Chapter 15 - Farewell

"They have not arrived yet…"

"Troubling indeed…"

Roxy glanced down from the raised walkway at the two Pokémon walking below. Karizu was speaking with a Pikachu she didn't know the name of, but it was clear that both of them were anxious about something.

Roxy sighed. She had lost track of time, but it had to be at least one month and a half into her 'exile', if not much, much more. It had been just over a week since the incident that had shaken her to the core. After a day of recovery, training with Taka had resumed, but that was all. No-one had asked her to join any more expeditions outside of the village. At least, not yet.

She had tried her best to come to terms with what had happened, and she was just now starting to feel okay with herself. The more she, unwillingly, thought back to the incident, the more and more she viewed it as a freak accident. If she had actually been brave enough to fight back against the Houndoom, she knew in her heart that she would not have killed him. She might have fought him off, or perhaps even injured him, but she would have never willingly delivered the final blow. That was a mindset that she felt okay with. It was true that she felt horribly guilty about something she had done and could not change, but it had just been a freak accident. Her kind heart was unblemished.

"Should we…investigate ourselves? Go see what they are doing?"

"I would advise against that…" Karizu said with a contemplative look.

Roxy didn't know what they were talking about, but she kept her ears perked. They had seen her sitting up there, so she wasn't eavesdropping on them.

"On the one paw, we do not have to give anything up…" Karizu spoke, "Yet, on the other paw, this feels like trouble. It makes me nervous."

"What should we do?"

Karizu sighed and rubbed his forehead. The two started walking off, but Roxy heard him say one last thing. "I had a feeling Tazoka was up to something…"

Roxy gasped. Tazoka? That Excadrill that was the leader of the Earth Tribe? Now that she actually thought about it, she did realize that a full moon had passed, and yet the Earth Tribe had not returned. She, and the village as a whole it seemed, had not seen them since Tazoka had dropped by unexpectedly.

But what did that mean? Tazoka had come by and arrogantly demanded food. Roxy actually flinched, as if he could have somehow heard her call him arrogant.

Roxy had questions that she needed answers to. Karizu and that other Pikachu had walked off, and she didn't know where they had gone. Makari was off on patrol, and so that left only one option. She quickly got to her paws and began to swiftly, nimbly make her way down to the ground. She didn't slow down once as she moved.

The intrepid young Pikachu made her way straight to the grove with the big grassy mound in the middle. The Wise Ones had said that she could always come to them with questions, though she hadn't actually needed to take them up on that offer thus far. Makari had always had the answers she'd needed.

Roxy knew the way, so it wasn't long before she arrived. She entered the clearing and looked up at the mound. There was only a single Raichu sitting there, and Roxy inwardly winced. It was Natoka, and she had been hoping that Ozu would be here. She didn't personally have a problem with Natoka, but he could be rather gruff and impersonal.

Suddenly she froze in her tracks. Wait, she thought, Am I supposed to be doing something? What's the protocol here? Am I supposed to bow, or announce myself, or…What had Makari done that first time? Ugh! I can't remember!

"Roxy," Natoka called down from the mound, "What is it?" While somewhat direct, his question hadn't had any hints of annoyance or displeasure, so Roxy let out a quick sigh of relief.

"I, uh…" she said, fumbling a bit with her words, "I just heard Karizu talking about the Earth Tribe…?"

"Ah…" Natoka said, nodding his head in understanding, "I suppose word is spreading." To her mild surprise, he then stood up and walked down off of the mound. He continued forward until he was standing before her, forcing her to tilt her head back slightly to maintain eye contact.

"Can you tell me what's going on?" she asked.

Natoka sighed, though Roxy wasn't sure where his frustrations were lying. "The next full moon is in two days," he explained, "and the Earth Tribe have not shown up for their…'payment' yet. This has never happened before. They are hardly late and are usually, in fact, early."

Roxy paused, but perhaps not for the right reason. The next full moon was only in two days? That meant…she had been in the forest for more than two months at this point. Dear heavens, where had the time gone?

Then she shook her head and put that thought out of her mind. "Well, uh… Is that really a bad thing? Maybe they just forgot, and you won't have to give up as much food?"

