have hurt anyone else?"

A twinge twisted inside Cleo's chest and she stared at the opposite wall. She couldn't answer that. Mischief had already killed one friend, and it had clearly destroyed him. A thick lump formed in her throat and she blinked back tears, hugging her knees to her chest.

"I keep asking myself why I still have it," he went on.

A pool of flowers sprouted in the room, spreading out across the floor. Cleo raised her head to watch it, her heart hammering. But Mischief had his eyes closed as his head rolled back against the wall.

"I thought this pokerus was supposed to be my greatest strength and weakness," said Mischief. "But it's not. When Xerneas said that, he meant you. And Spark. And Faith. And Harlequin. All of you."

The flowers radiated out like a rainbow as light pulsed above them, forming into the shape of an X. Cleo grabbed Mischief's paw, trying to draw his attention, but he just returned it with a squeeze.

He took a long breath as he took his paw back. "I know I'm strong enough to protect you, but I'm also strong enough to hurt you. That's the weakness. I'm so scared that something bad might happen to you, and even more scared that I might be that bad thing. Look what happened to Flutterwick. I was trying to protect him and Harlequin and the others by chasing off the murkrow, but they didn't escape fast enough and I… I…" Tears welled from his eyes and he rubbed a paw across them.

Cleo blinked as the light intensified, and had to close her eyes.

A deep voice spoke close to her head. "You are right."

When she looked up, Xerneas stood over them, his nose lowered to Mischief's. The whimsicott stared back at the stag, blinking with confusion. Xerneas raised his head and stood back slightly, standing in the pool of colourful wildflowers.

"That is exactly what I meant." A smile appeared on Xerneas' muzzle. "Your love for your friends is what drives you to keep on fighting for what is right."

"But-" Mischief swallowed audibly and shuffled against the wall so he was sitting straight. "But I killed Flutterwick."

"Flutterwick is with me now."

Mischief rolled his head back against the wall and covered his face with his paws. He gave a strange muffled wail that was both relief and distress. "He probably hates me."

"That is not true." Xerneas lowered his head to Mischief again. "Flutterwick understands you were not yourself at the time."

"But he didn't need to die at all. It was because of me. Because of this pokerus." Mischief lowered his paws and sniffled. "Why didn't you cure me like you did Enigma?"

"Because you don't need it."

Mischief blinked at Xerneas and stuttered. His expression darkened as he searched for the right words.

"Pokerus is a weapon," Xerneas explained. "One that was cultivated to fight the Darkness. It has its flaws, just like any weapon is dangerous in the wrong paws, and it is dangerous when one is learning to control it." He straightened, looking down at Mischief, but his smile never faded. "You were not infected by Rio, Mischief. You were born with pokerus. Your strain is unique. It destroyed the virus Rio tried to give you, which would otherwise have left you completely at its mercy. It is your destiny to use it to fight the Darkness."

Mischief clenched his fists, mashing the pecha berry. "How can I use it to fight when it causes me to lose control and hurt my friends?!"

"Did you lose control when you fled the Shadow Lands?"

Mischief stuttered, and Cleo looked between him and Xerneas. Everything had been so chaotic during that battle that she hadn't even noticed.

"No." Mischief sounded mesmerised, and he glanced at Cleo as if asking her to confirm his answer.

Xerneas nodded once. "That is because you are learning to control it. You have identified its warnings and you are able to bring it under control."

Mischief shook his head. "That was just one time… what if I lose control again?"

"You need to have a little more faith in yourself, Mischief."

"But-"

"No more 'buts'." Xerneas met Mischief's wide eyes. "I have faith in you." He lowered his head to Mischief again until their noses brushed. "Will you fight at my side in the coming battle and help me to turn the tide?"

Mischief was silent for a moment. Then he nodded as fresh tears formed in his eyes.

Xerneas stood back and looked from Mischief to Cleo and back. "Your love for your friends is your greatest strength, Mischief. As am I. Remember that."

The majestic stag faded from the room, dazzling their eyes with light. Once he had left, the room felt brighter. Cleo felt Mischief take her paw and give it a squeeze, but he didn't meet her eyes.

"That was… amazing." Cleo blinked at the wildflowers.

