Author's Notes: Well, I am horribly overdue with this. As you can probably tell, it's a lot longer than the other oneshots were, and will be - I started working on this months ago intermittently and have only now just managed to piece together the last of it. You all have my apology for how egregious the wait was.
Anyways, this it the crack pairing no one asked for (scratch that, there's actually more fanart for this than Aurorashipping) - I wanted to do something a little less predictable, and I hope it's at least enjoyable. It also explores a 'what if' scenario that I haven't seen approached, probably due to the simple fact of how small Conquest's fandom is.
Dreams
(Horizonshipping/Heroine x Hideyoshi)
She had dreams.
They were certainly ambitious, if not a bit more widespread than she would have liked to admit. But they were befitting of an idealistic, inexperienced new Warlord none the less. The old tales about the Legendary Pokémon that had created the region had fascinated her as a child - as they did so many others, though she liked to think she had a better shot at fulfilling them than most - and she made it her resolution to meet such a Pokémon one day; years worth of her hard work finally culminating in the day when she was made the Warlord of Aurora and could truly begin to pursue such an ideal.
So to say that the rookie Warlord was disappointed to have those dreams dashed on her first day might have been a bit of an understatement.
In hindsight, the girl still couldn't figure out exactly how she had managed to lose her first battle. By all means they - she and Oichi, who had seen her outnumbered and offered her assistance - should have won, especially given that the warriors from Ignis seemed to lack any coordination or competent leadership. Especially given that they decided to take her back to Ignis instead of actually capturing Aurora, the fools somehow believing it was the same thing. Now poor Oichi was in charge until the Auroran managed to find a way out of the fiasco that her first day on the job had turned out to be.
The ultimate insult had yet to come, though. Her mental image of Ignis' Warlord was one of some scheming, decrepit man sitting on his throne, idly stroking a sharp beard as he waited for his minions to return. Instead she was met with the image of a boy her age, give or take a year, legs draped over one of the armrests of his throne as he rested his head on the other. He cracked an cracked an eye open when one of her captors coughed and said 'Lord Hideyoshi', the Warlord responding by yawning as he sat up. It was when Hideyoshi's eyes landed on his unexpected guest that all the drowsiness melted away from his face by immediately saying she was 'pretty'.
At that point, while Hideyoshi was busy absentmindedly blubbering to her and embarrassing himself in front of his warriors and tacticians - who for their part handled the situation with enough finesse that gave her the idea this wasn't a first - the captive Warlord began wondering if all this was a bad dream brought about by eating too much at the feast the night before. Any hopes for that possibility were abruptly dashed to pieces, much like her other dreams, when the Warlord of Ignis abruptly cut himself off, leaped off his golden pedestal and quickly closed the gap between the two of them.
There was little reaction from anyone else present in the room, save a small, amused smirk from the boy in white that had been silently standing off to the side, which again reinforced the idea that this was nothing unusual for them. Whether that was good or bad, the captive Warlord had no time to decide, as the next words that came out of Hideyoshi's mouth were so sudden they dragged the girl's thoughts back into the throne room and solely onto him.
"How'd ya like to join our army? I'll even let ya keep Aurora!"
The brunette kept her dumbfounded gaze solely on him, mouth slightly ajar as she tried to find the proper response - or any response, for that matter - while the Warlord of Ignis just continued to shoot that same goofy, idiotic smile in her direction. Still not quite comprehending what had just happened, and just managing to slowly nod her head in apprehensive acceptance, she inwardly decided he was either one of the dumbest Warlords in history, or the most lackadaisical person she had ever met.
The defeated Warlord's reply seemed to satisfy Hideyoshi, as the victor clapped his hands together and smiled. "Great! Well, I'll let ya get back to whatever you were doin'."
Hideyoshi then spun around, leaving a bewildered girl in his wake, and sauntered out of the room alongside a disturbingly pale warrior clad in black. The two warriors that had roughly led her in also left, leaving her alone with the boy in white, who cautiously made his way over to the stultified Auroran.
"Uh, I'm sorry about Lord Hideyoshi's antics," he began slowly, as if afraid she would lash out at him. "I know that we probably haven't gotten off on the best foot."
The Warlord's look - a cross between disbelief and disdain - quickly turned to deadpan, but no words escaped her. The raven-haired boy seemed encouraged by her patience, and smiled. "I'm Hanbei, by the way, and I'd appreciate it if you could give Lord Hideyoshi a chance. I know he seems... well, is a bit out there, but he's a good guy."