"There is a difference between one Pokémon forgetting, and an entire tribe forgetting."

"…Good point."

"No," Natoka continued, "This is troubling news. We fear that they may be…planning something. But, all we can do at this point is be on our guard."

Roxy paled a little. "D'you…um…th-think they're gonna attack us?"

"Unfortunately, it seems logical. They are putting off their food collection in order to formulate a plan of attack…or to throw us off our guard."

"But we- They…" Roxy muttered, feeling her fear begin to grow, "W-we gotta do something then! We…We can't let them attack us…! They- We-"

"Do you not think that we are aware of this fact?"

Roxy stifled a whimper. "Umm…" she murmured as she tried to think. The Earth Tribe planning to attack their village? Roxy had only seen three members of the tribe, and that was enough to make her scared of the whole lot. It had been hard enough to imagine Makari's stories of days past when there was no agreement in place.

"Oh!" She suddenly had an idea. "What if you took them some food? Y'know, they missed their food-getting-appointment, or whatever, so you can bring it to them?"

Natoka paused, then turned and gave her a scrutinizing look. "Why would we do that…?"

"Uh…" Roxy faltered a little under his gaze. "Y'know…t-to show them that the agreement is still there? Let them know that you want peace?"

The Raichu continued to look at her.

"I mean, I know you're not happy with the agreement thing, but it's better than being attacked, so, like…um…You bring them their 'payment' to say, like, 'Hey! We still wanna be in the agreement, and stuff!'"

Natoka twisted his lips and gave her a hard look. "If they do not want their food, then we are going to keep it," he stated.

"But…But that'll just make 'em angry!"

"It was their choice not to come."

Roxy deflated a little. "Natoka! If y'do that, then they're just gonna attack either way! This way, y'know, we might avoid a fight!"

"…"

"We don't know what's going on over there, so….Just, uh…we bring them food…and show them…" She began to trail off, wilting under the stern gaze of the Raichu.

"If only it were that simple," he said simply.

Roxy blinked. "What…?"

"Not everyone in this village is happy with this agreement," he explained, "If the Earth Tribe shows that they do not want their end of the deal, then it should remain with us and be given to those who have truly earned it. To just give up food, unwarranted, like that…it is a sign of weakness that our tribe will not accept."

Now, Roxy was frowning. She glanced over her shoulder nervously, as if she could see the army of angry Ground-types marching through the woods in the distance. "…Isn't staying safe better?"

Natoka sighed, beginning to sound frustrated. "Perhaps in your world, it is."

Roxy gazed down at the ground beneath her feet. "I just think…it's more important to see tomorrow and not today." She paused. "That was something my master used to say. When I was really young, I sometimes didn't think about the consequences of things…So, my master taught me-"

She then jumped in surprise as Natoka suddenly placed his paw on her shoulder. She turned her head up to look him in the eye.

"With respect," he said slowly, "Your 'master' comes from the same pampered world as you. She has not experienced the hardships that lie out here. Her teachings or beliefs or ideas have no place out here."

Roxy just stared at him, jaw hanging open just slightly. She blinked once as she processed what the Raichu had just said. Even as he turned and started walking off, Roxy was still sitting there in disbelief. She didn't know whether to feel depressed or insulted. "Natoka-!" she called after him.

However, they were both distracted by a nearby commotion. They both turned their heads to the left, towards where many voices could be heard shouting indistinctly. Beyond the trees, they could see many Pikachu sprinting quickly on all fours, all seemingly rushing towards the same place.

Neither of them said as word as both turned and started running after them. At first Roxy was confused as to what was going on. Then a jolt of fear suddenly ran up her spine and nearly made her stop in her tracks. Was it the Earth Tribe? Were they attacking?

A few rather speedy Pikachu ran past her, and she tried to hear what they were saying. Everyone sounded worried, but not as if they were in danger. Rather, they sounded more concerned about something. "What-?" she tried to ask a Pikachu that ran by far too quickly.

"Where?" one shouted to his friend.

"He is over this way! At the edge of the village!"

What in the world was going on? It looked like everybody in the whole village was running to the same spot. Villagers were still shouting. A frantic cacophony filled the air.

