So much for finishing this story over my spring break. XD Okay! So we're getting toward the end here! Two more chapters to go! Let's see… about 20 years have passed since the last chapter, so Holly would be around 67 and Genki around 63. Oh, do you know how hard it was to think of a word starting with the letter "X" that wasn't "x-ray"? Damn hard, that's what. XD
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
X: Xenodochial
"Are you sure it's alright? I don't want to be a bother…"
"No, please come in! We have plenty of room!"
A purebred Dino flashed a toothy grin at the older woman who had just welcomed him into her home before bowing respectfully and entering the wooden structure. His legs were sore from the long trek to Toriyama and his traveling pack was caked in mud. With the inn being full of other travelers who had swarmed into the town for the annual "Defeat of Moo" festival, he had been sure he was, once again, out of luck. That changed, however, when he had almost walked into a wheelchair-bound old woman. She seemed far too small, her legs covered by a tartan blanket and her hunched shoulders covered with a thin coat that appeared to be too large for her small frame. Muddy furrows in the grass showed where she had left the path and forced her chair to travel away from the mass of people, most likely to avoid being pushed over or slammed into. After that, it was almost as if she had known of the Dino's plight and before he knew it, he was accepting free room and board from a complete stranger.
"Thank you very much for your hospitality, ma'am. You're very kind," the Dino smiled as he looked around the home he had been welcomed into while noting the vast amount of trinkets and artifacts scattered about the place. A shiny jeweled dagger hung elegantly on the wall and the Dino had to stop to admire the beautiful weapon.
"Oh, no need to thank me. I know what it's like to travel around and have no one willing to take you in for the night. Really, it's not a problem at all. Here, I'll take your belongings and you can go down the hallway to take a bath, alright? I'll have dinner done before you know it," the old woman grinned merrily while taking the Dino's bag without waiting for a response.
"That would be wonderful! Thank you!" With another bow, the dinosaur monster trudged down the hallway while happily anticipating the warm bath that was soon to come.
The old woman watched the large beast disappear from view before wheeling herself to the spare bedroom and placing the traveling bag near the empty bed. With a smile, the gray haired woman carefully changed the bed sheets and fluffed the pillow, a look of satisfaction crossing her slightly wrinkled face. Sighing softly, she wheeled herself over to the window and tried to pry it open, but the window wouldn't budge.
"Oh, come on… These can't be stuck again!" She growled irritably, for she knew deep down that the window was perfectly fine.
"Need a hand, beautiful?"
"No, I can do this myself. Thank you, Genki."
"Aw, come on, Holly. It'll only take me a second."
"I can do this."
Genki's forehead creased slightly with worry as he watched his wife struggle to open the window, but to no avail. It was like this every day; a never ending battle between Holly's pride and physics. Could she really open that window? No, not at the height she was at. Did he want to hurt her feelings by telling her that in her current condition, it would be impossible? Of course not. The old man sighed as he ran his hand through his gray hair that now matched the color of his eyes.
"I see we have company again. Another traveler in need of a place to stay?"
"Yes. I know it's not always good to let strangers into our home, but I can't help it. After our journey to defeat Moo, I can't turn away travelers," Holly gritted her teeth while pushing relentlessly on the clear window, but it didn't move an inch.
"I know what you mean. I really don't mind it. I like hearing their stories since it helps me to know what's going on in the world now a day," the old man smiled while looking down at his wife. Her knuckles were blanched white against the tartan blanket in her lap. He watched her struggle every day because of her wheelchair bound condition and it took a moment for Genki to put his hand on hers, and she stopped pushing against the window. The space between that moment and the next, when she turned her palm upwards and laced their fingers, felt as long as the one after he woke up in an overturned Iron Bird and wished they had caught the later flight home from Age Island. If they had, they wouldn't have been on the runway when another Iron Bird overturned and caused the worst pile-up in the island's history. He wouldn't have had to sit in a hospital waiting room, and later outside a physiotherapy unit, only to be told the most awful news both times.
"Thank you," Holly whispered softly while averting her gaze.
A thousand thoughts swept through Genki's mind. There was so much he wanted to say even though his voice failed him. He wanted to apologize again, to lie and tell her it would all be okay, to scream, to cry, to laugh that they were all still alive and that after surviving through Moo's war and hundreds of life-threatening experiences, a mundane Iron Bird accident had nearly wiped them all out. Instead, his only response was a reassuring squeeze followed by a low whisper.