The defeated Warlord's humiliation turned to anger. "Because good guys attack new Warlords on their first day."
Hanbei remained as calm as before in the face of her retort; either he had anticipated it or was as laidback as his lord. The Ignite ran a hand through the back of his head, obscured by his oversized beret, and let out an uneasy smile. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, too. Kanbei can go a bit overboard in his advice sometimes."
And she would have to work alongside him, the Auroran suspected with no small amount of disdain. She said nothing afterwards, simply continuing her glare, and the purple-eyed tactician took that as a sign to continue.
"I understand you're upset, but Hideyoshi will probably want to come by Aurora tomorrow to look around the place, so please just go along with it for now and I'll see what I can do in the meantime," her face softened after Hanbei's request, the girl mulling over her options. A few seconds passed and she decided to disdainfully accept his offer - not that there was much of a choice.
"Fine. I'll give Hideyoshi a chance. But don't expect me to be happy about it," he nodded solemnly.
"That's all I can ask," Hanbei extended a hand, the brunette shaking it before turning and quickly fleeing the throne room.
Defeat or not, she had Aurora to attend to before Hideyoshi's arrival. And hopefully she could figure a way out of this mess in the meantime.
It came as little surprise to her that the first thing Hideyoshi - the brunette's skin crawled at having to address him as lord - did upon his arrival was to ask her out to lunch. She had been a bit more prepared for it than Hanbei, surprisingly, the Ignite facepalming while she managed only a roll of the eyes.
But the Auroran did accept - much to the surprise of the Ignite and his tacticians - figuring that if she was going to have to suffer Hideyoshi's incessant flirting she could at least get a free meal out of it.
She didn't expect him to spend the entire hour and a half talking business, though.
It felt like a dream, watching the Warlord who didn't seem to have a care in the world talk about budgeting through the food in him mouth. At the person he kidnapped and then employed in a single day, no less. But - somehow - what he was actually saying was making sense, and the Auroran found herself begrudgingly listening to Hideyoshi's more lucid blubbering.
By the time everything was said and done, the sun was beginning to fall from its perch high in the sky. Hideyoshi offered her some advice and a handshake before he disappeared into the horizon - she mustered up enough resolve to clasp his hand and was surprised at not having the desire to shudder. Hanbei offered a small bow to her before he disappeared with his lord; the brunette returned to her castle and heaved as reality came back with a vengeance.
Barely a week had passed after that meeting before she was called back to Ignis, the Warlord of Aurora musing what she could do once she found a way out of her situation to pass the time.
She came to the Kingdom of Fire of her own will that time, and pushed the doors to the castle's throne room open with her own hands. It certainly felt like a dream to her, the familiar memory of her being dragged into it having played out in her mind almost every night since her defeat. Hideyoshi's eyes shifted when he heard the ornate doors creak open, and the brunette stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him seated upside down in his throne, crossed-legged, nose buried in a book about accounting.
"Hey!" he called out cheerfully, quickly sitting upright like a normal person before hopping down from his throne. "Glad ya made it! You know why you're here, right?"
The white-clad girl blinked blankly. "No. All you wrote in your letter was to come."
"Oh, right," as sheepish smile broke out across his face, and he slid a hand underneath the back of his helmet. The Auroran only sighed in response, but Hideyoshi quickly recomposed himself. "Well, we're planning on moving onto Greenleaf, and I'd like you to join us."
"What?" she tried to keep her surprise contained - and failed miserably - while the Monferno of a Warlord just smiled and nodded.
"Yep! You've been doing a pretty good job running Aurora from what I could tell while I was there-"
"You were only there for about two hours."
"No, I mean the other times I dropped in," the brunette raised an eyebrow incredulously.
"What other times?" the cream-clad Warlord of Ignis shrugged nonchalantly, placing his hands behind his helmet.
"Eh, I visited a few times last week. I figured I could get a better idea of how you were actually handling things if I didn't say I was comin', and I have to say I'm impressed," the Warlord of Aurora struggled to come up with anything to say in reply, mouth open and blue eyes staring ahead, while Hideyoshi paid no heed. He spun around and sauntered back up to his ornate throne, throwing his feet over one of the massive armrests like it was a couch before looking back at her.
