It wasn't until dusk that the two finally returned to the den where Musha was waiting, impatient and nervous. "What took you so long?" he shouted, flying up to Hina in concern and leering at Simisear furiously. "I've been waiting, and you're always back earlier than this-"
Hina smiled and brought her friend into a hug. "I'm sorry Musha, but there's an excuse. Just look outside." The small pink Pokémon frowned warily and peered out of the large tree hollow. He let out a peep of exclamation upon seeing the last glimmers of sunlight giving way to the night. "Hina, that's-!"
"You can thank me for that," Simisear boasted, sitting himself in his spot. "Pretty good for a first try, I think." Musha leered at him and said nothing else. Hina laughed and once again bounced on her feet delightedly. "It was, though," she concurred, handing Simisear some fresh, cool reeds. He seemed to be back to his normal self again, she observed, and an unexpected simple elation came over as she watched him; a force compelling her to kneel down and assist him as he struggled with the bandages. "You still need more practice with this, I think."
Musha scowled and turned. "There's maybe one or two berries left," he mumbled, "I'm going out for now." With an indignant sniff the little Munna fluttered out of the hollow without another word.
"What's wrong with your friend?" Simisear asked, as Hina watched after him. She sighed.
"Musha just takes a long time to warm up to everyone. He was the same way with me when we first met. Don't take it personally…"
"Well, I'll be out of your hair soon. Tell him I'm not enjoying it any more than he does." He paused for a moment, reclining back composedly, and then opened his eyes in concern. "Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean it that way, Hina." His ears fell back and he grit his teeth. Stupid. You really have a way with words.
Hina had cast her gaze downwards at his words and bit her lip nervously, a redness sweeping across her face. Without understanding how or why, his words had been like a slap in the face, and she recoiled from him. Of course he still wants to leave ASAP, how could you ever expect that to change? "It's okay," she lied. "If I were in your shoes I'd probably want to get a move on too. This place is…slow-paced. Boring." She shrugged, twirling a strand of hair around a finger anxiously.
"Hina, that's not what I meant," Simisear insisted, watching her movements uneasily. She began to twirl the hair on her finger even faster as she looked at the floor. After a moment he reached out and grabbed her wrist gently. She looked up, surprised to be interrupted, and saw he was staring intently at her. A warm wave washed over her again, and she felt her face begin to burn and blood quicken.
"Let me go," she whimpered softly, turning her reddening face away in embarrassment and confusion.
"I actually enjoyed earlier," Simisear continued, seemingly unaware of Hina's discomfort. "And hey…if it's this important to you, for whatever reason…then, hell, it's important to me too, y'know?" He smiled and Hina felt her heart pounding against her chest wildly. The whole world can probably hear me, she moaned in her mind.
"Yes," she whispered, lowering her arm.
He released her and smiled amiably, almost sympathetically, and Hina struggled to compose herself despite the looming tightness in her chest. "It's important to me. So important that I even gave it a name."
Simisear cocked his head. "A name? Like what?"
Hina paused, thinking perhaps it'd be best to not tell, but finally decided against it. "I call it The Garden of Hope." She cringed, preparing herself for some sort of mockery at the name, but instead Simisear smiled.
"I like it," he said simply. As if she'd been holding her breath Hina let out a deep sigh and felt relief wash over her, and regarded him with a joyous look. He probably wouldn't if I told him why I called it that, she thought to herself, but chased those fears away. All that mattered to her now was that he liked it. He liked it.
"Then…. I want to give you a name, too." Hina exclaimed, the exuberance coming back to her. She fiddled with her hair, tail lashing around her, all while a shy smile spread across her face. "You said yourself you didn't like the name you have now. I'll give you a nickname I can call you by. A better one."
Simisear observed her with an amused look. She seems thrilled at the idea…how can I say no to such a cute face? Simisear mused. He immediately scorned himself for the thought. Damn, am I losing my pride as a guy or what?
"Well, if it's such a big deal to you…"
"Baku,'' Hina said briskly, smiling even bigger now. Simisear stared back. "Baaaa-?"
"Baku. That's what I want to call you." She watched him excitedly, wanting to take in every expression that crossed his face. I want to read you, please, let me get close to you.