"…I'm always here for you, okay?" Genki's voice was so soft, it took Holly a moment to register what he had spoken.
"Yeah, I know."
Holly smiled as she looked down at their hands that were still laced together. That trip to Age Island had been their last and, after that, their days of adventuring were truly over. It had been hard to grasp at first, denial and fear bubbling up into their thoughts. When Genki announced he wasn't traveling anymore, at first Holly had been upset. Feeling that he wouldn't travel because of her disability was heartbreaking, but he eventually convinced her that everything would be alright. To him, a journey wasn't worth anything if his wife couldn't be there with him.
"…you must find it odd that I keep talking to strangers like I do and inviting them into our home. It's just… it reminds me of us when we were younger, you know? Whenever they tell us their traveling tales and when they get excited, I feel so happy. These strangers make me feel like I can walk again and that I'm on a journey again. Helping out these people makes me feel useful, too, with my condition and all," the older woman shifted her coat so that it hung more loosely while watching and allowing her husband to open the window.
"I feel the same way. You're not the only one, either. Last I heard the rest of our group does the same thing. But this quiet life isn't bad either. I like being able to stay at home and spend time with you."
"Yes, I like that too. It's just funny how we've become strangers to the world after all that we've done."
Holly was known around Toriyama for being very friendly to every one regardless of whether she knew them or not. To most people she was just a kind old woman who was pleasant to talk to. Not many people knew that she was the Wielder of the Magic Stone, that she had rebuilt Toriyama from the ground up, or that she helped take down Moo twice. Now, she was just an old woman who lived in a large house at the edge of town. Truthfully, she didn't mind this change. The constant attention of being war heroes made daily routines like shopping difficult, for trying to look through apples is hard when people are shoving notebooks into your face for autographs.
"Anyways. Genki, would you mind helping me with dinner?" Holly spoke up suddenly while flashing her husband a sweet smile. "I'm sure that Dino will tell us some great tales tonight."
"I'd love to, but first you have to promise me something."
"Promise?"
"Yeah. Promise me you won't let his stories make you upset because we don't travel anymore. I know sometimes you get a little down once travelers leave our home, but think about it; can any of their tales ever be as epic as ours is?"
Holly thought hard for a moment, her hand clasping the tartan blanket on her lap. Could any travelers' stories ever top defeating the Big Bad Four, facing off against General Durahan, winning against Moo, and releasing the Phoenix? And that was just skimming the surface of their long journey of adventures and thrilling moments they had encountered in their younger years. So could these new travelers ever come close to achieving what they had done? Definitely not.
"It's a promise."
"Good, then let's get cooking and hear what this traveler has to say and allow him to eat in the presence of the kindest hearted person to ever walk this planet," Genki smiled as he pushed the wooden wheelchair toward the kitchen to save his wife the bother.
"Who, you?"
"Pfft, no! I slipped that toad into Hare's salad last week. I highly doubt that qualifies for being the kindest person to ever walk this planet."
"That was you? We all blamed Suezo for that!"
"Aw, dang! Don't tell him!"
"I'll let you off the hook this time for letting me house another traveler, alright? And you guys never seem to grow up," Holly giggled as she watched her husband smile in relief. As the older couple made their way into the kitchen, Holly couldn't help but glance over to the bathroom door where the Dino was currently bathing and she couldn't help but remembering being in his shoes, only most of the time they didn't get a roof over their heads. She smiled softly before pushing herself to Genki's side, knowing full well her kindness would be something the unknown travelers that passed through Toriyama and ended up at her doorstep would appreciate for the rest of their lives.
That one was pretty mild. Not too sad, and not too happy. Just neutral. So, yeah. The rebels went to Age Island and just as they boarded the Iron Bird to go back home, another Iron Bird overturned and smashed into them leaving Holly paralyzed. I put Holly through a lot huh? XD But Genki's by her side so she's still happy. ^_^
NOTE: Xenodochial is an adjective describing something – such as a person, place or software application - that is friendly to strangers. Finding a word starting with "X" is way too hard. XP
RockyRoadSmith: Signing off! :3