"Sunshine, PLEASE! Your father needs rest! He's been through a lot!"

"Papa's slept plenty! He's gotta get up now! Come on Papa, wake up!" The soft, whiny voice of his kit reached his ears. Followed by multiple soft slaps from tiny paws against his face.

"Sunshine! Let him sleep! He'll wake up when he's ready to, I promise!" His ear twitched at the soft voice of the Leafeon beside him, hearing her shuffling to try and grab the small Eevee, who gracelessly flopped out of her reach, continuing her assault upon his face. Rolling his eyes beneath their lids the Glaceon began to creep his paw slowly up behind where he felt the Eevee atop him.

"Papa needs to wake up, Aunt Juju! He's slept enough! He needs to wake up and show us he's ok!"

"Sunshine, I didn't end up in this bed by myself, Lumi and Kaguya must have done it together. Which means he IS awake, he's just resting. Now please!" Juniper was trying her best to quell the kit's worries, but she seemed to not be listening.

"Papa needs to wake up! You're worried too, Aunt Juju! We both spent ages crying! He needs to- WAAAAHHH!" The little Eevee shrieked as she was knocked onto her back, frantically she glanced around, only to begin giggling and squealing as her fathers paw tickled her belly. "N-NOOOO! PAPA, STOOOOOOP! T-THAT'S NOT FAAAAAAIIIIR!" The kit whined, kicking her legs around to try and remove the offending paw. On his opposite side, Kaguya felt Lumi jolt in fright at the sudden shriek, her body tensing against him almost protectively before she relaxed.

"Nnnnghhh... Well that's one way to say 'good morning', I suppose..." The sleepy fox grumbled, rubbing her eyes as she sat up right. Seeing the scene beside her, she rolled her eyes with a soft smile. Kaguya opened his eyes, scooping his daughter up into his arms as he nuzzled her lovingly.

"Hey there, Sweetpea... I'm so sorry, I can't begin to imagine how worried you were. Are you alright?" The Eevee purred, nuzzling under her father's chin as she wrapped her tiny paws around him the best she could.

"Papa! You're awake! Are you ok? You're you, right?!" The Glaceon flinched at the last question, before tightening his grip around her.

"I'm me, baby... Papa's himself... I promise. It's me in charge again... and I don't intend to let... whatever else is in my mind come back for a long time." Juniper wrapped her paws around the boy tightly, rubbing her cheek against his as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You had us all so worried...! When Lumi came back and told us about-" Juniper flinched and looked away, almost ashamed of knowing about them. "...Your scars. And that you'd been... hurt, in the past. Badly. Everyone was so scared! We were worried you wouldn't... be you when you woke up..."

The Glaceon nuzzled the younger grass types cheek, chuckling softly. "It's alright, Juniper. I know what you mean. I... rarely remember things from outbursts like this. It's all just... blank. It's like there's something else in my head that takes over when I lose my temper. And those memories are locked away with it when I wake back up. Or maybe it's just a coping mechanism to come to terms with... what happens to those around me when I get like that..." The ice type grimaced at the thought

"I was just... so scared that you were really hurt. We all were! Lumi-"

"Stayed up until 3AM waiting to see if he would wake up. He knows, we spoke this morning. I felt really bad about it... you guys wanted to see him wake up too, but exhaustion won out." The vixen mumbled as she stretched out, willing away the last vestiges of sleep. "I'm gonna go grab a drink, anybody want one?" Murmurs of answers met her question as she headed off to find them all something to wake up with.

"Kaguya, are you certain you're not hurt? Please, if there's anything, let me know so I can go get a doctor and-"

"There's no need to worry so much, Juniper. I wasn't even scratched. From what I heard from Lumi, the first one I... dealt with was their leader. And after that, they were all just too afraid to fight back. I'm ok. It was just my emotions getting the better of me. It's... hard to control, but I'm trying." Juniper's ears flattened as she looked at the young man. Gulping down her fear, she tentatively asked her next question.

