Sorry this is so late! School has been keeping me so busy and stressed. XD At this point in this story, time is going to fly very fast! Just be prepared for jumps of years here. Like this one takes place roughly 7 or so years after "Tragedy". 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
U: Umbrella
"Man, look at it pour outside! Looks like the world's gonna flood!" A purebred Zuum spoke up while his eyes stared intently outside the dirt speckled window to watch the heavy rain blanket the sky. A group of monsters and humans alike worked hard inside a large building littered with broken machines and various tools. The air smelt of oil and rust, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The workers there were skilled and trusted by all the townsfolk of Toriyama, and people from all around the area would visit the shop for assistance and repairs.
"Yeah, we should think about closin' up shop. No one's gonna want to get anything fixed in this kind of weather," a Rock Ape grumbled while tightening the last bolt on a rather beaten up Iron Bird. "Go home, guys. You've worked hard enough for the day."
"You sure? I could always rewire the front cables so the Spirit Capsule will work again in this thing," a man covered in debris spoke up as he crawled out from underneath the Iron Bird, his clothes patched with rust and his skin smeared with oil.
"Genki, you work too hard. Go home to that family of yours. We can always work on this thing in the morning and besides, I'm sure that pretty wife of yours would love to see you home early," the Rock Ape chuckled softly before grabbing a jacket and flinging it over his shoulders. With one last smile to his workers, the Ape hybrid left the shop without a word and the rest of the workers were quick to follow suit. Genki let out a sigh as he finished locking the place up before digging through his backpack, but a grumble exited his lips as couldn't find what he was looking for.
'Damn, I must have forgotten my umbrella back home even after Holly reminded me about it all morning, too. She's not gonna let me live this down,' Genki thought with a flustered expression as he forcefully dug through his bag in hopes that maybe he had just missed the item, but to no avail.
"Looking for this?"
Genki blinked in surprise as the melodic sound of his wife's voice drifted in his ears and he was quick to turn around to see Holly standing behind him with a playful smile on her face and his blue umbrella in her hands. The brunette held the item out for her husband to take, in which he did, though not without a questioning gaze.
"What are you doing here?" Genki asked in surprise at the new arrival.
"I saw you left your umbrella at home so I came here to bring it to you so you wouldn't have to walk home in the rain," Holly replied with a warm smile.
"But, I got out early! How did you know to be here at this time?"
"I didn't. Sometimes your boss lets you out early when the weather is bad so I just assumed he'd do the same today. I've just been hanging around here waiting for you," the woman spoke calmly, her smile ever present.
A frown found its way to Genki's face as he clenched the umbrella in his hands tightly while looking down at his wife with worry. "Holly… you're not supposed to go out when the weather is bad, remember? What if you get sick again? And what about Isamu?"
"And you're not supposed to leave home when it's supposed to rain without your umbrella," Holly joked while flashing her husband a sparkling smile. "Really, Genki, I'm fine. I've been careful and I stayed under the umbrella the whole time I've been out here, I promise. And Isamu is with Golem right now, so she's safe and is probably testing his patience."
Genki nodded softly to his wife's response before he felt a smile cross his lips as he opened the umbrella up before motioning for Holly to join him underneath the weather shield, in which she was quick to accept. The young man could feel his smile grow as his wife snuggled up against his side while hooking arms with him and Genki was quick to intertwine their hands so they were snuggly pressed up against one another like a perfect fit to a puzzle. It wasn't every day the married couple had the chance to enjoy such peaceful moments, but the treasured every second they received.
"So, how was work today?" Holly asked her husband while doing her best to stay close to him while avoiding large puddles of murky water that had collection from the downpour. "I know you've been mentioning a new project you're working on."
"It wasn't too bad. We're just fixing up an old Iron Bird that was salvaged from the first war we fought in against Moo. The thing's so battered that I don't even know if we'll be able to get it working again, though," Genki admitted with a shrug.
