Disclaimer: I own nothing here.

Peacekeepers

AN: Even though I do my best with character descriptions, I realize it is not my strength, so I recommend googling characters as they are introduced. On the other hand, I get the feeling this isn't very important to most readers, so I'm not gonna stress over it...

Chapter Twelve - Pretense

Reflecting the light of the full moon, a Noctowl's shining eyes peered out from the darkness, watchful as a group of humans and Pokémon passed by.

Aaron continued to lead the way, heading straight for the army camp just ahead.

Just as he had warned, they hadn't managed to reach the camp before darkness fell, which meant everyone was once again exhausted and cold. It seemed like the closer they got to the mountains, the colder it got, and although there's wasn't any snow coming down at the moment, it felt as though it could start falling at any time.

To make matters worse, just reaching the camp was not the end of their day. They were still expected to meet with the lord and receive his permission to stay and accept the tedious hospitality that went along with it.

Cynthia was torn. On one hand, she was so tired that she wished they could just setup their own tiny camp on the spot, stalling all the formal rigmarole for tomorrow. On the other, she was feeling exceedingly desperate for a warm bath and some actual, substantial food. She suspected Steven was dealing with the same quandary, judging by his furrowed brows.

In the end though, it wasn't up to them, as Aaron had already made it clear that time was not on their side and that they needed to meet with Kenshin immediately.

Before reaching the main gate, he turned to the pair with a sympathetic look. "I know you're both tired, but I ask that you hold out a little while longer. Once the initial introductions are over, and possibly after dinner, you'll be able to rest up until sometime tomorrow."

Not having the energy to argue or complain, Steven and Cynthia simply nodded dully. Aaron started to turn around only to stop and scrutinize them carefully. "And... need I remind you that you're married?"

The pair blinked at him in something of a dazed stupor before turning to each other and remembering the act they were meant to portray. Steven immediately held out his arm and dipped his head respectfully, while Cynthia breathed a weary sigh but took to his arm without a fuss, idly appreciating the warmth he provided.

"I sincerely hope I don't have to do a lot of talking," she grumbled with a frown. Her mind felt so sluggish and foggy from a lack of calories and rest that she didn't think she could hold a conversation for very long even if she wanted to.

Steven apparently felt the same way as he nodded in agreement. "You shouldn't need to," Aaron replied as he continued toward the gate. "You both are simply being introduced as my students, so remaining silent and respectful should suffice for now."

The camp itself was partially surrounded by a crude barrier made of logs, while the "gates" were simply gaps between the walls with guards stationed there. Countless white tents loomed inside, with the orange glow of many campfires flickering throughout the enclosure.

"State your business strangers," one of the guards called out and stepped forward with his hand on the hilt of his sword in an obvious warning.

"Peacekeepers," Aaron called back clearly and held out his staff, as if doing so were proof of his claim. "Sent by Lord Shingen of Terrera."

"Very well," the guard replied and visibly relaxed. "We received a messenger Pidgey some days ago concerning your arrival. You're late."

"Yes, there were delays."

The guard nodded understandably but then scrutinized the two champions and their four Pokémon uneasily. "You have quite the entourage for a peacekeeper..."

"My students," Aaron answered calmly, as if expecting such interrogations. "In this time of crisis, more ambassadors are needed."

The guard thought silently for a moment, clearly nervous about letting such a big group in at night. "Very well, but you will be escorted directly to Lord Kenshin." He turned and led the way into the camp, nodding to his fellow guard to stay put.

It was fairly quiet as they made their way through the camp, with just a dull hum of voices as they passed one campfire circled by soldiers after another. Numerous, curious eyes wandered their way but no one moved to question them since their escort marched towards the lord's tent with a deliberate pace; doubtless, no one wanted to incur the wrath of their lord for interfering with a guest.

Upon reaching the lord's massive tent -the only one with a torchlight and a guard on either side of the entrance- they were made to wait as their escort entered to announce their arrival. A moment later, he ushered them in through the heavy tent flaps, while their four Pokémon either whined or grumbled about being left outside again.

The interior was very similar to the previous lord's tent, spacious and lavishly furnished with a large dais for the lord and numerous pillows and small tables on the floor for guests.