He was torn between being embarrassed by her attentions or relishing in it; he glowed in spite of himself and nodded. "Yeah, I like the sound of that, I guess… Baku." He smiled as the words came out of his mouth. "It's definitely an improvement." I don't understand why, but if it makes you happy…
Hina's eyes sparkled, and Baku was glad to notice that she seemed completely over the upset he had caused her some minutes before. Like a bubble, bouncing back, he mused to himself, and laughed softly. She looked at him curiously, and he felt himself relax and grin as he fell under her warm gaze. She really is cute, he admitted to himself, stretching his legs out as he yawned, and so wholesome. It's just unthinkable if something were to happen to her…
"We ought to go to sleep, Hina," he interrupted his own thoughts intentionally. ""We want to be up bright and early tomorrow, right?" He looked up to see she was still watching him. She looked away quickly, an odd look on her face.
"Ohhh…yeah, you're probably right," she agreed, leaping to her feet and shaking herself off. She was quiet for a moment and then added, "I haven't stayed up or worked so hard in a long time."
Baku smiled at her as exhaustion buzzed in his ear. "I hope you're saying that in a good way, sister."
"Oh! I am!" Hina exclaimed, nodding enthusiastically. Nor I have enjoyed anything so much in a long time, either, she almost added. Unlike Baku, she didn't seem very tired at all, and at this he groaned inwardly; some tough guy he was turning out to look like. But try as he might he couldn't fight off sleep, and within a few minutes Baku had dozed off.
Hina watched over him, expression tender and body aquiver in heat. She watched him breathe softly and sighed. "We never ate, did we?" she muttered to herself after a moment. "He never even had breakfast this morning." How could you forget? She thought, but the answer was simple: she wasn't hungry. And though she felt weary, sleep was the last thing on her mind. What's wrong with me?
"Ohhhh," Hina whispered, and crawled to her side of the cavern, lying down in her favorite position. "Go to sleep. Rest before you have a breakdown." She flopped over, not feeling comfortable. "Urggh." She rolled onto her stomach. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Baku sleeping soundly and instantly felt that warm quiver sweep over her, clenching her heart and teasing her body, causing her face to go red once again.
She groaned, swinging back to her first position and lying spread-eagled across ground. "I've just got a bug or something. A good night's rest is the only thing to cure it," she told herself firmly. But it was a lie and she knew it.
She was back in the garden again, like the night before. The shades of trainers and their Pokémon mulled around her, but she didn't pay them any mind. Ahead she saw her own wood cabin she once called home, restored to its past glory, and there was Master. Arms wide, waiting for her. She started towards him, when suddenly something else caught her attention from behind her.
It was Baku. Unlike everyone else, he seemed to be in full color and not just a mere shadow. His back was turned to her and he was walking away. Hina called out to him.
"Baku? Where are you going? Come here and meet my friends! I'll show you humans are not as bad as you think they are!" He didn't seem to hear her, but instead continued further across the yard. A nervous feeling came over Hina, and she looked between Master and Baku a few times. He was still there, holding out his arms.
"Baku! Baku!" Hina yelled after her friend, torn between going after him as he vanished into the forest or returning to her beloved trainer. But then he was gone, and along with him, so was everything else.
Hina awoke with a start, hair splayed over her face and sweating. Her body was slumped over itself in a crazy position, and she remembered her tossing and turning through the night. I hope I didn't talk in my sleep, she worried, looking to her left to see that Musha was floating a foot away in a deep slumber state. She turned the other way in relief to check on Baku…but he wasn't there. She leapt to her feet in alarm and rushed over; his crutches were all gone and it looked like he had left some time ago.
An icy dread came over Hina and she felt herself begin to panic. Where is he? …Did he leave me? She couldn't believe it, and sunk to her knees. I…I thought…
Suddenly something else caught her attention, and she cocked her head in interest. A glimmer of light rested where his bed had been, and following its shaft, Hina saw that the beam reached out from the entrance of the hollow. Is this…sunlight? She made her way outside hastily, and let out a soft gasp at the sight she saw.
Yesterday's morning had been cool and moist, the skies grey with clouds, but due to the bright sun gleaming one would never have guessed. Stepping into the sunshine Hina immediately felt the sensation of heat; the cloudless sky shining down on her was warm and pleasant.