Mischief gave a non-committal grunt but the darkness had faded from his face.

"So if you're learning to control it," Cleo said slowly, "perhaps you don't need the collar anymore?"

Mischief retracted his paw and folded it onto his lap. He looked like he was about to say something, but the door opened a crack. Faith's violet eye peered at them, then the door opened fully as she entered the room. She staggered with one foot over the wildflowers, almost falling back onto Spark. The dedenne leapt aside, pressing her back against the wall as she stared wide-eyed at the pool of flowers.

"Wow!" she gasped. "It's like the Fairy Garden in here!"

Faith stared at Mischief and Cleo aghast. "Did Xerneas-?"

Cleo nodded, but Mischief was silent as he stared at the flowers.

Cleo pushed herself up and made for the fresh hay. "I'll help you both to set up the nest."

"I'd like to know what happened!" Faith's eyes were sparkling.

"Yeah," said Spark. "Did he heal Mischief's pokerus?"

Mischief looked up at Spark and the expression on his face said it all. Cleo's heart sank. The whimsicott still wasn't happy with the situation. Part of her understood. Even if Flutterwick was alive in the Fairy Garden, knowing he was responsible for the little moth's death was still a heavy burden on his heart. What Xerneas had told him was a lot to process, and he needed time to think over it all. Cleo's ears drooped and she gathered an armful of hay.

Faith and Spark had both fallen silent, realisation clear on their faces. They worked in silence as they set up the nest, and Cleo wondered if she should tell them what Xerneas had said or leave it to Mischief if and when he was ready.

...

Soft white clouds scudded across the sky, letting the sun periodically peek between them. Its rays were warm on Enigma's grey fur. He lay on his back on the roof of the ruin, listening to Reshiram's deep rumble of laughter as the white dragon chatted with Ripwing and the other large pokemon.

Enigma had every intention to go straight to Harlequin when he returned with Faith, but once the ruin was in sight his feet grew heavy with every footstep. He'd parted from Faith to warp invisible onto the roof while he tried to gather his courage. Faith's bewildered face had scanned over the clearing as she shouted for him, but he'd silenced his bell once more and slumped onto the roof. He couldn't face Harlequin. Not yet. How would she react to him after he blew up at her like that? Enigma had scolded himself several times as he ignored Faith's pleas as she tried to find him. The banette hadn't moved from the roof, but he'd let himself become visible. Whether Faith knew where he was now, she hadn't tried to follow him. He'd spied the mawile when she surfaced to see Reshiram and NyukNyuk, but she'd not even glanced up at the roof.

Perhaps he'd lost her trust too?

Enigma groaned and raised his paw to rub his eyes. The sun glinted off the two bracelets fastened around his wrist and he froze to stare at them. Two keystones. One to activate the absolite, the other for his own mega stone. The latter was much bulkier than the one he'd worn to assist Harbinger, but once he'd snapped it around his wrist without thinking it had shrunk as if it were made just for him. He'd picked it up when Harlequin had dropped it in the lake tunnels. The zorua had tripped, falling face down in the dirt and sending the bracelet bouncing into his foot. She'd been so devastated he wondered if she'd even been aware she was carrying it.

Devastated.

He had no idea whether Harlequin had feelings for Harbinger or not. All he knew was that when he was in her situation, she'd been there. She'd seen everything. Kera's death. The way he'd murdered that braviary in blind fury. The way it had all broken him. His actions had clearly frightened her, yet she'd stuck by him. Perhaps she'd planned to leave when Hydreigon kicked all the females out of the barracks? She was a zorua. She could have used her illusion to slip out and leave the Shadow Lands behind. But instead, for some reason, she'd stayed. She'd stuck by him.

Neither of them had spoken about that night since. Enigma had never fully picked himself back up, but he'd put on a fake smile and got on with his training. He'd had every intention to spend the rest of his life in that prison. He'd deserved it. Now he'd been given a second chance. A new life.

And so had Harlequin.

He rubbed his paws over his face and groaned. Any time now, there was going to be a massive battle, and they were all needed. Was now really the time to be acting like a coward?