"But back to what I was sayin'. You've been doin' a good job, and I'd like to have ya tag along for the battle," the girl nodded weakly, eyes still trailing upwards to him, before an unexpected question escaped her lips.
"What are you fighting for, Hideyoshi?" he blinked confusedly in response, something mimicked by the Warlord that had asked it, and Hideyoshi sat up again and put his elbows on his knees.
"Hm? What am I fightin' for..." a small smile snuck up on his face as he muttered the rhetorical question, before looking back down at her. "Well, I guess I can tell a pretty girl like yourself."
The Auroran's eye twitched subtly, but she was too interested in getting an answer - like it would suddenly give the past week a whole new meaning - to care about the comment. The brunette had been expecting something along the lines of 'peace' or 'the legendary Pokémon', or perhaps even something less noble to escape his mouth, so what came out next surprised her.
"Well, you know how only certain people get to form links with Pokémon, right?" the girl in white nodded cautiously and he carried on. "And nobody seems to know why or how, too. I've heard that it has to do with blood, but my parents were just farmers and here I am."
Hideyoshi blinked and put a hand to his chin. "Well, the Legends talk about how the Legendary Pokémon made Ransei, and how it'll appear to the person who unifies it. So, I figure, a Pokémon that has the power to make entire regions might have the power to let people link with Pokémon, right?"
The girl nodded weakly, gaze shaking slightly. "Are you saying-"
The Warlord of Ignis nodded with a wide grin. "Yep! I wanna make a world where everyone can link with Pokémon!"
The Auroran had adopted a blank look after the declaration of his dream, though Hideyoshi could easily see the gears turning in her head through her sapphire orbs. He leaned back forward, eyes gleaming intently like a Braviary looking at its prey, before swooping down and drawing her out of her thoughts. "So, lemme ask you this; why're you followin' me?"
His question brought her tumultuous internal monologue to an even more violent standstill, and her head whipped up in shock. "What?"
Hideyoshi just kept looking down on her expectantly, unmoving, and the brunette bit the bottom of her lip while mulling over her response. Why was she following him? Her dreams had been shattered upon her humiliating defeat, and though she still aspired to find a way to regain her independence, the girl found herself following him still. Was it simply that she had no reason? Was it out of convenience? Aurora's former Warlord let out a sigh; her head was spinning and she had no answer. "I... I don't know."
She had expected him to be disappointed in her hesitant reply, but he just kept smiling, eyes looking down on her with sympathy. "Okay then."
The girl fell silent again, eyes going down to the polished tile below in contemplation. Flirting aside, the youth she had found herself looking up at was - for better or worse - completely and utterly guileless. His ideals might have been lofty, and too lofty for her at that, but there was something conciliatory in them - and she could feel her will slowly eroding at the realization that Hideyoshi only meant well. The Auroran was struggling to find the heart to crush his dreams.
"Anyways, I think Hanbei and Kanbei will wanna see ya to go over the battle plans," the brunette in white was brought out of her daydream at hearing his sing-song voice. "You should find 'em down the hall in the room on the right."
The cream-clad Warlord picked up the discarded book from earlier and engrossed himself in it again, and the Auroran gave a stiff bow before turning towards the exit. "Thank you..."
Her voice was too weak for Hideyoshi to hear over his book, but he did spare a glance in her direction when he heard her stop in the doorway, the girl's voice barely above a whisper. "Milord..."
The word left an odd taste on her tongue as she stepped out - she had expected to never have to use it again when she became Aurora's Warlord, and the notion had been liberating. Now it felt strangely nostalgic.
Though it was nearly five weeks into her service, and the Warlord of Aurora still was at a loss as to why she followed Hideyoshi, she had managed to make her peace with the fact. Walking down one of the corridors of Ignis' castle - the Fire Type Kingdom's usually stifling temperature was more subdued today, and it somehow made her feel cold - she began to wonder when her dreams of freedom, of conquest, had began to slip; slowly being transplanted with the contentment of reality.
She stopped for a second. Was it reality that she was really content with?
"Hey, Princess," Hanbei's comment drew her out of her thoughts, and she offered a smile as he approached her from the opposite end of the hallway.
"Afternoon, Sleepy Eyes," he smiled at the ridiculous nickname, walking forwards before stopping in front of the doors to the throne room, eyes still trained on her as she approached.
"That was quite the battle yesterday; if it weren't for you Motochika would have pinned down Lord Hideyoshi," the girl felt her cheeks flush a bit at the tactician's praise, but managed to keep a straight face as she joined him.