"What happened?"

"He is hurt! Hurry, he is hurt!"

Now Roxy's fear was replaced by dread. Someone had gotten hurt? Everybody was obviously rushing to the aid of someone who had gotten injured somehow. With this many of the villagers congregating to the same spot, it had to be bad.

But, who was hurt?

Then, mixed in somewhere with all of the other shouting, she picked out one single exclamation. It shot through the air like a bullet directly to her ears, as if it knew how much it needed to be heard.

"Come this way! Hurry! It is Makari!"

A heavy, black dread filled her heart and nearly made her stumble over. She gasped, her breath feeling icy on her throat, as the whole world fell silent and time seemed to slow down. The blood in her veins had been replaced by snow. All she could hear was the loud thumping of her heart.

…Makari?

Suddenly, Roxy was running faster than she had ever run in her whole life. Her paws were a blur as she raced, sprinting past Pikachu who had trained for speed their entire lives. She had no idea where she was going, but she just did her best to follow the general hubbub. Her breathing was heavy and her limbs ached from the stress, but she ignored all of it. All that mattered was running. All that mattered was getting to him.

Finally, she arrived. A short while past where the huts stopped, there was a large crowd of Pokémon collected around a spot in the trees. She rushed straight up to it, relying on instincts she didn't even know she had to avoid the trees. When she reached the group of mostly Pikachu, she got up on her hind legs and started to push her way into the crowd. Roxy aggressively pushed others out of the way with no regard for any of them. Eventually, the crowd started to part and form a path, allowing her to get to the centre of the large circle they had all formed.

Roxy stopped dead in her tracks, gasped loudly in shock, and cupped her paws to her mouth. Her little body trembled as she stared, horrified, at the Pokémon laying on the ground in the centre of the crowd.

Makari was lying on his back. His eyes were closed and he took in very small breaths. Most of his fur had been dirtied and mussed up, as well as tainted light red by all of the blood. He was covered in scratches and gashes from head to toe, but those injuries were nothing compared to what her eyes were locked on. A bunch of large leaves had been placed on his lower torso, just next to his stomach, and they had been painted a deep red colour. There was a huge splatter of dried blood all around the area the leaves were covering up. Roxy realized the leaves were acting as bandages. She couldn't see what they were covering up but she didn't have to. She could just tell how bad the wound was.

"Makari…" she uttered in a breathless voice. She wanted to scream and cry out his name, but it was as if she had been robbed of her breath. She simply stood there for a moment, staring in horror at what had happened to the warrior.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt her energy return. "Makari!" She darted forward and came to a stop seated next to his head. She reached down with her forepaws and gently gripped his chin, tilting his head so that he was facing her. "Makari…?"

He didn't respond.

A few tears fell down and stained his fur. "M-Makari…" she whimpered, "Wake up…!"

"Someone get Miri!" someone in the crowd shouted.

"She is coming!" someone else replied.

Roxy gulped, feeling a fear well up in her that she had never felt before. Makari was breathing, but he wasn't responding and he was covered in so much of, what she assumed to be, his own blood. Glancing up a little, she saw a trail of blood on the ground, cutting through the crowd and leading off into the woods.

"Makari, please…!" she pleaded.

Then, Makari let out a groan. Roxy felt her heart swell with relief. He was waking up! That was a good sign, right? Makari stirred uncomfortably for a moment, his face twisting up in pain, and then he blearily opened his eyes a crack.

"Makari?"

His pupils seemed unfocused at first, but a moment later they found her. A small smile appeared on his lips. "…Roxy," he greeted her.

For a moment, she just looked down at him. She wanted to smile at the fact that he was awake, but she couldn't. The situation was still bad. Pikachu and other villagers were saying and shouting things in the background, but she paid them no mind. All she knew was that Makari was here and he was hurt really, really badly.

"I- Makari, wh…" she muttered, feeling herself tremble as she tried to fight off panic, "Are you okay?" She immediately kicked herself for saying that. Of course he wasn't okay! What kind of question was that?

"I have…been better…" he replied in a coarse voice, keeping that little smile.