"You're the best mechanic I know. I'm sure you'll get it working eventually."
"You have too much faith in me."
"No, you don't need faith with the skill you have."
The rain coated the empty streets of Toriyama like a sheet and the only people walking in the midst of the wet environment were a lone couple under a blue umbrella. The rain made a pitter-patter sound as it hit the umbrella and slid off to the ground below; the people underneath shielded by the mass of water.
"…father use to like these kinds of rainy days. It would give him an excuse not to work outdoors so he could, instead, play cards and drink his special whisky. I mean, I'm happy he was alive when Isamu was born, but I miss him a lot…" Holly spoke up with a sad smile, though her heart skipped a beat as she felt a small comforting squeeze to her hand.
"Yeah, we had a lot of fun on these kinds of days after he accepted me into his family. Do you know he use to cheat when playing cards?" Genki grinned while Holly looked at him with disbelief.
"No way! Really?"
"Yeah. I use to see him slip cards out from his sleeves all the time whenever he thought I wasn't looking."
"Did you ever call him out on it?"
"No, never. Most times, even when he didn't cheat, I'd still let him win. I didn't mind forking over a few gold coins if it meant him having fun and feeling some glory. I mean, life was always hard for him, you know? After all he went through, I didn't mind letting him show me up at cards even if he'd gloat for weeks on end," Genki chuckled softly. "He used to think I completely sucked at playing cards which is why he always wanted to play with me."
"I never knew that… Thank you for doing that for him," Holly smiled while looking up at her husband with loving eyes. "That means a lot to me that you would do something like that for him."
"Ah, it was fun for me, too. Your father had the best drunk gloating dance I've ever seen in my life."
"Ug, don't remind me…"
"Remember when he did his dance in the front yard while stripping?"
"Okay, I don't need a reminder of that!"
Genki chuckled as he watched his wife blush in embarrassment at the memory, his hand still laced with hers while his other hand still held tightly onto the umbrella that was shielding them from the elements. "Time goes by so fast, doesn't it?"
"I can't believe it's already been five years that he's been gone. It feels like just yesterday he was drinking tea with me and coaching you on how to treat women," Holly stifled a sad giggle at the thought of Genki having to sit through many of Yosho's lectures on marriage and even sexual relationships. "I miss him so much…"
"I miss him, too. He's still with us, though. I bet he's the one making it rain right now," the young man replied while giving his wife a loving smile.
"Why would he do that?"
"So we could have this moment together."
Before Holly could reply, Genki was already leaning down to kiss her tenderly on the lips. The woman's eyes widened in surprise as he swooped her down to deepen the kiss, but she was quick to close her eyes and to lean in further. The umbrella dropped to the ground as Genki, instead, used that hand to run his fingers through Holly's wet hair while the woman responded by moaning softly, the rain falling no longer even noticed by the couple. Before the two could completely escape into their own slice of paradise, however, Holly slowly broke away from her husband, but not before flashing him a playful smile.
"…race you back to the house?"
"Will anyone be home?"
"No."
"Then you're on."
With a large grin, Genki took off down the muddy road with Holly close behind, the both of them laughing like young children who had played a prank on their teacher the entire time; the blue umbrella laying abandoned in the middle of the road. Genki couldn't tell for sure, but he could have sworn he heard a deep voice chuckle in the wind, but he brushed it off as only his imagination.
Short one! So, yeah, at this point Genki and Holly did, in fact, have a daughter. Considering this takes place around 7 years after "Tragedy" and because Yosho was still alive when their daughter was born, Isamu would be around 6 or so years old. Isamu is Japanese for "courage", and why I chose that is kind of obvious. XD This story revolves around Holly and Genki, though, which is why their daughter isn't a big part. This chapter is more so saying that although memories can be sad, you have to enjoy the good memories and to enjoy life to its fullest. ^_^ But Yosho is still watching over them. ^_^
RockyRoadSmith: Signing off! :3