"I was only doing my job."
"But still; me and Kanbei were too far away to help. If you weren't there, who knows what could have happened?"
"The two of you were the ones to carry the day, though, so I guess it doesn't matter now," her voice was quiet, gaze distant as she stared ahead at the gilded doors. The Auroran might have helped Hideyoshi seize two castles - granted, the Warlord of Greenleaf wanted to retire anyways and just gave them his kingdom - but she still felt uncomfortable with the attention. Following Hideyoshi was one thing, but not knowing why she was following him, not having any dreams left, and then being unintentionally reminded of that only made her feel uneasy. She spared a seconds glance at the narcoleptic besides her; Hanbei dreamed often, but that was only due to his incessant napping. His true dreams - his aspirations - had coalesced with his lord's; influencing Hideyoshi's ambitions while having become his own as well. The brunette mused for a moment as to whether or not that was what had happened.
The tactician cleared his throat, drawing her back to the present, and the girl in white wasted no time in pushing open the doors. She and Hanbei quickly crossed the room, Hideyoshi sprawled out across his massive throne like usual, while Kanbei stood in front of it, back turned to them. The albino took a quick glance over his shoulder, giving the two a nod as they quickly strode up aside him, while the Warlord of Ignis sat upright.
"Great, everyone's here!" the upbeat Ignite chirped out. "So, can anyone guess why I called ya here?" the Warlord of Aurora standing between the two tacticians might have come to expect the question, but that did little prevent her deadpan.
"Really, Monferno?" Hideyoshi only smiled in response to the nickname, while Kanbei gave a bow to preface his statement.
"I would assume we will be moving onto the kingdoms to the north, my lord," Hideyoshi nodded.
"Yep! I'll be needing the three of you in top shape if we wanna win these upcoming battles. Make all the preparations ya need to; we'll be moving out for Violight in a day," Hanbei blinked.
"That's all?"
Hideyoshi gave a nod in the affirmative, and his three retainers each exchanged glances before Hanbei shrugged nonchalantly and turned to leave. Kanbei did seconds later after another bow, but before the brunette could leave herself, she caught a mischievous look in her lord's eyes, complimented with a small smirk as he looked down at her.
"Oh, and that's Lord Monferno to you!" his smirk morphed into his usual goofy grin. "But I guess I can make an exception for you, Princess."
She wasn't really bothered by his flirting anymore, only offering a good-natured roll of the eyes in response before leaving. Whether or not it was simply because she had gotten used to it, or because she realized he meant little by it, she didn't know, nor did it particularly concern her now. All she could think about was the next kingdom lying in wait.
Months passed, and nine kingdoms had fallen before them. Half of Ransei was under Hideyoshi's rule - only half remained before his dreams could be realized. A laughable pipe dream once, a reality that could end Ransei's long nightmare now.
The girl was standing on one of the balconies of Terrera's recently-conquered castle; staring off into the distant landscape filled with endless dunes of sand and mesas, graced every once and a while with the occasional tree, all unfolding under the clear night sky and full moon. A sharp breeze cut across the balcony - she shivered, and the Auroran reeled back when she felt something heavy being draped over her shoulders.
"Hey," she relaxed at hearing Hideyoshi's flighty voice, the Warlord of Ignis quickly walking around to join her at the railing. "Awfully late to be up, isn't it?"
"I couldn't really sleep," his usually goofy smile that would appear whenever he was about to poke at her overcame his features.
"Really? Well, I guess someone as charming as you doesn't need beauty sleep anyways," the brunette rolled her blue orbs, but couldn't help the corners of her lips turning upwards slightly, or the red tint that flushed her cheeks. He didn't seem to notice as he turned back to the view before them, something the Auroran was thankful for, and her eyes shifted back to the Warlord besides her. Ironic, she thought, that for all his innocent flirting she was the one to end up with a crush. She almost chuckled at the nightmarish notion.
"Anyways," his comment drew back her attention. "We still have our work cut out for us, but I know that with you, Hanbei and Kanbei by my side, we'll make a world where everyone can link with Pokémon!"
Hideyoshi smiled again at her, and turned. The girl watched him go until he disappeared from her sight. "Yes, Lord Hideyoshi..."
He might have been a goof, but he was a goof she could follow. His dreams were worth following, even if they were no longer his dreams alone.