Post by bijuu. on Jul 21, 2009 13:37:01 GMT -5
Ahahah, I had so much fun with this. Maybe it was because I had my stepdad's ancient electric notebook in my room and stayed up past midnight writing this until Sara finally burst my creative bubble and threatened to kill me if I didn't go to bed. >/////>; Anyway, I think this came out okay, though it's still not what I consider 'good'. And if I butchered Nema, Alli, you are free to butcher me. -/bows repeatedly and backs away-
Nema was supposed to pick me up tonight, in the next hour and a half, to be specific. I was excited. Nervous, but totally exhilarated. Standing in front of a full-body mirror in nothing but a pair of my best white skinny jeans, I picked out a jacket from a pile I'd assembled on my bed and held it to my front, considering the color and texture in my reflection. The shirt was pale green button-up with a delicate white kanji design racing up the sides. I contemplated that choice for a moment, then tossed the shirt back on my bed and snatched up another. This, too, had the misfortune of ending up on the discarded pile, as did several others until I finally settled on a dodger blue, open-necked dress shirt that hugged my frame comfortably and matched the shade of my eyes almost to a tee. I tugged on the sleeves, meticulous to make sure the fabric wasn't creased or folded; finally satisfied, I spun experimentally to see how I looked, and stopped to pick at a stray thread on the seat of my pants with a frustrated frown on my face.
I ran a brush through my hair, arranging and rearranging the individual strands until Tobi finally wrapped a paw around my wrist and mercifully tugged my fingers away from my hair, smoothing down a disheveled lock and loosing a soft snort of amusement when I snatched a plain bobby pin and tacked the chocolate-brown highlights in place, shooting a half-hearted glare at my shiny Lopunny for interrupting my carefully-planned fuss session. He watched as I removed the pink and white-striped barbell from my tongue and cleaned it with an antiseptic before picking out a similar one, save this one was sky blue rather than candyfloss pink like its mate. I admired the effect in the bathroom mirror for a moment and set about brushing my teeth, wandering aimlessly back into my bedroom while I did; Souta was lounging about on my bed, snoring quietly and expelling small puffs of white smoke from his nostrils as he exhaled. I smiled at the Quilava affectionately and returned to the sink to spit out the toothpaste and rinse quickly.
Again with the mirror. I couldn't tear myself away from it, knowing I'd forgotten something, but I couldn't quite place what exactly, until I spotted the white gold glinting out of the corner of my eye, right next to an origami Taillow sitting on my nightstand. I scooped up the necklace, looping it around my neck carefully and clipping the two ends together, adjusting the three amethysts so they rested along and between my collarbones, respectively. I smiled at the memory that suddenly invaded my mind, and felt a small flush rise to my face. Had I actually shed tears when Nema gave this to me? I trailed a finger along the cool metal, lost in thought until Souta gave a particularly loud snore and rolled over on my bed; I was jolted from my reverie, and blinked, tilting my head sideways to glance at the clock. It was almost seven. A last-minute panicky rush had me check myself over as many times as a few minutes could allow, until Tobi finally stepped in, gently stopping me and cupping my face in his paws.
"You look gorgeous, darlin'. Stop yer fussin' and get a move on. He'll be here any moment now, so why don't us two get downstairs now? I'm sure Taiki'd wanna get a look at ya before ya go, huh?" he mumbled in a serene voice, tilting my chin to the side as if to appraise me, a grin curling his black lips. I couldn't help but respond to that smile with a sheepish twitch of my own. As if Tobi would ever let me leave the house looking like a sorry little Rattata dragged in from a ditch. My Lopunny followed me down the set of stairs, where I was greeted by Taiki just as Tobi had promised; the Linoone looked me over quietly, winding himself around my legs once and sitting up on his haunches to gaze at me. "Be safe, brother. You know how I hate to stay home without you," he finally uttered, almost pouting at me in an endearing way. I stooped down to ruffle the fur between his ears. "I'll miss you too, Taiki." I whispered softly, speaking the immediate truth. Even now, I was loth to leave without my beloved companion, but I'd made it a point to keep my team apart from my first few outings with Nema. Tonight just wouldn't be an appropriate time to bring them with me.