The old tiles crumbled as he pushed himself up, raining down into the clearing. Lichen clung to his fur and he dusted it off before warping through the roof into the ruin. He landed in the tunnel that lead to the nest rooms and he grunted. That had been a fortunate coincidence. The drone of voices echoed behind him from the sitting room, pointing him in the right direction. He followed the tunnel, torchlight making his shadow dance along the walls. Before long, he found himself standing outside Harlequin's door.

He listened for a moment, but no sound came from within. He closed his eyes and took in a long breath to steady himself. Then he phased through the door.

Harlequin lay on her hay, her breathing steady. Sticky salt trails glistened on her cheeks in the guttering torchlight. Enigma took another breath then shifted suddenly, making his bell jingle. The zorua's ear twitched and she cracked a sapphire eye open, fixing it on him. She stared at him for a moment, then shifted slightly.

"Enigma?"

"I'm sorry." He glanced away from her and leaned back against the door. "About Harbinger… I…"

Fresh tears shone in the corners of Harlequin's eyes and she closed them.

"I know you're hurting," Enigma went on. "I really shouldn't have stormed off like that."

"No." Harlequin's voice was husky and she licked her lips. "But it's my fault you did."

"How is it your fault?" Enigma failed to hide the exasperation in his voice and Harlequin flinched.

The zorua fidgeted her paws in the hay as she struggled to meet his eyes. "I should have told you everything much sooner."

"I should have taken it better." Enigma shrugged. "I mean, let's face it, Harle. I'd kinda already figured it out before Xerneas confirmed it for me. But you're right, you should have told me." He rubbed a paw over his face and took in a breath. "Why didn't you? I thought we were friends."

Harlequin screwed her eyes shut as fresh tears broke free. She wound her small paw into the hay and her breaths shuddered with repressed sobs.

Enigma closed his eyes and clasped his paw over his mega stone. He rolled his head against the door to stare at the ceiling, trying to calm himself. Why did he fail so badly at this?

"I wanted to tell you." Harlequin's small voice broke through the silence. "Believe me, I really did! I thought about it a lot, Enigma. But I… I just couldn't." The final words blurred as a loud sob shook her and she sank face first into the hay.

Enigma kicked himself from the door and dropped at her side. His paw trembled as he held it over her back. What was he even meant to do?

He sighed and retracted his paw. "I'm not very good at this…"

Harlequin raised her head and blinked back tears as she met his eyes. She glanced from his face to his hesitant paw, then lurched from her nest into his shoulder. He fell sideways with a grunt as the air shot out of his lungs, and he rolled onto his back with the zorua sprawled over his chest. Harlequin buried her nose into his scarf with a sob and wound her paw into his mane.

Enigma hesitated for a heartbeat before letting his paw rest in her scruff. Harlequin tensed and he retracted his paw just as quickly.

"Sorry."

"No, it's fine," Harlequin mumbled into his fur. "I… I need to get past it."

Not really knowing what else to do with his paw he put it back and combed his claws through her fur in a bid to placate her. Harlequin didn't relax but a sigh tickled his ear. Contentment or fear he couldn't decide.

"Why didn't you just leave?" he asked. "When they evicted all the females? You could have just gone. Put up your illusion and ran."

"I thought about that," she said. "It was either that or the Thieves Guild. But… well, I didn't want to leave you on your own." She paused to take in a trembling breath. "I thought you needed a friend."

Enigma didn't know how to take that. A friend wouldn't have lied. He took a breath to steady himself and smoothed his claws through Harlequin's coarse fur. "I really appreciate that, Harle. A lot. But given the circumstances it was a huge risk. What, did you just keep your illusion up the whole time?"

"Not around you." Harlequin's answer caused a jolt through Enigma. "I stopped using it around you years ago."

Enigma cracked an eye open and stared at the small paw clutching his scarf. He took it gently in his claws, his own paw dwarfing hers. Harlequin curled her toes around his thumb claw, the bright blue contrasting with his dull grey. Why hadn't he seen it before? The answer had been right in front of him.

