Author's Comment: Got myself some new motivation to continue this story! Let's see how long it lasts this time! :P Hopefully it'll work... Once more thanks to all the ever-patient readers that's still sticking around for this story and thanks to my awesome reviewers of awesomeness: Lectro Underground, destinedjagold, and Kirbyhammer100.
Chapter 11: Consequences
"HELLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOO!" comes the loud screech of Sokudo's voice echoing through the village, Kowai cringing beside him at his outburst. "I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO GET SOME HELP AROUND HERE!" The Ninjask continued to scream, ignoring his brother's whimpers. He waits for a few seconds, keeping his ears open for any response beyond the startled reactions of the residents. But he gets nothing and he growls, his claws trying to dig themselves into the statue's rock below.
"Brother?"
"GET YOUR ASSES OVER HERE, YA BASTARDS!" He's so frustrated and pissed at this point that he forgets where he's perched and he flails his claws in anger as he continues shouting. "YOU HAVE THREE SECONDS TO GET OVER HE- AH FUCK!" He loses balance and almost falls off when Kowai instinctively throws itself under him to catch him before he could. Clinging onto the statue's leg and scrambling back onto it, Sokudo sits still and silent for a moment to recover, completely ignoring Kowai's attempts to groom him comfortingly, before he sighs. His anger is forgotten as Kowai nuzzles him, its soft voice whispering in his ear.
"Brother, please," it mutters. "No more yelling. You're hurt and stressed and soaking wet and covered in bubbles and..." It whines a bit. "... And it's really disturbing me!" It presses itself against him to snuggle, still whining. "Brother, can we go back to Mama now?"
Sokudo doesn't answer it for a long moment, looking down at the ground far below before muttering in a much softer voice than he previously displayed. "Trust me, I want nothing more than to go back home to Mom. But she's right... I need to keep my promises..."
"But..." Kowai starts, clearly starting to get upset itself. "But why promise anything to that other Shedinja? I'm the only Shedinja that matters enough to make promises to!" It's obviously jealous of this whole 'promise' thing, although it knows it shouldn't be. Sokudo clearly likes it better than Loren... right?
"As if I had a choice!" Sokudo hisses, stepping away from Kowai's cuddle to rant. "It's always the same with you stupid empty shells, giving me ultimatums instead of actual choices! I can't believe I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with jackasses like this! Honestly! And what's worse is that I actually have to respect this thing. At least for you, I don't have to give even an ounce of respect!" He snarls before he trails off at Kowai's increased whimpers, twitching his good wing as the little shed cries a bit.
"Brother... I..." It turns away a bit. "Y-You don't have to respect me, I suppose... But... You still do, right...?"
Sokudo glares at his brother, not liking the tiny little spark of guilt it's eliciting, and he rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. "... A little, I guess... Still don't like your ass, though."
"Oh..." Kowai mutters, not sure how to feel about that. It really shouldn't be surprised, but it still stings. "Well... It's something... I guess..."
"Damn straight it is," Sokudo grumbles, forcing himself to get back to work on scrubbing this statue. Just how much did he get done by now? It's been a couple of hours, and he goes through his activity to find- "GODDAMNIT! WE ONLY GOT 1 FUCKIN' LEG DONE!"
"Brother! Please don't do this again!"
"You would be wise to listen to your brother, young Ninjask," a familiar voice from behind states, startling both insects. Jolting around, Kowai snarls and hisses, uneasy at how the other Shedinja was able to sneak up on them even when it had all its senses on alert. It wonders how Loren managed to pull that off...
Sokudo meanwhile keeps a claw hooked on his brother's wing, keeping it restrained just in case, although right now, the idea of letting Kowai loose on this crusty old husk was particularly tempting... "Where the FUCK is the help you promised?!"
The Shedinja turns its blank eyes at him, its voice firm. "Your help will arrive in due time. Right now, I'm speaking to you about your unnecessary outbursts. While I may understand your frustrations, the rest of my village is growing thin on patience," -At this, Sokudo has to clamp his mandibles firmly shut over his mouth to keep from saying how the rest of the village can go fuck themselves- "I insist you keep your voice down and the same goes for your brother."
Kowai mimics the sound of a scoff, for unlike its brother, it doesn't feel the need to show fake tolerance and decency. "You can't tell me what to do! You're not my brother, or my Mama! You're just here trying to steal Sokudo from me! Well, I won't let you take him away OR order him around! My brother's all distressed because of YOU and I'm not standing for it anymore! So GO AWAY AND LEAVE US ALONE!"