Taiki looked at me mournfully as I stood, and I could feel his azure eyes that were so spookily alike my own on the back of my neck as I paced the front room, distracted by the scuffing footfalls of my bare paws. Several times I felt the irrevocable urge to rush back to the Linoone and clutch him tightly, promising I'd bring him with me despite my vow not to mingle my own Pokémon with Nema's unless our time together was spent more casually during the day rather than during the night, like it was now. As if sensing this mindset and responding to it, Taiki gave a soft wail of despair when a sharp knock sounded at the door, immediately sending my heart into a nervous flutter. Before I could even think of moving, my Kecleon, pardon, my shiny Kecleon, Schuyler, and his brother, Noah's Kecleon Croatan, appeared simultaneously as if out of nowhere and, in perfectly unrehearsed unison, gracefully unlatched the door and greeted the visitor. Schuyler was at my side in the next instant, giving me a much unneeded bow. "Artemis, you're being requested at the door." he crooned, flicking his brilliant blue tongue like his habit was, and showed me to the entrance, where he fetched Croatan and the twin Kecleon vanished further into the house, leaving me alone with Nema.
I couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked tonight, a fact that was further enhanced by the soft golden glow of the lanterns hanging from the eaves of the Japanese-style house I shared with my brother. He leaned against the doorframe with an easiness that had surprised me ever since I'd first met him, and offered me a grin that made his crimson eyes dance in the pool of flickering light he was bathed in. "Evening. You look pretty tonight." he greeted me, and I smiled shyly, flicking back my ears in a pleased fashion. He didn't wait for an answer, thank Arceus, a facet of his personality I'd come to respect immensely; Nema wasn't one to mind my often prolonged silences, and I liked that quality about him. I felt a good deal more confident within minutes, and soon he was walking me to his car, which, though I can admit openly that I don't care for such contraptions at all, was, even in my eyes, something to gape at. The color matched his eyes, and I contemplated for a moment whether the two were alike in more than just outward appearances.
Ever the gentleman, Nema opened my door for me, waiting for me to secure the seat belt across my lap before circling around the front and easing himself into the driver's seat next to me. "Where to first?" he turned to ask me as he backed the car out of the yard, a smile playing on his lips again. "Something to eat, maybe?" he continued immediately at the puzzled look on my face, and I glanced at him appreciatively; it didn't seem as though I ever had to lose what little confidence I had around him, though Nema did have his own ways to fluster me. "That sounds good, actually." I replied, accentuating this answer with a brief nod as the car accelerated on the road; I'd always been nervous in cars, the closed-in feeling getting the best of me on even short journeys, but Nema's was an open-top, what I assumed they called a sports car, and it made the trip easier to withstand, as I could feel the wind tugging at my hair and creating a soft hum in my sensitive ears. Still, I felt distrustful of the machine under me, and clutched the seat carefully. I preferred the feeling of riding a Pok?mon; my parents' Ponyta had been a long-time friend and my only means of transportation while Noah and I still lived in Ecruteak City. We had needed little more than that, and so I'd only very reluctantly passed my driving test. I didn't feel I needed that skill, but I assumed it'd come back and haunt me eventually so I'd given in.
Even so, I missed it; the feel of powerful muscles working under me, the radiating life force of that blazing, lively fire horse named Fjala. This car had no consciousness, no mind of its own, and it frightened me. I had a respect for it, yes, and to a certain extent I trusted it to work as Nema commanded it, but at all times, I kept my feet pressed against the floor, fidgeting nervously as if I expected to be thrown like Fjala had thrown me so many times. I knew Nema had to keep his eyes on the road, but I could sense him casting a glance or two at me, as if he'd noticed how anxious I seemed. At last, the car came to a halt and I breathed a silent sigh of relief, all too happy to get out of this murderous deathtrap. I could never understand why cars were needed, and for once felt happy that Kairuu worked so closely with Pokémon. I slipped out of the car a little too quickly, nearly tripping over myself and felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment when Nema grabbed my arm to prevent an all-too-unwelcome meeting with the pavement.
