Okay, on to a more dramatic one. It's not nearly as bad as I originally thought it would be, so we can all breath now. XD Thank you again, ripitupgenki, for following this so closely! It really means a lot to me! ^_^ I don't have time to proof read this, so I'm sure the errors are immense! XD Enjoy!

Note: This story takes place after Season 3.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own Monster Rancher or the characters. I'm just a huge fan. Tecmo owns everything. I just own the plot.

Moments We Share

S: Sick

Genki sighed softly as he ran his fingers through his messy brown hair while he tapped his foot irritably as if it would speed up time. His eyes had dark bags under them that gave him a sad look while his entire body was slouched over from fatigue; his eyes felt like lead weights, but he wouldn't allow them to close. The young man's stomach grumbled loudly in protest to his current state of weariness, but Genki ignored it. His mind was far too focused on looking down at the pale young woman who lay motionless in the bed he was sitting next to.

"…Holly…"

He wasn't sure how long it had been since she had fallen ill, but Genki had been at the brunette's side ever since. He remembered coming home from work only to find his wife lying motionlessly on the kitchen floor; her breathing was so low he was almost sure she had been dead. His fingers were laced with her clammy ones and he could feel his heart race every time a ragged cough would exit her pale lips. Her hair was down and sprawled on the pillow supporting her head, yet it made her seem frailer and so much smaller. Every so often a small whimper would escape the young woman's lungs and it took every bit of willpower on Genki's part to not break down and cry at seeing his wife in such a pitiful state of being. Under the blankets he could see the bulge of her stomach from her current pregnancy, and every time he noted it, more fear would rip into his mind.

"…Genki?"

Genki felt his eyes widen as he looked down at the exhausted woman that his hand still clung to. Her eyes held a feverish tone to them while her words came out raspy and ridged. With a small gulp, Genki grasped her hand a little tighter as he leaned over so his wife wouldn't have to strain herself talking just as he did every other time she would randomly wake up for short periods of time. Normally, however, her speech was slurred and incoherent. Sometimes she would speak normally, but other times she would wake up and talk in riddles or tongues; leaving Genki extremely frustrated and confused.

"Holly, I'm here. Don't worry; I'm not going to leave you," Genki spoke softly as he used his free hand to brush away a few stray strands of hair from Holly's delicate face. "You're going to be fine."

"Genki… I don't… want to…" Holly whispered hoarsely before another series of painful coughs wracked her body and she shivered violently, though Genki was quick to leap from his seat to grab a spare blanket before placing it over her tiny frame.

"What don't you want to do?" Genki asked gently while he careful tucked the young woman in before taking Holly's hand once more. He spoke as gently and calmly as possible even though he truly only wanted to shout out to the world how he was really feeling.

"…go with her," the young woman replied with an empty expression.

"Who, Holly?"

"…my mother…"

Genki felt a sudden pain jab into his gut as he looked down at his sickly wife; the same feeling he got every time this moment happened. She looked torn, as if she was trapped with nowhere to go and no one to be with. Her body, although wrapped up snuggly in blankets, still shook slightly, though Genki had the feeling it was no longer from her being cold. With a low breath of air, Genki slowly scooted a little closer to his wife before placing a comforting hand on her arm while doing his best not to make any sudden movements so as to not startle her.

"What do you mean, Holly?"

"She… she's waiting for me… but… I'm not ready…"

"What aren't you ready for?"

"…I'm not ready… to die... I don't… want to die yet… I really don't…" Holly whispered raggedly as if she were possessed while her feverish eyes seemed to look around the room as if searching for something that wasn't there; as if she was scared to find what she was searching for. "But… she's calling for me… Calling and calling… It's hard to resist…"

"W-what? No, Holly! You're definitely not going to die! I know you want to see your mother and that she wants to see you, but that'll have to wait because we need you here! I need you here!" Genki exclaimed in a worried frenzy as he shot out of his seat before wrapping his arms around Holly's frail body and bringing her close for a warm hug. "I know it's selfish, but I can't let you go, Holly. I just can't…"

"…you call for me, too… Why?" Holly asked as her hollow expression softened as she stayed pressed against her husband's chest without even a struggle; like a limp doll hanging loosely from a young child's embrace.

"Because I love you, Holly, with all my heart," Genki whispered gentle while he stroked the brunette's hair lightly.

"…you're so warm," the young woman spoke groggily as her eyes shut and her breathing became steady; her consciousness lost once again. With a sad sigh, Genki carefully laid his wife back down on the bed before tucking her in once more and taking his usual seat by her bedside. As the young man sat silently watching his ill wife, he whipped around quickly at the sound of the door creaking open, though he relaxed slightly at seeing Yosho step in.

"…how's she doing?" Yosho asked gruffly as he walked to Genki's side before handing the tired man a cup of green tea. He, too, had been waiting each day for his daughter to recover, but so far she only seemed to get worse as time went on. Even the town's doctors could do nothing for her, and so it was but a waiting game now.