A commotion arose in the crowd and they parted once more. Roxy glanced up, and was immediately relieved to see that Miri had arrived. The Audino took one look at what had happened and instantly knelt down next to his 'bandaged' wound.

"Miri!" she shouted in distress, "Y-y'gotta help him! He's…!"

Roxy then watched as Miri carefully peeled back the leaves to see what she was working with. Roxy found that she couldn't tear her eyes off of what the Audino was doing, but soon found herself regretting that fact. There was a huge, grisly gash in Makari's side. It looked like something had bitten him and ripped a bunch of flesh right out, which was probably not far from the truth. Even after the bandaging had stymied the blood flow, tons of the precious red liquid was still leaking out.

Roxy fought the urge to gag, and watched as Miri quickly held both of her forepaws up, palms out and held directly above the wound. They began to shine with a peach-coloured glow, and a dim rainbow hue began to radiate around the wound. Miri closed her eyes in deep concentration as she let the Heal Pulse do its work.

Finally, she tore her eyes away from the sickening sight and returned to looking him in the eye. "I-i-it's okay, Makari. Y-you're gonna be fine…Miri will fix you up, and you'll be fine. It'll be fine…" she rambled.

Makari coughed and groaned, but continued smiling. "Roxy…" he croaked, "I am glad you are here…"

Tears were streaming down her cheeks down as she looked down at the bloodied, beaten form of the Pikachu she cared so much about. This had been one of her worst fears, and now it was coming true. "M'kari…" she whimpered, sniffling a little, "W…What happened…?"

Makari sighed regretfully. "Luck was…not on my side…" he replied.

"I don't understand."

"I let my guard down…" he said shamefully, "and…and a predator…got me…"

Roxy gasped, trying not to imagine the horrifying scene. It felt as if all of her fears were being validated all at once. She had always been so terrified of this dangerous place, and here was the proof why. Makari had suffered the dangers of the forest, and now he was laying here dy-

No! she shouted to herself, Don't think like that!

Her mind was running wild though. She was trying to keep it together, but anxiety, confusion and anguish were all battling it out in her head for supremacy. "Was it…" she whispered, "Did the Earth Tribe attack you?" She had only just heard about their mysterious behaviour moments ago. Could this have been what they were planning? It was too horrible to think.

"No," he replied with a subtle shake of his head, "It was not the Earth Tribe."

She sniffled once more. "…It wasn't?"

"No," he said once more. Then, before he could say anything else, he suddenly lurched and let out a cry of pain. His forepaws subconsciously reached for his injured midsection.

"Makari!" she cried out in concern. His face was twisted up in agony, and she felt a fear in the pit of her stomach that chilled her very soul. This couldn't be happening…

Roxy shot her gaze over to Miri, who looked like she was starting to sweat. "What's happening?" she demanded, "Is he gonna be okay?"

"Ngh…" Miri grit her teeth. She kept the Heal Pulse going, but it looked like it was quickly wearing her out. "His injuries are severe…" was all she said. Thunder Clan villagers were running about in the background, trying their best to help out however they could, but all of them seemed to know that the ball was in Miri's court right now.

"Where is Taka?" one of them shouted.

"Find him!"

Roxy fought against her revulsion and looked back at the wound. It didn't look much better. Roxy didn't know much about Heal Pulse beyond what she had read in the encyclopaedia. It was working, wasn't it…?

"Roxy…"

She almost didn't hear him whisper her name. She turned back towards him and leaned down closer to his mouth so she could hear him. "Makari…Y-you're gonna be okay…"

"Be brave…"

Roxy grit her teeth and wiped away the tears with her paw. "I-I'm trying…" she whimpered.

"Stay strong and do not be afraid."

"…I…" Roxy looked down at him, tears dancing in her eyes and a sense of pain deep in her heart. Why was he talking like this? He was going to be fine. He was going to be just fine. Miri would heal him, and then he would be good as new.

"…Makari, please…" she whispered.

Makari closed his eyes and smiled softly. She could see a few tears in his eyes as well. "I am…so sorry, Roxy…"

Roxy's breath caught in her throat. "N-no!"