"You're not too comfortable in cars, then?" he asked me, seemingly amused by my clumsiness as I righted myself, studying my face with a kindly interest. I shook my head, self-conscious of my silly antics and concentrated on smoothing the fur on my tail, pretending that I was brushing dirt off it to escape his gaze and giving him a reply that would surely make him think I was odd. Eventually I decided it'd be impolite to ignore him. "I was never partial to them, no.." I mumbled, deciding to leave out the fact that I'd been raised with the idea that Pokémon were the ideal transportation, not to mention much safer than a polluting mess of steel and rubber. He didn't pursue the reason, instead chuckling softly and placing a reassuring hand at my back. "I'll make a note of that for next time. Come on, let's go inside." I followed obediently as he led me into the restaurant; I appreciated the quaint atmosphere of the Japanese place he'd chosen, and before long, a hostess appeared to show us to a table, where she left us after assuring that someone would be with us in just a moment.
Nema allowed me a moment to gaze about the restaurant, admiring the decor and lighting, leaning back in his chair as if he was bored. As I gradually finished exploring the inside of the place and stole a glance at him, he looked right back at me with a small smile that made me avert my eyes almost too quickly. It was as if I was afraid of looking at him; in a sense, I was. Surely he could read my mind. "Dakota tells me you're skilled at origami." he suddenly broke the silence with a subtle suggestion hidden beneath that statement; I flushed a pale pink, unsure what to say in response. I didn't like to gloat. People had told me they adored my work, but I wasn't sure I was that good. I finally nodded hesitantly, adding hastily "I hope he didn't exaggerate, I'm not that amazing.." and extracting another grin from Nema. He slipped a hand into his pocket, withdrawing a thousand-quid note and sliding it across the table as if as a silent request for me to give him an example. I reached out to take the makeshift paper, briefly touching his hand in the process. A subtle jolt passed through me and I flushed, retracting my hand quickly and concentrating on smoothing the note until it was to my liking.
I was aware Nema was following every movement my fingers made as they flew over the folds, pleating and creasing in quick succession as the form below took shape. I tugged a fold away from its mates, creating a head, and then continued to finalize the shape. Soon enough, a miniature paper replica of a Magikarp sat on the smooth surface of the table between us. "I can do more complicated pieces than that, but I usually use several pieces of actual origami paper for that." I said almost defensively as he picked up the fish delicately; he paused to look at me with an expression I couldn't quite read, but any response he would have made was interrupted by the waitress, who neatly placed a menu in front of both of us in turn, introduced herself as Hiyo, and patiently waited as Nema and I both contemplated our orders.
He was clearly waiting for me to order first, and I fidgeted quietly as I considered a vegetable stir-fry, finally relaying the order to the girl in perfect Japanese, which seemed to delight her somewhat. Nema ordered a spicy chicken dish I didn't quite catch the name of, and Hiyo gathered our menus, trailing off with the notepad and leaving us alone again. We passed the time with quiet conversation, mainly Nema asking me questions about myself and my preferences, while I answered as best I could, occasionally retaliating with a shy query of my own when I found it appropriate. I came to love his smile. Arceus knows I did; countless times he caught my eye and offered me that friendly quirk of the lips, and I shyly reciprocated that expression. I couldn't remember ever feeling so oddly at peace with myself, yet shy and anxious all at the same time. It was confusing. I was given a moment of peace when our food arrived, and for a while, I picked at my plate, chewing in silence though I knew I couldn't eat much. I was still getting used to eating regularly after refusing food for a long period of time.
