AN: A few new characters, yep.
"How does your tracking fare?" a low voice growled from amidst the dense pines, startling the Ambipom that was examining the dusty, cold forest floor. He looked up uneasily.
"There's been a lot of rain, it seems," the Ambipom affirmed, dusting at the soil with his two tails. "Almost all traces of anything have been washed away."
"Rain?" the voice's pitch rose in question. "How do you say that? The entire forest is under drought and famine. "
A bulky Primeape crept from the thick brambles and joined the Ambipom, sniffing at the ground earnestly. "I can smell it, though," he agreed, "it rained here not long ago. It must have washed away his scent."
There was a snarl, and the two jumped back in tension. From the high top of the pine tree, a shape leaped and fell to the ground impressively. With a thud, it stood and leered at its underlings. The scruffy Simisage was thin, but what remained was all muscle.
"Well now," the Simisage breathed quietly, stepping forward and feeling the thorned bushes ahead. "Isn't that interesting." Suddenly a sound filled the air around them; soft at first but then growing louder. The group looked up to observe a flock of bird Pokémon flying overhead, squawking and chattering excitedly. They blended into the grey sky and almost seemed to be moving clouds.
Finally, they had all vanished, and Ambipom broke the silence. "I wonder where they could be going to? Haven't seen a migration like that in a while."
" Mamepatos are stupid as stupid can get," Primeape grumbled, shaking his head. "They probably don't have a course."
"You're one to talk, bumbling around like a Darmanitan," Ambipom teased.
"Don't screw with me, girly man," snapped Primeape in response.
Their leader was silent for a moment, brooding. Then swinging around, the Simisage's sharp teeth glinted in the darkness. "Well boys, I think we've come another step closer to redemption here."
Primeape and Ambipom turned and stared at their leader, clueless. "What?"
Simisage continued to grin, eyes a brilliant amber. "What was it our old friend used to say? That he was fated for fortune, and could reach glory all on his own?" The others nodded, still somewhat lost. "Well, it might not be a stretch to say he had indeed found something of interest…" Simisage turned and glowered into the deep woods, in the direction the birds had flown. "I think it's time we paid our friend a visit."
What could she possibly be thinking? Musha, despite his lackluster powers, had always prided himself on his ability to see and feel the emotions of others; but Hina was a different story… now more so than ever. Always her face was contradictory to the waves she gave off, if she gave any at all, and he had always had trouble infiltrating her dreams. I tried all last night once she fell asleep, Musha thought bitterly, …one would think that would be the easiest way to get in someone's head. So why is it impossible for me? He shuddered as he remembered the incidents of last night. It's all HIS fault. It all started when he came.
The little Munna leered through the tall grass, which in the past day had grown healthy and thick, and watched the shapes of Hina and her friend in wrath. He couldn't help but feel so betrayed to see Hina stand by his side, her face lit up brighter than ever before. It brought a youthfulness and beauty to her that Musha had believed long gone.
The two were leaning over the rickety bridge, conversing indistinctly. The Simisear bent forward and peered into the rushing clear water and said something, sending Hina into a fit of giggles. Musha glowered. They were supposed to be a team. Only them, together. Waiting for Master. Baku was not a member of the group, and Musha had to grimace just to think of his name. How could Hina think a disgusting wild Pokémon deserved to be given a name?
He was tempted to go closer so he could hear what they were saying, cursing the bright sunlight as he slipped through the brush. It's too bright, too hot, and it's sickening. If I'd only remembered how horrible the sunlight was, I never would have allowed this to happen… Though in the back of his mind, he knew that the sunlight had nothing to do with it.
"No, no, you do it like this," Hina laughed, pulling Baku back from the railing. "You're going to fall, the way you're going about it." Baku watched in amusement as she reached over the ledge, stretching her body downward as she strained. After a moment's pause she climbed partway over the ledge, one leg hanging over and the other standing firmly on the ground.
"Need help, sister?" Baku smirked as he took a step forward to help her down.
"You can help me out by holding onto my legs," Hina responded, casting him a glance.
Musha shivered in anger as he saw Hina allow herself to be touched by the wild Pokémon. As she leaned over the bridge, he held onto her legs and lower torso tightly. Completely trusting her life in his filthy hands…and worse, she WANTS him to toy with her, Musha boiled.
Hina suddenly slipped a few centimeters in Baku's grasp as she squirmed, and alerted, he grabbed her tightly and pulled her upward with a heave. "Ooh!" Hina let out a breathy cry of surprise as she was thrown backward along with Baku.
Musha growled, the last of his patience used up. He swept forward towards the two to hear them laughing and slowly getting to their feet. Hina helped him to his feet worriedly, examining his leg.
"Having fun, guys?"