"Life just…is unfair sometimes…" He opened his eyes, still dancing and full of life, as if in defiance to the state of the rest of his body. "I…had to see you…one last time."

"Please, Makari! Y-you can't…!" she babbled through her tears, reaching down with her paw to caress his dirty face. "Please don't go, Makari! I…don't….I can't… You have to be okay, Makari! I know you can do it! You have to!"

Makari just smiled and said nothing.

Roxy's frown grew larger as she began to tremble, overflowing with emotion. Tears ran down her cheeks like rivers now. "No!" she suddenly shouted, "You can't go, Makari! You can't!" Suddenly she whipped her head around, tears flying from her eyes, and glared at Miri. "Do something!" she exclaimed.

Miri wasn't looking well, however. Sweat was pouring from her, dampening her fur, as the glow around her paws started to dim. She was panting as if she had just run a marathon. "I…" she tried to say.

"You have to save him! You have to fix him!" she shouted. When Miri didn't reply, Roxy sniffled and whimpered. "…Please?"

"I am trying Roxy!" Miri finally said, the glow dimming even more, "But I fear…his injuries are too great…"

A look of horror crossed over Roxy.

Miri, panting and exhausted, turned to look at her with a sad expression. "…We may be too late."

Roxy was silent for a moment as that statement hit her like a ton of bricks, and then she suddenly dissolved into tears. She threw herself to the ground and wailed, wrapping her forelimbs around Makari's neck and hugging him as tightly as she dared. She wanted to scream and protest, but she simply couldn't through her tears.

After a moment, a pair of weak paws hugged her back. "Shhh…" Makari soothed her, "Please do not cry."

"Muh…Makari…" she wailed.

His breathing was soft, his body felt cold, and her coat was already starting to get wet with his blood. She felt something in him that she had never felt before in all of the time she had known him; weakness.

"I am sorry…" he whispered, "I wish this could have ended differently."

"Makari, you can't leave me!" she suddenly shouted, "I need you!"

He winced in pain, but smiled and shook his head sadly. "I will always be there with you, even when you cannot see me. I know that you know that."

"B-but…!"

His breath briefly caught in his throat, and Roxy's panic suddenly spiked.

"Makari! I…This can't…I…" She whimpered, and then closed her eyes as more tears fell. "I don't know what to do without you…" she whispered.

"Roxy…" he whispered back, "I always hated to see you cry…" He reached a weak paw up and softly caressed one of her cheeks. She felt the spark of his Static, something that had become warm and familiar to her at this point.

She opened her eyes, red with tears, and gazed down at him as she sobbed. She turned to look at Miri, who was exhausted to the point of collapse. The glow was gone, and Makari's wound didn't look much better. Through her heavy panting and sweating, the Audino looked up at her and gave a soft shake of her head.

Most of the other villagers were just watching solemnly now. It seemed like they had accepted fate as well.

"Makari…" she said in a shaky voice, turning back to look at him, "Please…Y-you can't die…"

His eyes were growing dim and faint, but still there was that smile on his face. "You…are much braver…and stronger…than you think you are…" he said, sounding like it was difficult to speak.

Roxy's heart hurt and she wanted to bawl like a cub, but all she could manage were little sobs. It felt like her world was ending all over again. She had gone through anguish like this when she had first arrived in this forest, only this time was so much worse. It was all happening so fast. She wanted desperately for the universe to slow down, just to give her a few more minutes…

Makari gently pulled her down towards him, and she leaned forwards until their noses were almost touching. Roxy could barely feel his breath against her fur, and it gave her a chill. After a moment of silence, the two wordlessly moved in for a kiss. Tears flowed from both of their eyes as they shared this moment. Roxy didn't want to admit the truth, but she did try to savour this as much as she could. She didn't want to let go. She didn't want to lose him. Some fantastic part of her mind told her that as long as she kept kissing him, he would stay alive.

It was Makari who broke the kiss. Roxy held her eyes closed and panted for a minute, afraid to look. When she opened them, Makari was still there, but he looked impossibly weaker. The colour was starting to drain from him. At this point, even she believed that Miri wouldn't be able to do something.