"...Is it true...? Were you... tortured in the past?" The Glaceon's eyes turned sharp as he glanced up at her, narrowing them dangerously.

"That's not your business. You don't need to know about that." His words were biting and cold. Realising who just who he was snapping at, his expression softened, and he wrapped the girl in a tight hug, adding. "I don't want to burden you with my problems, Juniper... they're mine, and mine alone to deal with. I'm not forcing them on anyone else."

She returned his embrace, almost eagerly, as she spoke. "But it's not forcing it on me if I'm the one asking. I- WE all want to help you, Kaguya. But you have to let us... please?" The Leafeon pressed her forehead against the boys, making him look into her eyes as she pleaded.

"I can't, Juniper. I... just can't. It's personal. Really personal. I'm sorry..." Juniper smiled sadly, shaking her head.

"No, I am... I can't just try and force you to tell me things you're not ready to share yet... I just... I hate seeing knowing how hurt you are and not being able to even try and help."

"But you do help, Juniper. You and Lumi both. You're the first people in a very long time I've allowed myself to trust. And I'm trying to with my teammates too. Just you both being there is enough for me. So don't worry so much, I'll be-" The rest of the Glaceon's speech was cut off when the Leafeon suddenly closed the gap between them, pressing her lips against his softly.

Kaguya was completely stunned and had no idea of what he should be doing in this moment. 'Both Lumi and Juniper? But why? What's going on here?'

The happy squealing of the Eevee between the two of them caught their attention.

The sound of shattering ceramic caught it more.

Juniper pulled away quickly, blushing bright red as she turned to the doorway, where a thoroughly startled Alolan Vulpix stood gawking at the two of the. "L-Lumi! It's not what it looks like!" Sunshine chose a perfect moment to pipe up.

"Papa, Papa! Does this mean Aunt Juju is my Mama now?!" The kit squealed happily, causing the bewildered vixen to glare at the Glaceon.

"N-no, Sunshine. Juniper isn't your Mama. That's... not how that kinda thing works, Sweetpea..." Kaguya turned away from Lumi's glare, clearly feeling uncomfortable with it.

"W-well, uhm. I'd better go and grab another drink for Kaguya... and something to sweep up this mug, I guess..." Lumi left the room quickly, followed even quicker by Juniper, who had perked up before rushing off after her friend.

"I'll go with you! Yes, that sounds. Um. Great!" The clearly flustered grass type was clearly just looking for an excuse to get out of the room. Lumi was confused when Juniper began to trot beside her.

"Oh, not staying with Kaguya? I'd have thought you'd have wanted to sneak another kiss~?" A whine escaped the Leafeon beside her.

"That's not funny, Lumi! It wasn't what it looked like, I swear it! I just- He was being so sweet, and I wanted him to feel better and in the moment I just... acted. We're not-"

"Do you like him?" The question was simple, but it baffled her nonetheless.

"I- What?" Juniper tilted her head, looking to her friend.

"Do you like him? I mean, really like him?" The Leafeon blushed, looking away from the vixen's gaze.

"...Is it really that obvious...?" The icy fox was doing her best to hide it, but she was upset. Very upset. It had been a long time since a male had caught her attention in any meaningful way. And here was her best friend competing with her for that male. How could she break Juniper's heart just to get what she wanted?

"Well... I could always speak to him? Learn what he thinks about you?" Juniper perked up slightly.

"You'd... do that for me...?" Why did it hurt to see her smiling?

"Of course! We're best friends, right?" Why did it hurt so badly?"


"What do you mean I won't be punished for it?! I hurt Elias and Cass! How can I be let off so easily?!" Juniper and Lumi shared a worried look before rushing back into the secluded room, finding the Glaceon angrily glaring at the Guildmaster. Sunshine was nowhere in sight, worrying the Vulpix further.