The elder stares at the other Shedinja for a long moment and Sokudo swears he can reach out a claw and actually feel the tensity in the air. He keeps his grip on Kowai's wing instead, not wanting to risk this escalating and causing all sorts of horrible trouble. But thankfully, Loren doesn't seem interested in engaging in a fight and sighs a bit.
"Your devotion to your brother is admirable, young Shedinja," the older Shedinja tells it. "But it's largely misguided. You're mistaken if you feel that I'm out to get your brother, and it seems your hatred is blinding you to reality." Loren pauses as Kowai's snarls increases and the elder clicks in pity. "You must learn to control yourself, young one, and not let your emotions outweigh your rationality. That's one of the main things you must learn to be an efficient ninja and an efficient protector to your family."
Kowai glares at the other Shedinja, its mist writhing in irritation. "Shut up," it hisses. "I don't need you trying to teach me how to be a good brother. You don't even have a brother anymore! I still do, so I MUST be doing good! Better than you, insect."
"You guys do know I'm not just some piece of property, right?" Sokudo interjects, feeling irritated that they're arguing over him like a piece of furniture. "Both of you are assholes, just in different ways. And Kowai," He gives it a yank back and hisses softly at it. "Stop antagonizing it. I don't need us getting banished here."
"That ignorant insect," Kowai growls in response. "He has no power over us, brother. We don't live here and we can come and go as we please, banishment or not."
"You really are gonna get us killed," Sokudo grumbles. "I'm not arguing with you on this. Just do what I say, and back off that stupid husk. Or else-"
"Mr. Loren?" a voice interrupts and they turn to see a Yamask and Drifloon floating towards them. Sokudo feels his brother's wing shake a bit when it spotted the duo and Sokudo himself is plenty startled by their presence.
"Yams? Luft?" he questions, wondering what the hell they're doing here before remembering that they're Rescuers and... "Ah, fuck, are you our help?"
"You know each other," Loren states, glancing back and forth between them. "So we can save the introductions then. I trust your teams get along?"
"Kinda," Sokudo grumbles.
"Yeah," Yams mutters.
"Uh," Luft drawls uncertainly.
"No." Kowai finishes much more confidently, glaring at Yams specifically. The Yamask averts her gaze, trying to hold back the tears threatening to fall, and she hugs her mask a bit. She feels Luft's string pat her back, the balloon keeping his eyes on the demented husk uneasily. He doesn't at all feel safe with this whole thing, but when Mr. Loren began asking around for volunteers to help a Ninjask and Shedinja, Yams insisted that they go for it. He was hesitant, of course, given his past experience with Kowai trying to murder him several times, but he nonetheless gave his best friend his support.
He hopes it won't backfire on them...
Loren is silent as it looks back and forth between them, before clicking softly. "Very well, then. I shall leave you all to your work," It turns to Sokudo, whom is muttering sourly under his breath even as Kowai pushes itself against his chest as if to shield him from everyone present. "Remember what I said earlier, young Ninjask. Keep your voice down."
"Yeah, yeah, you fuckin' piece of..." the rest becomes incomprehensible as he continues to mutter, his body visibly relaxing as Loren leaves the scene. Sighing, he notices his brother's far from relaxed as it stares at the Rescuer duo. Taking a breath, he hooks a claw onto its wing once more. "Kowai, I need you to keep calm and-"
"Why do you keep coming back...?" Kowai interrupts in a whisper, its words so soft it's almost lost completely. "I told you I have enough pain, but you just keep coming back..." It hisses softly. "And you brought the balloon too. As if knowing I would need someone to take it all out on. And here I thought you two were friends."
"Kowai, please," Yams whispers back, trying to take some solace in Luft's gentle pats. "I just thought... When Mr. Loren was giving us our jobs, he mentioned how you guys might need help and..." She hugs her mask tighter. "And I just thought I'd lend a hand and-"
"WELL, WE DON'T NEED YOUR HELP SO GO AWAY!" Kowai interrupts with a screech, causing its brother to cringe back with a cry. The Ninjask shakes his head to rid the ringing in his ears before glaring at his shed.
"Kowai, I know it's fuckin' impossible for you to do but shut the fuck up!" he hisses at it. "Last thing we need is that stupidass Loren coming back here! Plus, we do need their help so just get over what happened and-"
"Easy for you to say, brother," Kowai hisses softly, a note of hurt in its voice despite its anger. "The whole thing was your fault..."