Hina and Baku let out a cry of alarm, and turn from each other to see Musha hovering a few feet away. Hina was suddenly self-conscious, feeling naked and sinful as her two friends surrounded her.
"Musha!" she said, forcing a smile through her blushing face. "You're finally awake! You've been sleeping all day."
"I must have ate something bad," spat Musha, refusing to look at her. He couldn't, he shouldn't, and he wouldn't. "I had to sleep it off." His gaze fell on Baku, and it rested there for a moment. He'd expected the Simisear to be aggressive at his approach, and was intrigued to see instead he was concentrating on something at his feet, eyes darting back and forth nervously.
"We're trying to grab some of the wooden planks that fell from the bridge ages ago," Hina explained, motioning to the ledge heartily. "Some of them are stuck on a shelf down there and can only be reached from up here…" She pointed to the bridge they stood on. "Baku had the idea to try and fix it so we don't have to worry about falling through whenever we want to go the garden or back." She beamed at Baku, who looked up quickly and smiled faintly at her.
"Oh, yeah," he responded, shaking his head quickly as if to fend off his invading daydreams. He still held onto his crutches but seemed to hardly need them as he took a step towards a large gap in one of the wooden planks. "I almost fell through this one the first time over," he grinned, and as he peered down his eye caught Musha's for one moment before darting away.
Musha continued to leer at Baku for a moment, furious. Why was it now that I want to go head to head with him and kick his ass, the coward will hardly look at me?
Hina laughed as she recalled the event. "It gets worse in the winter. We were lucky the whole thing didn't fall apart last year." Baku groaned. "Oh, man. Cold frigid water. Don't remind me, please."
Is it you think you're better than me?
"Well, I'm sorry, but if you want your leg to be better anytime soon, you're going to have to get used to it," Hina teased.
"Look how good I'm doing, sister," Baku proclaimed, taking long strides. "It's like I've got Regenerator powers or something. I swear, look at me!" He cringed slightly as he walked, but for the most part he seemed to have healed nearly completely.
"You'll be back to your ruffian lifestyle any day now," Hina laughed, a giant smile spread across her face, but after a moment her eyes hardened and she stopped, as if something had suddenly struck her. Baku looked at her in confusion and an awkward silence filled the air. Musha felt the anxiety ripple around him in waves and could hardly suppress a sneer.
At last Hina broke the silence. "Oh, but Musha! We never told you, did we?" her voice had returned to its excited pitch, and once again she was smiling. Immediately Musha was curious, and flitted forward to Hina, whom was now bobbing her head up and down energetically.
"Wild Pokémon!" Hina cried. Musha jumped back at her shout, confused and startled.
"Wh-?"
Hina giggled and looked towards Baku, who's' smile now seemed strained, and then back to Musha. "I said, wild Pokémon! That are coming here! Oh, don't you get it? Some Pokémon have decided to relocate here! Just this morning, one of them told us he's bringing his whole family!" Hina clapped her hands joyfully. She'd been delighting on this news all day, and in her dedication to work as hard as possible she'd nearly forgotten to tell Musha about it.
Musha regarded the two of them for a moment, mixed emotions revolving in his mind. More strangers? Whatever happened it to being just you and me? Musha bemoaned as he searched Hina's face. She didn't seem to have thought of that at all. All this was probably HIS idea. Baku seemed expressionless, but Musha could feel he was uptight. Probably scheming some dirty plans.
"Why here?" Musha asked innocently, doing his best to keep from sounding accusatory. "No Pokémon have shown interest in this place before, and now all of sudden that he's here-" he motioned, "suddenly this is a hot spot?"
Baku's fur bristled again, and Hina frowned and bit her lip. I don't want to frighten Musha, she thought, by telling him that the rest of the forest and beyond seems to be in as bad as, if not worse, a state as here… who knows how he would take news like that?
"I guess the Pokémon were just incredibly impressed by the beautiful garden," Hina said, smiling again. "Just look at what we've accomplished in the last few days…it's like it's really spring here. Thanks to all our combined hard work." She looked at her friends happily, willing with all her heart for them to make peace.
Our work? What have I done? You've hardly talked to me as of late, let alone let me help out, Musha fumed silently.
"Speaking of which!" Hina said, looking to the darkening evening sky, "It's getting dark! Do you think they'll be alright out there?"
"They might not be the brightest Pokémon," Baku snorted. "But they know how to protect themselves, Hina. They're not completely defenseless…like someone I know." He managed a sly smile as Hina blushed.
"That's not true!" She turned away as he continued to smirk at her reddening face. Musha, nettled, turned away in disgust. Looks like nobody needs my input around here anymore.
"I-I'm going to look out for any sign of them anyway," Hina said, pulling away from Baku's playful prodding. Her face was shimmering with excitement and other emotions Musha could not read, try as he might. "I'll be at the top of the big tree to see if there's anything on the horizon." She retreated, flushing, a few paces towards the forest, but then paused.