"After careful consideration among the Guild officials, we found it would be unjust to punish you too severely, given the... circumstances under which the incident occurred-"

"Circumstances?! You think THIS-" The Glaceon raised his paws up, showing off the badly scarred appendages "-Makes it alright for me to have hurt my own teammates?!" The Golisopod nodded sagely.

"No, but that was not the deciding factor. After all. Scars are not only physical, are they, young man?" A scowl was his answer, as the icy Eeveelution turned his gaze away.

"That's no excuse... I shouldn't have lost my cool in the first place! I shouldn't-"

"And yet, you did. The memories, the stress of the situation, the overall manner in which that confrontation too place. It all became too much for your already damaged psyche to handle. We ran the recollection given by your teammates past psychologists through the night, and they all agree. You suffered an intense psychological breakdown. You were not sound of mind in that moment, not altogether there. How can we rightfully place punishment upon you when you weren't even present at the site of the battle? You were somewhere far, far away. In another time, another place. And in that somewhere, your only choice was to fight. Am I correct?"

"..." Kaguya's scowl deepened, his ears folding back in shame and anger.

"As you have no actual injuries of your own, I'm giving a direct order. You are to return home and spend the next 3 days recovering. You are not to be within the Guildhall until those 3 days have passed. Do I make myself clear? We will decide how to proceed from there with regards to your... illness. However, I must let it be known that nobody thinks any less of you for it. You have... suffered greatly, and while we may not know the full details, we can all see how badly it affects you. Lumi has informed me of your reluctance to grow close to those around you. Almost as if you are afraid of the thought they might hurt you also?"

"Don't pretend you know me. You're lucky, you've never been through the hell I had to endure to earn these scars. You all act like goodwill and camaraderie will solve everything. That making friends will 'fix' me? Don't make me laugh." Lumi was taken aback by the almost venomous words the Glaceon spat between gritted fangs. Had he always felt this way? His gaze met hers, and she could see it. The tears he was fighting to hold back.

"You make it sound so easy. To trust people again. When trust is what earned me my scars. Physical and otherwise..."

Lorenz shook his head slowly. "No, you are correct. I could never understand, because I've never had anything like that happen to me. And I am sorry that it did happen to you. But bottling it up, holding it all on your shoulders alone? That anger, that pain, that sadness? It will grow. It will fester. And these attacks of yours will keep happening. You need to open yourself up, young Kaguya. There are people around you reaching out to you. I know it will be hard, but you need to reach back... let them help you. Let them understand." The Glaceon stood from the bed, turning away from the Guildmaster.

"I'm going home. I've got an order to follow, don't I? I don't want to burden anyone further. I'll be back in 3 days, like you asked of me." The ice type marched out of the room, doing his best to ignore the worried gaze of both Juniper and Lumi. A deep sigh rumbled in the back of the Golisopod's throat.

"Adel was worried this might be the case... that he might choose to lash out instead of to reach out. She warned me he may not take too kindly to my suggestions. Who could hurt somebody so much? What did they stand to gain, and are they happy with themselves now the deed is done?" The old Pokemon scoffed, turning towards the two.

"Ah, I'm sorry you both had to see that. I'd merely hoped-" Lumi cut the Guildmaster off.

"He's really scared of it, isn't he? The thought of being close to people again?" Juniper could hear the pain in her friends voice at just asking.

"I'm afraid it would seem so. I know it's not my place to ask this of you, but he cares deeply for the both of you. You two seem to be the only ones aside his daughter he truly does seem to. So I would ask of you both, please. Look out for him? He needs to know he's not alone anymore, that he can share that burden with others."

"I'll do it." Lumi didn't hesitate. She'd already planned to anyway, so she might as well accept it as part of her official job, right?

"I will too! I... can't bear to see him like that..." Juniper nodded her head.

The old Guildmaster smiled, chuckling softly. "Ah, young love. Such a powerful thing, isn't it? However, don't you both have things you need to do today before then? I'd suggest you both get to it, though the day is young, it will pass you by very quickly!" The girls both burned a bright red as the elderly Pokemon passed them laughing to himself.