"When was the last time I saw a day like this?" she murmured to herself, stepping through the brush in wonder. Even as she stepped on the grass and passed the budding bushes she could feel their pleasure; the harsh brittle meadow felt somehow rejuvenated, springing back to place after her footfalls. "It must have been years…"
"Hina?"
Startled, Hina let out a yelp and hopped into the air, teetered backwards a few steps, and landed with a grunt on the grass. Despite the strong sunlight she could feel the last bits of morning dew beneath her.
Baku stood over her, apparently just as surprised as she was. "What are you doing out here?" he asked, his tone demanding and coming out more annoyed-sounding than he meant.
"I should ask you the same thing!" Hina exclaimed, still keyed up from the shock. She pushed past this, however, with her head spinning at being too overjoyed at seeing him. He hasn't left me, he hasn't gone, she thought wildly, not like my dream.
Baku averted his gaze, refusing to look her in the eye, and extended his arm to help her up. "Nothing," he muttered, pulling her upright. "Just doing a workout with this old thing." He motioned to his leg. "Don't want to be getting fat on one side, you know?" He forced a smile.
Hina put her hands on her hips. "I doubt you need to worry about that. Maybe you don't remember, but we didn't exactly have much to eat yesterday," she reminded him teasingly. "And does taking a walk usually involve something like that?" She pointed up at the bright sky. Bingo, she grinned as she saw Baku shuffle uncomfortably.
"I was just practicing that Sunny Dance stuff, okay?" he defended, an odd expression on his face. "I mean, the better I get at it quickly, the sooner we…." he tapered off, an indignant blush creeping over his face. No, don't get into that again, he cautioned. "…I was hoping to finish up before you woke," he finished, with a pout. "But no, you just had to come blow my confidence."
"Why would that happen?" Hina asked, again confused by her strange friend's behavior. "It's beautiful."
Baku twitched and looked at her, in the eyes, fully for the first time. "Do you think so?"
"I only wish me and my garden could have seen a day like this sooner," She held his gaze for a moment, then turned down, feeling self-conscious at her words. Baku watched her sensitively, his eyes soft and a gentle smile coming across his face. I don't THINK she's making that up, he considered. Why would anyone, especially her, lie for my sake? If she's not…he felt a nervous shiver over his back, but whether it was a good or bad feeling he couldn't tell. Nobody has ever felt me worth a damn. Never complimented a thing I did, never thanked me…and I probably don't deserve any of those. He watched Hina continue to stare at the blue, sunny sky in awe, a joy on her face that filled him with unexplainable happiness in turn. But she does, she's done it all, and it's real.
"Look out!" Hina suddenly cried.
There was the sound of wings from above and the two jumped back just in time to avoid the crash-landing of an overweight Mamepato. The pigeon Pokémon had fallen from the sky clumsily and now laid on its back, legs in the air, between the two friends.
"It's a wild Pokémon!" Hina whispered to herself, but loud enough for Baku to hear and speculate over (weren't they all wild Pokémon here? Seriously, girl, get with it.)
The Mamepato leapt to its feet and ignored the two, and began to strut back and forth, looking the small forest clearing up and down. "Yes, yes. Indeed. This will do nicely."
"Hey, you," snapped Baku, tensed and irritated at the sudden intruder. Hina watched it bob its head as it walked in fascination, and he saw her mouth the words "do nicely" in echo.
Finally the Mamepato spun around and seemed to notice them. "Well, well, it looks like they're some neighbors here already."
"We've BEEN here!" Baku snarled, but the bird didn't notice his annoyance.
"Neighbors?" Hina inquired, fizzing with curiosity. She bent low to speak with the Pokémon eye to eye. It smiled at her as it registered as sentient for the first time and nodded brusquely.
"Why yes, yes!" he chirped, "I think this place is splendid, why just look at the sun! The trees! I haven't seen a place of such vibrancy is some time!" He fluttered his wings eagerly. "Oh, I would be mad, just mad, to not bring my family and friends here immediately!"
Baku let out a choking sound. "What!"
Hina felt an eager grin spread across her face. "You have a family? You'd bring more Pokémon here?" This was a dream come true. No longer would the forest be so empty; rather it would be shuffling with life, like so long ago…
"Yes, yes!" the Mamepato was just as excited as she. "Oh, how could I have not seen a place like this before? We've been searching so long, so long. I'd best make haste then!"