"Makari…" she whispered, "I…I…"

There was a sudden commotion that drew her attention. She glanced up towards the sounds of Pokémon shouting, and caught a brief glimpse of Taka. He was roughly shoving aside members of the crowd, and stepped right up to her. Then, with one massive swing of his paw, he pushed her away from Makari and she went tumbling to the ground.

"Oof!" She ended up sitting on her rump a few feet away, slightly dazed. After shaking her head, she looked back up.

"Makari…" Taka was saying in a firm, deliberate tone, "Brother!"

Makari coughed a few times weakly, then turned his slightly unfocused eyes on the Pikachu above him. "Taka…" he whispered fondly.

"Makari," Taka said. Only his eyes were betraying any emotion, but even Roxy could see that he was just as distressed as she was, "Makari…What happened? Speak to me."

"Ah…" Makari sighed, "I…I lost the battle that we face every day…"

Taka growled, baring his teeth a little. "Who did this to you?" he asked pointedly, "Tell me."

Makari shook his head with a groan. "A predator, Taka…It matters not."

"Makari, be strong. Fight through this. You and I both know you are stronger than this."

"Taka…"

"Do not give in. Fight."

Once more, Makari was smiling with tears streaming down his cheeks. "I am sorry, brother…" he said tenderly, "It is wonderful to see you."

Taka stared down at him for a few silent moments, nothing more than a troubled look on his face. "It is…wonderful to see you as well," he finally said, "Now, stand up. Come on."

When Makari just regarded him with that sad smile of his, Taka growled once more and immediately flung his head over in Miri's direction. "Why are you not acting?!"

Miri, however, was a few seconds away from passing out. She was reclining back, being supported by another Pikachu. "She did all that she could," the Pikachu spoke for her, "It was not enough."

"Taka…Taka, please…" Makari whispered.

Immediately, Taka returned his attention to his brother. "Yes, Makari. I am here."

"Come closer…"

Roxy had just been sitting there, staring dumbfounded at what was happening. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, which just left her frozen there like a rock. She quietly watched as Taka leaned his head down close to Makari's, and then Makari started to whisper something in his ear.

At first he looked confused, but then his eyes slowly opened wider. When Makari stopped whispering, Taka was left for a moment just staring blankly into space. When he finally turned his gaze back down to his brother, Makari just smiled at him.

Then Makari closed his eyes.

Roxy's' heart skipped about three beats.

She held a paw to her chest. No…

Taka placed his paws onto Makari's shoulders and stared down at his brother. There was a look on his face she hadn't seen before. It looked as if his mask of stoicism had at last cracked.

"Makari?"

He gently shook Makari's shoulders, trying to jostle him awake. Makari didn't respond. She was a little far away to see, but Roxy thought that she could see Makari's chest. It had stopped moving.

"Makari!"

Many of the villagers surrounding them were starting to bow their heads in sorrow. Roxy saw the three Raichu standing next to one another and looking quite distressed. Miri barely had her eyes open, but they were looking at the two siblings with a sad, forlorn look. Taka was shaking the body of his brother harder now, gritting his teeth and starting to breathe harder. There were no tears in his eyes, but Roxy had never seen him so distressed before since she had met him. She imagined he must've felt just like she did, as she sat there with a cold and painful horror filling her entire body, making it hard to breathe.

"Makari!"

Roxy couldn't believe it. She didn't want to accept it.

He was gone.

Just like that.

She remembered the morning so clearly. She remembered waking up in his embrace, eating a tasty breakfast together, and taking time to talk with one another. Then, she hugged him, kissed him on the cheek, and waved goodbye as he went off on patrol.

And now he was gone.

Roxy had known him for more than two months, but she felt like she had lost a lifelong friend. She felt like she had lost a family member. No-one in her extended 'family' had ever died before. The worst she had experienced was the death of her master's grandmother, whom Roxy had never even met.

Makari had been much more to her than just a close friend. He meant so much more to her than anyone else in the village. Makari had been there to pick her up when she had first fallen, and all of the times after that. If it hadn't been for him, Roxy would have given up a long time ago.