Juniper looked again in the satchel she now carried, ensuring all her precious cargo was still within. She'd rushed to their family shop, wishing to alleviate her families potential worries about her not returning home last night, only to discover that not only were they not worried about it, they were proud of her for putting the safety and wellbeing of another before herself.

Just thinking of their smiles brought a cozy warmth over her. Knowing they were proud of her had always made her feel this way. To know that she was making her parents happy was all she truly wanted. Or, at least, it was all she'd wanted.

A bright smile flashed into her mind. Cool blue fur, icy blue eyes. A jovial laugh and a playful smirk.

Horrific scars. Burn wounds. A broken heart-

She shook her head violently, chasing away those thoughts. 'Lumi and I are going to help. We're going to do this together. We're going to tear him out of those memories until they're nothing but nightmares that can't hurt him anymore.'

Taking a deep breath, the young Leafeon knocked on the door before her. She wasn't sure how long she'd been holding it off, but she couldn't stand outside his door forever. The soft clinking of metal alerted her to his approach. The door swung open.

"Hel-? Juniper? What brings you here already?" The Glaceon looked baffled as the Leafeon's cheeks began to burn slightly.

"H-hello Kaguya! I, um, wanted to make sure you were alright after... what happened back there. And! My parents asked me to take whatever I wanted from the shop to bring for you and Sunshine! So, um... here." Juniper thrust the small satchel towards the boy, who looked between it and her slowly.

"Well, I've got a better idea... how about you come in and join me and Sunshine for breakfast? We can share those pastries and I'll make us all a nice drink and we can just... relax a little. I need to cool my head a little after exploding like that..." The ice type moved aside, flourishing his paw for his grass type counterpart to enter. Giggling softly, she walked into the young man's home.

"Sunshine! We've got company, come say hello!" The tiny pattering of paws drawing closer, accentuated by a squeal of joy as the young kit ran in front of the Leafeon, wagging her tail like an excited puppy.

"Aunt JuJu! You came to see us already? Yaaaaay! I missed you!" The Glaceon rolled his eyes at his daughters enthusiasm.

"We only saw her about an hour ago, Sweetpea. It's not been that long." The kit wheeled on her father, pouting up at him.

"A whole hour!? That's a very long time!" Sunshine squeaked out as her father nipped the scruff of her neck, picking her up as she flailed and pouted more. "Paaaaapaaaaa! I can walk just fiiiiiine! Lemme goooo!" She whined out as he father marched her into the kitchen area. Juniper giggled as she followed along after the pair.

Setting his young daughter upon her seat, Kaguya went back to making himself a cup of tea. Sunshine already had a small glass of Oran juice to drink at her leisure. His plans for breakfast had changed however. "You wanna set out the pastries, Juniper? I've just gotta make us a drink. Tea or coffee? Any sugar? Milk?"

Juniper beamed up at the Glaceon. "Oh, a tea would be lovely this morning. No sugar, just milk please! And how about you help me pick out something from these your father will like, sweetie?" A small gasp from the Eevee earned a roll of the young man's eyes before the two eagerly began to discuss who would prefer what.

"Oh, oh! I know what Papa likes! He likes stuff with cinnamon and berries! But, I uh... don't really know what cinnamon is... only that Papa really likes it!"

"Cinnamon, hmmm? Well, these are glazed cinnamon swirls, so do you think he'd like those? And berries, what kind of berries in particular?"

"Any! Papa loves fruit and vegetables! I don't like vegetables, they're icky and gross, and don't taste good." The kit pouted again, folding her paws across her chest.

"And if you don't eat them, you won't grow up big and strong young lady. They're good for you." The Glaceon chimed in, and Juniper could practically hear his smirk.