"Do! Make haste!" Hina laughed, the craziness of the Mamepato contagious.
"No!"
But the pigeon Pokémon was already in the air, clumsy and his belly hanging out as he frantically flapped. "I will! Expect me to return, young lady!" And with that he was off in flash of feathers.
Hina giggled in delight as she looked after him. Things were looking up by the minute, she realized, and her grin spread all across her face. She turned around to share her joy with Baku, but stopped in her tracks, seeing his face completely sullen.
"Wh-what is it?" she asked, still smiling. She walked towards him, but he turned away, eyes glowering.
Didn't she even think of asking me? He thought, trying desperately to maintain his composure. He rose his eyes to look at her and felt his stomach twist; she seemed so excited. Friggin' perfect.
"It's nothing." He heard himself lie, "I'm just kinda hungry. Like I said…we never ate dinner, remember?"
Hina brightened. "Oh, things have just been happening so fast! But we probably ought to," She started to turn back to the hollow. "I'll go and get them-"
"No need." Baku picked up one of the Pecha Berries, which apparently had been lying near him, skewered on a stick. "I was planning on roasting it," he explained, "Like I said…"
"Only way to eat them," Hina finished, smiling. "But…where's the other one?"
Baku flushed a bit at her words. "Oh, yeah…that one." He motioned to a mound a few feet away. "I planted it. It was the last one, so I thought…we should try to plant more." His ears flattened against his head again. She probably wanted THAT one, he cursed himself.
Instead Hina beamed at him. "That was a great idea. They can usually grow within a few days if we give them frequent watering." She seemed genuinely pleased at his decision and he blushed proudly.
"I guess we can share this one?" he offered, and sat down on a nearby log. Several dried sticks littered the ground in front, as if he'd prepared it earlier. Hina nodded, still antsy with excitement, and sat by his side as she took the stick puncturing the berry.
Baku lit a small flame at their feet on the tinder, and they proceeded to let the berry warm, sitting in silence for a moment.
"What do you think he meant, 'never seen a place like this before'?" Hina asked out of the blue, looking at her companion. He gave a start and looked away from the dancing flame, confusion on his face.
"Huh?"
"I thought it was just my garden and around here that was cursed with the bad feeling," Hina clarified. "You know…the stagnant air. No sunlight. No rain. No Pokémon, either…" Her voice wavered. "That's why I needed to do it myself, or the forest would completely die. But the way he talked…made it sound like it's not just here."
Baku was growing very uncomfortable. This was the last thing he wanted to talk to her about. She turned to him, looking into his eyes questioningly. "Was it like this where you come from?"
You really don't know, Baku searched her face in growing apprehension. He felt a sinking sensation in his heart, and had to restrain himself from reaching out to touch her face. But now…how can I tell you now?
The smell of burning brought them both back to their senses. "Oh, no!" Hina cried out, withdrawing the shish kebab as Baku killed the flame. The berry was black and crisped, burned far beyond it should have been.
"I'm sorry!" Hina shouted, brandishing the branch rowdily. Baku grabbed it from her and she looked down in embarrassment.
"It's not your fault," he said sensitively, tossing it into the bushes. "Rule number two on being a survivalist: Stay calm at all times… and never apologize for something you're not responsible for." He tipped her chin up to look at him with his finger. "If you doubt yourself, then you can bet the things you do will be completely wrong and for the wrong reasons. The last enemy you want is your own conscience."
Hina looked into his eyes, bright like the sun itself, and felt the warm feeling of contentment fill her once more. She smiled thoughtfully. "And what's rule number one?"
Baku's face seemed to harden as he looked at her. "Accept that life sucks, and then we die." Hina tensed at this change in his tone and the way he worded this. He continued, however. "But regardless, you have to roll with the punches, always do your best, and do what you have to do, no matter how hard it is." His expression softened once again. "That way you never have any regrets."
Then why does it seem you have so many? Hina wondered as he turned away.
"We'll need to find something else to eat," he called to her, trekking through the bushes. "Maybe we can find a few nuts or something."
But as Hina rushed to catch up with him, she noticed he hardly seemed to be looking at the ground at all. He was lost in thought, his teeth clenched and brows knitted in worry.