Now, she sat on the cold ground, getting wet from the light drizzle, and leaning her head against Miri. The Audino was hugging her with one paw, but Roxy barely felt it. She was just staring ahead, quivering from more than the cold, and feeling way too many emotions at once.

It felt like a nightmare that she couldn't wake up from.

Every part of her hurt, most especially her heart. There was this overwhelming need and desire for her to cry out into the night as loudly as she could, but for some reason she couldn't. Perhaps it was some foolish part of her mind, holding on to the possibility that he was okay somehow. Either way, she hadn't been able to cry since Makari had taken his last breath, and it hurt inside.

He was gone.

He was…gone!

She slowly glanced upwards. It was the early hours of the evening, and the last remnants of the sun's light were peeking through the tree branches. It cast the whole village in shadows and gave the place a very eerie atmosphere. Everywhere she looked, villagers were moving about with downcast expressions. It wasn't just her feeling the pain. Everyone had lost a special someone today.

Roxy was sitting with Miri, waiting for the ceremony to begin. Roxy wasn't sure if it was called a 'funeral', but regardless it was a ceremony meant to mark the passage of death. Though she wanted to just hide away, curl into a little ball and go to sleep, Roxy knew that she needed to be here.

She could already tell, though, that it was going to hurt.

Miri wasn't saying anything, but was holding her tight and sharing her warmth. Roxy was very thankful for the Audino, who had barely left her side since it had happened. It was times like these that Roxy just needed a hug, and Miri was not hesitant to give them away. Others were moving about, sharing their grief, or setting things up, but Roxy didn't pay attention to any of them.

After this, she was going to go to sleep and never wake up again.

Right now, she just felt dead inside. She felt like an empty shell, held up only because she was leaning against Miri. What was she supposed to do now? How could she possibly handle this? Even beyond the catastrophe that was losing Makari, there were still tons of other anxieties gnawing away at her. She was once again thinking about the dangers of the forest, how much trouble she was in, the issues with the Earth tribe, how she could get home, and even her master's wellbeing. She pessimistically imagined that should she ever get over losing Makari, which at this point she doubted she would, then she would be nowhere near the end of her healing journey.

Today had broken her.

Time slipped by in a blur for her, and she was jolted out of her stupor when she realized that everyone was starting to gather. She glanced around and saw nearly everyone in the village enter the small glade and gather around a central point.

Her heart dropped into her stomach. It was starting…

Roxy timidly gazed to what was in the centre of the assembled crowd, having not been paying attention. It looked like they had set up the foundation for another, smaller, bonfire. There was a medium-sized pile of kindling surrounded by a ring of stones. Above it towered two large slabs of bark that were stuck into the ground like banners. Each one had intricate paintings on it, mimicking the marks on the villagers' bodies. Roxy had no idea what any of it meant.

When she looked a little closer, she noticed something unusual. Sitting at the edge of the kindling was a bunch of green berries. They were sitting in a perfect circle around the kindling, nestled in between the branches securely. Roxy tried to figure out what they could possibly be for, but her mind drew a blank.

Finally, she gazed around at the assembled villagers. It wasn't the entire village. Obviously, some of them still needed to be out on patrol while this was taking place. However, there was a rather large turnout. Everyone had their heads held low, but no-one was crying. Though they all looked sad, some of them were still talking to one another. It seemed like everyone except for her was keeping their spirits strong.

Roxy sniffled and shuffled herself a little closer to Miri, hugging against the Audino's fur. Her mind was in a strange place at the moment. She knew that she was at a funeral but, because it hadn't started yet, it wasn't something real to her yet. In the pit of her stomach, she felt a distant growing dread on the horizon, but at the moment she found herself strangely calm.

"Miri…?" she whispered, afraid that her own voice would startle her.

"Yes, child?" Miri replied. There was clearly sadness in her voice, but she was not despondent.

"Umm…" Roxy murmured, "Is it…always like this?" She extended her paw a little to point at the crowd and the setup.

"It is not always this grand," she replied, "Sometimes families will set up their own, smaller pyre for a more…private ceremony."

"Oh…"

"However, for more notable members of the clan…"

Roxy shivered upon hearing the reason that they were there.