"I wanted to tell you for so long," she went on. "But I was so scared of what might happen to me if anyone else found out. And the longer I left it the harder it got…" She swallowed a sob as her words blurred again. "After what happened to Kera, I was scared I'd lost you. You just… changed. So much of you had broken away I felt I was struggling to hold what was left together. That if I said anything it would just…"

Enigma stared at the ceiling as Harlequin trailed off. It was like a hot blade had been shoved into his chest and twisted. "You were scared I'd hurt you?" His words were coated with venom and Harlequin tensed. He heard her breath freeze and she pulled her ears back.

"No." Harlequin gulped and dug her claws into his paw pads. "I was scared I'd hurt you."

Enigma scoffed and dropped her paw. "How would that have hurt me?!"

Harlequin whined and looped her forelegs tightly around his neck, burying her face into his mane. Sobs shook her small body and Enigma took a few breaths as he recited his own words in his head.

Harlequin voiced his own answer for him. "Because it has! Look at us!" Her voice trailed off in a long whine.

How could he be such an idiot? He held the quaking zorua to his chest as her hysterical wails echoed around the room.

"It's my own fault!" she sobbed. "I let you believe a lie for too long! And… and I'm so sorry. I should never have done that. I know… I know that you'd never hurt me. But anytime anyone touches me it just… makes me remember everything!"

Enigma blinked at the ceiling. Even now he could still feel that young, frightened zorua's jaws fastening around his paw. He closed his eyes and stifled a groan. It all made so much sense. Her fear of evolution and the drastic measures she went to in order to prevent it. How she'd jump if he so much as brushed her. The image of a frightened zorua cub cowering away from him with her tail tucked tightly between her legs burned into his mind until it was all he could see, and a hot anger blazed inside his chest.

"It's probably for the best that you killed your father," he said slowly, staring at the ceiling again. Harlequin tensed in his arms and her sobbing cut off into a sniffle. "Because if you hadn't, then I would."

"Huh?"

"No one does that to their own kid."

"Enigma, no." Harlequin shifted slightly, pressing her nose against his jaw. "Don't talk like that. What I did was wrong."

"He deserved it."

"Then so do we."

Harlequin's words sent a jolt through Enigma and the blind rage cleared enough for him to see the ceiling. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"I robbed him of redemption," Harlequin went on. "He did terrible things, but so did we. And we got a second chance. He'll never get that same chance now because of me."

Enigma rubbed his paw pads over his face. "Since when did you become so humbling?"

He'd expected a laugh from the zorua but instead he just got silence. It made him feel hollow inside. But at least she wasn't crying anymore. He kept one arm fastened over her shoulder while he rubbed his brow with his free paw.

"I've lost you, haven't I?" Harlequin asked in a small, weak voice.

"What are you talking about?" Enigma groaned.

"After this… after we finish this battle. We'll be parting ways, won't we?"

"Why?"

"Because of what I've done to you. Lied to you."

"Harle, think over your own words for a sec." Enigma placed his paw over hers. "What you did was wrong, but I get it. And if you can forgive your father for all he did to you, then I should be able to forgive you for trying to protect yourself."

A soft sniffle sounded near his ear.

"Harlequin, look at me."

When she didn't move, he released her paw to guide her face to his. The sadness and pain in her sapphire eyes shattered that hot blade in his chest like glass. Tears pricked his own eyes and he lowered her nose to his.

"Harle… I promise I'll never leave you or abandon you. Okay?"

A small gasp came from the zorua and he felt a few tears land on his muzzle. "You heard me…"

He gave a small nod.

Harlequin flopped back onto him, rubbing her muzzle against his cheek. Her tears mixed with his and he held her against him, reluctant to let her go.

A soft whisper brushed his ear. "Thank you."

He nuzzled her neck in response, his mind drifting back to that dark night. Harlequin's presence had been like a ray of moonlight. She'd held true to her promise. She'd stuck by him. He'd even begun to think of her as a younger sibling who, at times, seemed more mature and forward thinking than the impulsive banette. She'd even saved his life on more than one occasion, delivering him a firm rebuttal afterwards. Something stirred within his gut as he realised he'd never actually told her how he felt.

"Thank you, too, Harle." He felt a flick against his cheek as her ears pricked up. "For never giving up on me."

Her tail thudded against his leg a few times and she nosed his cheek. "Of course."

...

I feel this was a bit of a tear jerker. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading! =D