Sitting in three chairs atop the dais was presumably Kenshin in the middle, a woman on his left and a man on his right, with what appeared to be a chess board between the two men.

"My Lord Kenshin, I present the ambassadors from Terrera," the guard announced with a bow before backing away and leaving altogether to return to his post.

"Sir Aaron, I presume?" Kenshin questioned as he intently leaned forward on his throne. His eyes were dark and calculating, while his head was completely covered with a white headdress. His attire was much less intimidating than Shingen's had been, a blend of white and black with blue highlights.

As Aaron confirmed and introduced the group, Cynthia's gaze wandered to the other two on the dais. She guessed the woman on Kenshin's left was his wife, being dressed in a traditional kimono with the same colors as him. Her dark hair was long and draped around her shoulders, while her sky blue eyes held a gentle focus.

The man on Kenshin's right had a stern look about him, with equally dark hair and eyes, his armor and clothing a contrasting white and red.

After Aaron had finished his introduction and Kenshin began his, Cynthia was surprised to hear that Aya, the woman beside him was actually his sister. While the man beside him, Kanetsugu was his highest ranking vassal.

It wasn't until after all the introductions that three Pokémon silently moved into view from behind the dais to stand beside their presumed masters; a Gallade to Kenshin, a Cubchoo to Aya, and a Gardevoir to Kanetsugu.

"If I may, Your Lordship," Aaron started respectfully. "My students and I are very tired. Might we discuss our official business over dinner?"

"Yes, of course," Kenshin replied and nodded to his sister. "Aya, please see to their comfort."

"At once, dear brother," Aya said as she stood and clapped her hands twice, causing a pair of attendants to appear from another entrance. "Oh, you poor thing," she said to Cynthia when she approached and stopped to regard her sympathetically. "You look like you've been dragged all over the countryside!"

To elicit such a comment, Cynthia realized she must look about as haggard as she felt. It was also at that point she noticed how much she was leaning on Steven, feeling as though she might actually fall over without his support. To his credit, he bore her weight without a word, despite being as tired as her.

He really didn't deserve the mild, yet pointed criticism Aya aimed his way. "Are you not her husband? Is it not your duty to see to the needs of your wife?"

"Huh? Well I- That is..." Steven's reply stalled awkwardly, his own fatigued mind clearly caught off guard by the sudden questioning. It didn't seem fair to harp on him when he was dealing with the same issues as her.

"He does his best," Cynthia cut in with a polite smile, somehow remembering Aaron's advice to be respectful. "Circumstances have been... trying."

"Oh I see," Aya replied with a genial smile, letting the matter slide. "In that case, let's get you all cleaned up so you can eat and get some rest." She led the way out of the tent with her two attendants, a man and woman, right behind her.

Once outside she regarded Aaron and Steven apologetically. "I'm sorry to say, but you two will have to use the community sauna to wash up." She then turned to Cynthia. "I can, however, offer the young lady the use of my private bath."

It sounded like they would be splitting up for awhile, which was fine with Cynthia, since an actual bath sounded a thousand times better than a sauna. She was about to let go of Steven's arm but his other hand moved to stop her, his suspicious gaze shifting from Aya to Aaron.

"Aaron?" His tone suggested he did not like the idea of splitting up in unknown territory, which made Cynthia realize she had nearly just walked off with a stranger without a second thought.

Aaron's expression was thoughtful at first, as if he were assessing things with his Aura before nodding reassuringly. "It's fine. She will be safe in Lady Aya's care."

"Oho? Protective are we?" Aya's eyes squeezed into a genuine smile at Steven. "Perhaps I misspoke about you earlier." Not waiting for him to respond, she instructed her male attendant to show the men to the sauna and her female attendant to run ahead and prepare the bath. "Your Pokémon may stay here if you wish, as you will be returning for dinner with My Lord."

Steven still seemed reluctant to let her go, but he at least pulled his other hand away and met her gaze, clearly still dubious. "At least take Togekiss with you?" After a brief glance at Garchomp and her Munna situation, he probably determined that the dragon wasn't in the mood to move around any more than she had to.