Sokudo hesitates at this, not liking the sharp feeling of guilt returning in his chest. Stupid bug shell seemed to be getting a lot of this guilt and pity out of him lately, and he doesn't like it. But he can't get himself to yell at it right now, understanding its feelings and not wanting it to get worse... Taking a breath and clearing his throat, he averts his eyes a bit and mutters under his breath. "I already told you that I'm sorry..."
Kowai glances at him silently, its shudders beginning to die down. "I... I know..." It turns away a bit, its voice reducing into whispers. "It still hurts... I don't want to work with her, brother... Please don't make me work with her..."
Sokudo pauses, remembering back when Kowai and Yams were dating, how enthusiastic the little shed was to have her working with them during that fateful Task. He can't recall it ever being that happy since! And now... He gives a slow breath and looks over to Yams and Luft. "Alright, here's how things are going down..."
"Brother!"
"You two," He points a claw at the ghost duo, ignoring his brother's objections. "Start cleaning the other side of the statue. Kowai and I will stick to this side. Then we'll move onto the head and you can clean on the abdomen. That way, we can still work together without actually working together."
"Sokudo..." Yams starts, looking at him as if wanting him to do something more about the situation. She wants to re-establish the bond between her and Kowai and she feels that this won't help at all. But at the same time, she knows that the Ninjask is just trying to keep the peace and keep Loren satisfied. So when he gives her a firm look, she relents and floats to the other side of the statue, Luft looking back and forth before following her.
Turning back to Kowai, Sokudo endures its cuddle for about half a minute to let it calm before picking up his sponge. Kowai forces itself to pull together and offers its sibling the water bucket, trying to ignore the fact that the source of its heartbreak is just on the other side of this stone behemoth...
"WHY DOES IT ALWAYS HAVE TO BE ME?!"
At this point, Luft is pretty sure that Arceus hates him.
Around and around the statue he flies as fast as he can, Kowai at his tail and Yams on Kowai's tail, with Sokudo forced to stay perched on the statue yelling curses at the top of his lungs. The little balloon doesn't even know what he did wrong this time, as he was just doing his job! He had finished cleaning the statue's lower leg and was about to start on the abdomen's feeler when Kowai exploded right out of nowhere. He can only assume that he must've crossed an imaginary line Kowai has set between them...
And what's worse about it this time: he knows Yams can't save him.
"KOWAI, PLEASE DON'T HURT LUFT, PLEASE!" she screams, well aware that it'll be extremely dangerous for her to do much else but fly after the husk and beg for her friend's life. But it's proving to be quite a useless method with Kowai so fueled with rage that it's not even acknowledging its brother and she knows she has no choice but to do more. I'm sorry, Luft... Gaining on the shed with every bit of speed she has, she reaches out and manages to grab hold of Kowai's wing...
Kowai freezes immediately, its angry shrieks cutting off into an abrupt, thick, and suffocating silence. Even the previous writhing of its black mist falls still. The husk turns to her slowly, and Yams feels her heart stop when she sees an ominous red glow from within the Shedinja's hollow eyes.
"You impudent little girl..." it hisses darkly.
"Kowai..." she starts, her body shivering in pure terror, convinced her life is over. And that conviction only gets stronger when black mist flows heavily from its jagged mouth.
"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME, YOU WRETCHED LITTLE BITCH!" It lunges for her and Yams just barely manages to jolt away, Kowai's bite only nicking her. Turning tail, she flies as fast as she can, practically feeling Kowai give chase. She's going as fast as she can, but with her kind being the slower species, Kowai is easily starting to gain on her. She's gonna die, for real this time, and she knows she won't get a third chance to stay in this Mortal World. Well, at least she'll die protecting her best friend...
"YAMS!" Luft's voice sounds so far away, although the Drifloon is closing distance fast. He had to do something, as this whole thing was somehow his fault, with whatever it was he did to anger the Shedinja. Yams didn't deserve being torn into pieces... As much as he hated doing it, it needs to be done. Forming a Shadow Ball, he aims at Kowai and launches it.
Catching sight of the attack racing towards it, Kowai automatically puts up a Protect and the Shadow Ball disintegrates on contact. Snarling, it continues to ignore its brother's shouts to stop as it lunges for the Drifloon. Luft dodges the Bug Bite, flying back in an attempt to lure the demented husk from his friend. The Shedinja hisses as it forms its own Shadow Ball, larger than it has a right to be.