"She's still the same. She woke up again, but it was the same as last time when she spoke about her mother calling for her and her being torn on what to do. It's just so frustrating sitting here and not being able to do anything," Genki said sadly with a small thanks for the warm beverage.

"I figured that much. We just need to be patient and remain calm, no matter how tough it may be," Yosho replied with a small sigh as he took a sip of his own tea, fatigue etched in the older man's features.

"It's just… I should have known something was wrong. Like when she asked for us to take a break while walking to the marketplace and she was so out of breath, but I thought it was just from the pregnancy. Or when she stopped walking in the park suddenly. Her breaths were ragged, but she had done a lot of housework that day so I didn't even think twice about it," Genki muttered bitterly while looking down at Holly's slender hand. "I should have known something wasn't right... I'm an awful husband."

"Don't say such things, Genki. I… I felt the same when my wife became ill, but there really was nothing I could do. You can't blame yourself for this and it doesn't make you any less of a husband than you have been. There really was nothing you could do," Yosho spoke with a sad smile while Genki felt his eyes widen in surprise that the older man had opened up to him a little. "Besides, if she knew you've been at her bedside for as long as you have been, she would feel extremely happy knowing she has a man like you in her life. After that, though, she'd scold you for not taking care of yourself."

"I guess… Still, why didn't she tell me she wasn't feeling well?"

"Did you ever think it's because she didn't want you to worry about her?"

The idea had never struck him, honestly. He had thought she was being headstrong and difficult, but there was a chance that she had thought as little of it as he had. Maybe those days she had to take a break from walking or the time she stopped walking in the park, Holly, too, thought it was from the pregnancy. Or maybe she knew something wasn't right and just chose to hide it from her husband. Genki couldn't quite be sure, but something told him that his first intuition was more accurate.

"I never thought of it like that…" Genki whispered as he continued to look down at his hand laced with Holly's limp one.

"Genki… sitting here isn't going to help her, you know. Nor will letting yourself wither away into a skeletal husk. You need to eat and to sleep. You'll be no help to her if you end up sick and dying, too," Yosho spoke up sternly, and Genki had the feeling his suggestions were more of a command.

"But… what if something happens with her and I'm not here?"

"If her eyebrow even flinches, I'll let you know. All of your friends are anxiously waiting to help, as well."

"They are?"

"Who do you think have been doing all of Holly's work and your work since she fell ill? Your friends have been pitching in to keep things running smoothly for us," the older man replied with a sad smile. "Now, go take a bath, get something to eat, and rest a few hours."

"If something happens to her while I'm gone, though, I'd-"

"Nothing will happen without you knowing about it first, okay? Honestly, you and Holly are more alike than you think. You're both so stubborn when it comes to other people. You don't have to take this burden on alone, Genki. You have people here who are ready to take it on with you. Trust me; I won't let anything happen to my daughter while you take a nap. Now, go."

"…alright. But I'm bringing the cot in here so I can still be near her," Genki stated with determination.

"…you're so much like her, it's scary," Yosho chuckled softly. "Fine. Go take a bath and I'll ask Hare to bring the cot up here for you. Golem should be done with dinner soon, too, so grab some food before you come back up here," Yosho explained while Genki weakly nodded his head before walking toward the door, but he stopped when the older man grabbed his wrist. "Oh, and Genki?"

"Yes, sir?"

"…don't lose sight of yourself."

Genki blinked in slight confusion at the older man's words, but when Yosho didn't elaborate further, he slowly nodded his head before taking one last look at his wife. He wished it was like all the other times she had fallen ill, when she would look so peaceful like an angel. This time, though, her face was twisted in an expression varying from extreme fear and absolute agony. Her skin was almost as white as Most's and every so often, her coughing would produce small blotches of blood on her lips and pillowcase. It was like Moo was punishing her from the underworld for helping to defeat him, or so Genki's mind conjured. After a moment of just staring at the young woman, Genki slowly averted his gaze before leaving the room and closing the door behind him quietly. For some reason, everything seemed to hit him at once after he had left the room, and the young man slowly slumped down against the door before burying his face in his hands and sobbing softly.

'Why is it once everything is going right, something always comes up and ruins it? Why does this keep happening to us?' Genki thought bitterly to himself as he let his strong front finally crumble. In the room behind him, a small tear cascaded down Holly's face as time seemed to stop and fate brought their world crashing down all around them, though just as Yosho said, there was nothing either of them could do about it.

So, yeah. A bit of drama, but not as bad as I thought it would be. This chapter was very slightly hinted in the K chapter, where Holly said "If this is the treatment I get for a little light-headedness, I can only imagine how I'll be treated if I ever get really sick." So her answer for that would be all the rebels would pitch in to do her work for her and Genki would wait wearily by her side for days on end. XD Now, I need to get moving on the T chapter. That one will also be a downer chapter. After that, though, I have no idea what's going to happen. XD I'm not the best chapter planner for stories, that's for sure. Thanks for reading!

RockyRoadSmith: Signing off! :3