Cynthia nodded slowly in response, somewhat fascinated with his genuine concern, the line between their facade and reality suddenly blurred. On one hand, she found his worry endearing, though on the other she wanted him to know that she could protect herself just fine.

Or so she thought, before she detached from his arm and felt herself sway a little without his sturdy support. When he instinctively reached to steady her, she raised her hands stubbornly to stop him and managed to right herself through sheer determination. "I'm fine, really." Though as she thought about it, she suddenly wished dinner was happening before bathing. At this rate she was sure to pass out between the two somewhere.

She couldn't tell him that though, so instead she offered him a reassuring smile while his wary arms still hovered close to hers without touching. He too, seemed to be lost somewhere between their act and his natural concern, making Cynthia think she should give him some kind of reminder.

"Steven dear," she said with a sickly sweet inflection, an obvious warning to anyone that heard it. "You are between me and my bath time, which you should know is a very dangerous position." When he only seemed to blink back at her in a daze, she opted to touch his chin with one hand to snap him out of it.

Admittedly, her touch didn't seem to help. In fact, he seemed worse for it, with his mouth parted slightly as if he wanted to reply but couldn't. Is he that worried about losing track of me? Cynthia wondered silently.

Honestly, she couldn't fault him for feeling that way since they had lost Celebi practically as soon as they arrived here. Still, nothing she was doing was working and a quick glance at Aaron and Lucario told her they were simply standing there along with Aya, watching with what appeared to be patient, quiet amusement.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious and a sense of urgency, Cynthia moved her hand to brush at his soft, messy bangs, remember how the gesture had worked the last time he was in a daze. Admittedly though, she found herself momentarily distracted with the impulse to run her fingers through the rest of his glacial mane and just barely managing to resist the notion.

"Hey!" she snapped a little sharply, both at him and partially to herself. Pull it together man! she wanted to yap but instead chose to add pointedly, "I'll be fine. Really."

Whether it was her touch or her voice, her efforts finally snapped him back from whatever mental fog he had gotten lost in. His eyes seemed to immediately focus with a new clarity and Cynthia could instantly see that he was back in the game. "Right, of course." He reached up to take her hand from his temple, where she had allowed it to linger a little too long, to place a feather light kiss over her knuckles. "Then I shall endure your absence, however short it may be."

You're laying it on a little thick! She wanted to yowl at him, surprised by his gesture despite the act they were meant to play. She wondered about his self proclaimed boundaries, but guessed that he allowed himself this one exception because she had already been touching him. Honestly, his rules were becoming hard to keep track of.

Regardless of her thoughts on his obvious attempt at referencing some cheesy theater piece, she decided to humor him, trying not to get distracted by the residual feeling of his lips on her hand. "I have faith that you will survive," she managed with a humorous smile, her heart rate shooting up, not having realized how close they had gradually drawn to each other.

Briefly, Steven's ice-blue eyes changed; a strange, glinting excitement filled them, and made her catch her breath.

He straightened abruptly and graciously released her hand. "Stay safe, my dear," he said and stepped away to join Aaron.

Puzzled and perplexed, feeling as if she'd glimpsed something important, only to have it disappear, Cynthia turned to see Aya eyeing her carefully.

"You two haven't been married very long, have you?" The other woman's eyes were practically dancing with mirth.

Steven cleared his throat awkwardly in response as the attendant led him and Aaron away, while Cynthia fought off the heat crawling up neck. "Is it that obvious?" She thought they had been playing their parts rather well...

"Hmm." Aya smiled with a dainty laugh before leading the way to her private quarters.

Cynthia followed slowly, her gaze drifting back to Steven as they were both led in opposite directions, wondering at what was going on inside his head.

/o/o/o/ Bonus scene:

Aggron: (grumble) Stuck outside in the cold again...

Garchomp: (growl) Well at least you don't have three huge fleas attached to you!

Togekiss: Aww, come on Gar, that's a little harsh...

Garchomp: (hiss) I'll say it again. If you like them, then you take them!

Skarmory: (scoff) I think maybe you actually do like the runts but you act like you don't in order to portray some sort of tough image and hide whatever might seem like weakness.

...Silence...

Garchomp: (seethes with flames igniting between her teeth) I think I know your weakness!