"... Oh boy..." are the only words to come out of Luft's tiny mouth, and he braces himself to dodge when the husk launches the deadly ball of energy. Throwing himself out of the way, he didn't even think of the repercussions as the Shadow Ball's trajectory is now leading it straight towards the statue's head and...
"BROTHER!" Kowai screeches in utter panic as Sokudo curses in the same panic and scrambles towards one of the Ariados' legs, towards safety... But without the use of his wings, he isn't fast enough and the Shadow Ball hits the side of his abdomen as it impacts against the statue's face, blowing off chunks of rock and throwing him off towards the ground. Kowai cries out as it hurls itself after him as fast as it can, not even thinking as it latches onto its brother and takes the brunt of the impact as they hit the ground.
"KOWAI, LOOK OUT!" comes Yams' scream and the dazed Shedinja barely snaps out of it in time to see the rocks falling towards them. Gathering itself quickly, it lays on top of its brother's back and puts up a Protect, hoping it'll be strong enough to take it and ready to sacrifice itself if it didn't. The rocks collide with the barrier, piling on until the two bugs vanish from sight. It takes a few seconds, but everything calms down as the last of the rocks and dirt settle. But nobody is relieved as Yams, Luft, and several of the witnessing residents make no hesitation in dashing over to the pile and pushing the rocks out of the way, hoping they won't see flattened bugs at the bottom...
Luckily, they reach the Protect's barrier and they hastily removed the rocks from it, sighting Kowai still draped over its sibling with its face buried into his neck and its black mist wrapped around him. Sensing the weight being removed, Kowai doesn't budge as it allows the barrier to fade, shuddering a bit. No more do Yams and Luft even exist in its mind; not even the presence of so many strangers around it could register. Its brother is the only thing that it can really focus on. That, and the sheer terror racing through its hollow body.
It hurt its brother...
Sokudo isn't moving, stunned, and Kowai nudges and nuzzles him, already beginning to cry and choking out its words in a rush. "Brother, please... I didn't mean to! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to! PLEASE!"
The Ninjask doesn't respond for a moment, his body still trying to comprehend what just happened, before he begins coughing rather violently. Kowai stays by him, cuddling, nuzzling, licking, hoping to everything that things won't be as bad as it thinks. Sokudo continues to cough for a while, ignoring his brother's tending as he struggles to catch his breath. Give him a few more minutes and he gives a soft groan as he shakily gets to his claws, holding in a cry as terrible pain shoots from both his injured wing and his abdomen. "Fuck..." He casts a glare down his body, making out burns left from Shadow Ball and bruises from the ground's unforgiving impact. He knew he came out lucky, but... "... Kowai..."
"Brother, I'm sorry! It was an accident!" it cries desperately. "I didn't mean t-"
"Kowai..." Sokudo grunts, cutting off his brother's panicked ramble. Kowai whimpers at its brother's toneless voice, knowing things aren't going to be good and it wishes to anything and everything that its Ninjask will forgive it. But forgiveness isn't what it gets as its brother turns to it. "I made you promise not to hurt me..."
"Brother-"
"I made you promise not to attack anyone without my permission,"
"Please, broth-"
"Shut the hell up, Kowai," Sokudo growls, shivering in pain and building anger as he glares heatedly at his brother. "I yelled at you again and again to leave that fuckin' Drifloon be, but you chose to ignore me..." His claws begin to dig into the earth. "Preferring instead to BLOW ME THE FUCK UP!"
"No! Brother... I... It was an accident, I SWEAR!" it pleads, practically grovelling at its brother's claws, burying its face into the grass and dirt. "You have to believe me! It was an accident! I didn't mean to hurt you! I-"
"Shut. Up." Sokudo continues, Kowai's pathetic public display angering him even more. "I gave you enough chances to fix yourself, and I have enough of your bullshit! I could've fuckin' DIED just now, because of YOU! AGAIN! EVERYTHING BAD THAT EVER SEEMS TO HAPPEN IS ALWAYS BECAUSE OF YOU!" He pulls his claw from the dirt so violently as to make a slash, earning a flinch from everyone. "I'm serious this time: Kowai, get out of my sight, get out of my home, get out of my family and get out of my LIFE!"
He shakily backs away, still unsteady on his claws, but his glare never faltering despite his brother's cries. Ignoring the crowd around them and ignoring the thought of his parents in his mind, he speaks his next words with particular venom.
"And this time, don't you DARE come back!"