"Baku?"
Baku started as she called him suddenly, his soundless gaze after her broken. "Huh?"
Hina fiddled with her dress and etched her foot in the dirt a second before replying. "I'm going to check on that berry we planted this morning…." She rose her face to look up, completely aquiver with enthusiasm. "…If we're lucky, I think tomorrow, we might just have ourselves some fresh breakfast!"
Baku rose one eyebrow and smirked. "Sounds like a plan, sister." Hina laughed, and he watched her flee into the thicket, tail wagging excitedly.
"She's really something else," he sighed, resting his head on his arms in exhaustion, smiling feebly after her.
He seemed unaware of Musha still leering at him, and jumped in surprise at the Munna's sudden explosion. "And by 'something else', I suppose you mean 'something else you don't give a DAMN about'!"
"M-Musha! I forgot you were there," Baku faltered , looking up shame-faced and nervous, "No, I didn't mean it like…"
"Of course you forgot," Musha spat, his voice like venom. "Since you got here, seems like everyone's been forgetting about poor old Musha. But guess what? I'm still here, and I know you're up to something." He drew closer to Baku's confused face, eyes flashing. "You may be able to fool Hina, but you can't fool me."
Baku took a step back, unnerved at his aggressor's ferocity.
"Fool you?" Baku echoed, trying to keep his voice from becoming a defensive hiss. "I swear I don't even know what you're talking about."
"Don't play dumb!" Musha barked. "I'm not going to let her get hurt again, you hear me? So drop your pathetic act. I'm a psychic-type, remember? I can read your tiny little mind like a book." He sneered as Baku's ears flattened agitatedly. "How about we start with that big fat lie about you being a great adventurer, and you getting that boo-boo-" he motioned to Baku's bandaged leg- "from some fierce battle. We both know you got it when you fell from that tree."
Baku grimaced and tried to shift his injured leg behind the other in embarrassment. "You can't prove that," he growled, amber eyes narrowing. "Let's see you try and prove that, kid."
"Considering it was my Baton Pass move that caused you to soften Hina's fall in the first place, I think I can prove it easily," Musha shot back, gloating.
Baku's face went blank for a minute and stared at Musha, mouth open slightly in shock. Then his face contorted into an expression of rage and disgrace, fur prickling like a Purrloins', and he lunged at Musha. "You!"
The Munna nimbly dodged the hassled Simisear and brayed with laughter. "Speaking of your dark secret past, what do you think your clan would think of you now? Or wait…did you make them up too?"
Baku stopped his pursuit abruptly and turned away with a snarl. "…You don't know anything. Everything I've said and done has been for her sake. And yours' too, you little brat."
"You're completely selfish," Musha chided, cutting him off before he could continue. "Your dream last night is enough evidence to convince me of that. I could barely stand to eat the entire thing," And I wouldn't have even had to try if it weren't so difficult to get close to Hina, he thought bitterly, again recalling his failure from last night.
Once again Baku found himself gaping at Musha. "What did you just say?" The annoying little Pokémon was starting to ramble nonsense more than ever before, but these last words registered somewhere in Baku's mind. Why would he mention last night…? His stomach lurched. He said he SAW my dreams…?
"When a Pokémon is asleep, I have the ability to eat their dreams as well as see what they are thinking," Musha snapped. "And clearly all you have been thinking about is abandoning us as soon as you possibly can. Not that I personally would care-" he sniffed indignantly- "but for some stupid reason Hina does. I don't know why she would give a damn about a lazy, lying jerk like you, but she does, and I'm not going to stand by and let you hurt her and toy with her emotions, and put crazy ideas into her head. She's gone through it enough times already."
Musha was shivering in anger, ready for Baku to attack him once more, but instead the Simisear blinked slowly and a strange look came over his face. He stood, silent, with a hand to his chin quietly and Musha felt the awkward silence become almost tangible.
"…You're right."
The voice was soft, so quiet he barely heard it at first.
"What?" Musha snapped.
"I said, you're right." Baku's voice was louder now, but it was different somehow. It dragged with resignation, and Musha could now see that reflected in his eyes. He suddenly looked different; with his eyes tired and lonely rather than gleaming and boastful, looking for a fight; his mouth crumpled in a sigh instead of a cocky grin.
It almost frightened Musha to see this sudden and drastic change. I don't know much more about him than when he first got here, Musha thought, but I know enough to know he's bad news. Really bad news.
Baku knelt down for a moment and quietly placed the crutches he had been relying on. Then standing back up, he turned to Musha, who was watching him warily. "What are you doing?"
"I don't want anyone to get hurt either," Baku said simply, and with those words he strode past the confused Munna in the opposite direction Hina had gone, limping slightly, and didn't look back.