"It is a great honour…" Miri continued.

"What's a 'pyre'?" Roxy asked.

However, her question didn't get answered as everybody suddenly fell silent. They all turned their heads off to the side, and Roxy curiously followed their gazes. A group of Pikachu, plus one of the wise ones, was approaching. They were working together to carry something heavy.

Roxy's heart leapt right into her throat.

They were carrying Makari.

She stared in anguish as his body was carefully carried towards the ceremony. All of the blood had been cleaned off, and his more devastating wounds had been dressed up with leaves, but that did little to hide the fact that it was the cold, dead body of Makari.

She wanted to look away, but found she couldn't take her eyes off of the sight. A few tears ran down her cheeks, and she shivered and clutched herself closer to Miri. She watched as the small procession made its way towards the gathering. The 'pallbearers' all had their heads held low in mourning, and were all remaining silent.

Roxy then noticed that someone was following behind them. A second later, she realized that it was Taka. He was holding a lit torch. He had a hardened look on his face that Roxy couldn't quite decipher. He was staring straight ahead with a neutral expression, walking with only a single purpose. She couldn't imagine how he was walking behind the body of his brother, and not bawling his eyes out.

Everyone was remaining completely silent. Somewhat self-consciously, she noticed that the loudest sound seemed to be her sniffles. She tried her best to keep quiet, but it was really difficult with all of the painful emotions swimming around inside of her. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest.

She still couldn't believe this had happened. 11 hours ago, Makari had been alive and well, and now she was staring through tear-filled eyes at his dead body. In a flash, he had been taken away, with barely a chance to say goodbye. Even now nobody seemed to be saying goodbye. As the group approached the pile of wood in the middle, the whole crowd was completely silent.

Roxy watched them, a little curious as to what they were going to do. Then, she watched as they gently, respectfully, lifted Makari up and laid him down on top of the pile of kindling.

Her eyes shot open wide and she stifled a gasp. She suddenly realized what this was.

This was a cremation.

As the 'pallbearers' respectfully stepped away, Taka moved to the front of the kindling pile. Two Pikachu on either side lifted up some very large leaves that they had gotten from who knew where, and gently draped both of them over Makari like a big blanket.

"M…Miri…?" she whimpered.

Then, before Roxy could even make a decision about whether or not she wanted to witness this, Taka bowed his head and lowered the torch to the kindling.

Roxy squeaked as the fire quickly spread to the branches and leaves. It took a few seconds as the flames slowly consumed the small pile, but then they suddenly flared to life. In a bright swell, the fire rose up and consumed Makari's body entirely.

Finally, Roxy clenched her eyes shut and turned away. She hid her face in Miri's fur, whimpering and trying to erase the horrible image from her mind. She couldn't stop herself from sobbing, even as the rest of the crowd seemed to remain silent. All she could hear was the crackling of the fire. The flames were taking Makari away from her forever. She would never again hear his voice, his laughter, his sage advice. She would never feel the tingle of his Static, the warmness of his hugs, or the gentle caress of his kiss.

Roxy finally broke down and started to cry.

Miri reached a paw around and hugged her tightly. Roxy just sat there sobbing, clenching pawfuls of Miri's fur and grimacing as if there were a poison making its way through her body. It hurt like being stabbed through the heart. She wanted all of the pain to come out, and crying just wasn't doing it fast enough.

After a few painful minutes, she slowly lifted her head. Tears stained her fur and she knew that she probably looked like a mess. With blurred vision, she turned and looked back towards the burning fire. Nothing could be seen of the kindling or what had been laying upon it anymore. Now it was just a bright blaze. The fruit that had been sitting at the side had all burned up as well, and soon the fire itself would die out too.

Roxy felt like she had finally been shoved forward to a new chapter in the story of life, and she could never go back. This was a chapter without Makari, and they would all be chapters without him. She had grown so close to him and formed such a powerful bond in a relatively short time, but now that bond was ripped apart. There was a hole where he used to be, and she would never be able to fix it.

She sniffled as she leaned her head weakly against Miri's side, feeling all of her life and energy just drain out of her.

"I…" she whispered, "I…I never got to say…I loved him…"