"But Papa! They're gross! How can you eat that stuff!?" The Leafeon couldn't help but giggle before being startled as a mug was placed in front of her.

"There we go, milk tea, no sugar. And don't think this is gonna become a regular thing, Sunshine. We're not going to have pastries for breakfast very often. Juniper's parents kindly offered this as a treat for what happened in that cave, and that's what it will stay. A treat." The Glaceon pointed his gauntleted paw toward his daughter accusingly, who stuck her tongue out at him childishly.

The three sat around the table, chatting aimlessly about whatever came to mind, enjoying the pastries alongside their drinks. However, Juniper began to feel more and more awkward as time went on, until finally she felt the need to speak up.

"Um... Kaguya? About this morning... I'm really sorry! I don't know what came over me, and I shouldn't have done that. It wasn't right of me... I hope you can forgive me?" The Glaceon cocked his head to the side, confused for a moment before he made a small "Oh" sound.

"You mean kissing me outta the blue? Don't worry, it's fine. You're not the only one who's done it, and I already-"

"I'm not the only one? What? Who else, then?" Kaguya blinked, confused.

"You mean Lumi didn't tell you? She kissed me like that before I went down into Shale Depths with Elias and Cass." Juniper suddenly felt very worried.

'All those questions this morning, Lumi... do you also...?'

"Whoa, are you ok? You look really pale all of a sudden. Is everything alright?" The Leafeon jumped slightly, blushing at the boys concern.

"Oh, um. Yes! I'm fine! I was just... thinking." The ice type hummed, leaning back in his chair as he took another sip of his tea.

"Thinking? About something that was clearly worrying you? That's not a good thing to do, Juniper."

"Say, Kaguya? What are your thoughts on Lumi? Your real thoughts?" The Glaceon suddenly coughed and spluttered around a mouthful of tea, patting his chest to get it all out.

"Whoa, that's a sudden question. What's brought that on?!" Kaguya was clearly startled, unsure how to react.

"Please, just answer me? It's important." The Glaceon cast his gaze to the side, rubbing the back of his neck slowly.

"I guess... she's sweet. Really sweet, actually. She's always... so kind to me. Even when I've done nothing to deserve it. Even when my temper causes problems. She looks out for me, and she seems to care a lot about Sunshine. ...And I guess. She's really pretty." The boy suddenly felt very self conscious.

A tiny gasp from the Eevee was heard, followed by excited yipping. "IS PAPA IN LOVE WITH AUNT LULU?!" The kit squealed causing the Glaceon to choke on his tea once again.

"Sunshine! No! That's not how that works, she asked me how I felt and I told her! That doesn't mean I'm in love! And really, Sweetpea? Aunt JuJu and Aunt Lulu?" Juniper couldn't help but giggle at the ridiculousness of it all. She'd gotten so upset over his answer that she'd forgotten she'd asked in the first place.

'At least Lumi will be happy to know this! I should be happy, she's my best friend and I want her happiness... I should be happy, right...?'

"Well, thank you very much for letting me share breakfast with you, Kaguya. But I really need to get back to the shop. My parents will need my help." Kaguya's ears perked, realising she was right.

"Oh, damn I totally forgot about that. I'm sorry for keeping you so long. I guess I'll drop by tomorrow to see you. Gotta see to some stuff around the house and 'rest and recover' I suppose..." The Glaceon scowled, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, I'm not even hurt. What do I need to recover from?"

"Oh, stop your grumbling. You do need rest, Kaguya. So make sure you get it." The two walked to the front door, Kaguya opening it for her.

"Hey, before you go?" Juniper turned, confused before the boy leaned in, kissing her softly upon the lips for a brief moment. "For the record? I think you're very pretty, too. And you don't need to worry about the sudden kiss. Now we're even. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" And with that, the blushing Glaceon closed the door.

'Ugh... why have I let myself fall in love again? And not just with one, but with two Pokemon. Dammit, Kaguya. Way to make things harder on everybody around you.'