I politely declined dessert, and we left the restaurant after Nema insisted upon picking up the check, refusing to let me so much as look at it. Our next destination was a movie theater; I barely remembered the name of the movie we saw. The dark theater was filled with people, and I nervously scooted to the edge of my seat, wishing I could have been anywhere else. Nema leaned closer to me, reassuringly slipping his hand over mine when the scenes became intense and I inadvertently let loose a soft whimper. I felt my stomach flip, suddenly glad that the room was dark when my face became all too warm for my liking. At one point, I was so unpleasantly surprised I actually squealed and buried my face in Nema's arm, something I regretted with a burning realization moments after, but Nema noticed none of my timid fear, drawing me close and protectively wrapping his arm around me. In the end, I rested my head on his shoulder hesitantly, and he leaned close to me, that faint, barely detectable smile on his face and the delicate scent of his cologne so strong to me it was enticing my senses and making me feel delightfully dizzy.
As the movie ended and we exited the theater, I dreaded getting back into that car of his; I still wasn't assured that the reeking metal trap was safe. Fortunately, this time the ride was much shorter; the sky was already darkening, sunset was already past, and barely could I still see the sky bathed in gold on the horizon. I smelled the salt on the wind before I heard the waves crashing against the beach, and curiously looked at Nema, who only gave me a quizzical look back as he pulled the car to a halt. I sat, watching the waves frothing as they raced to the shore, dragging an undulating design across the wet sand only to start the process all over again seconds later. "I thought you might enjoy a walk." he startled me for the third time that night, and I realized he was holding my door open for me so I could get out of the car. A walk along the beach. I managed to get out without incident this time, something I was inwardly pleased with, and felt my heart give an excited jump when I felt the pads of my feet touch the warm sand. Only a few other couples were there besides ourselves, picking out seashells or just standing and watching the waves.
We traversed the beach, unintentionally separating ourselves from the other people as we neared a wall of rocks that jutted out into the water; I climbed the smooth stones without a second thought, balancing on the slippery crags and gripping Nema's arm as we made our way to the end of the tidebreaker, where the rocks were flat and sturdy, flecked with seaspray whenever a new wave surged against the wall, sending up a frothy shower of salty water. I felt an arm around my shoulders and shivered slightly, suddenly realizing the cool sting of the breeze through my shirt. I pressed closer to the man beside me without a second thought, a move that surprised me in its boldness; I wanted to move away, but I was entranced by the melting pot of golds, yellows, oranges, pinks, and purples that the setting sun was splaying out across the waters. "It's beautiful," I heard myself whisper as I took in everything my five senses could. It was all so perfect. Too perfect. I suddenly became frightened something horrible would happen that would ruin everything, and I shuddered at the thought.
"Artie?"
I jolted at hearing my name, and looked up at Nema; there was a worried look in his eyes, and I realized I must've looked like a Stantler caught in the headlights of a car. I shook my head and leaned closer to him. "..nothing, I just..." I mumbled softly, afraid to bring up anything that might somehow make everything I'd experienced thus far obsolete. "I'm sorry." I smiled apologetically, and he replied with one of his own, one that made my heart race. "Don't say that. You've got nothing to be sorry for." he said, gently brushing a wayward strand of hair from my face, and I averted my eyes, but he turned my face carefully so that he could gaze at me, a more serious expression in his bloodred eyes now. I paused, unsure what I should be doing as he leaned close, holding me and bathing me with a sense of extreme safety. "I care about you a lot, you know." he said abruptly, causing my heart to skip a beat and my throat to constrict somewhat. How many times had I heard that before, how many times blindly believed it? "Everything you've gone through.. I don't want any of that to happen again." Yet for some reason I found myself instinctively tightening my grip around Nema, as if he was the only thing keeping me tethered to the surface on a sinking ship. I wanted to believe him. I wanted those words to be true so badly it made my chest ache. I looked back up at him, suddenly startled how close he was to me. Instead of my usual instinct to flee, I stayed perfectly still, the seaspray throwing dark flecks of color on my shirt and clinging to my hair so that the strands glistened in the rapidly fading light.
I wasn't even aware of the passing time anymore; I was caught in those brilliant, blood-red pools of color, so close now I swore I could almost see my own eyes reflected back at me. I inhaled his warm breath, almost intoxicated by it, and didn't know whether to bless or curse my advanced sense of smell; it was all I could do before the next few moments robbed me of all rational thought. The gentle pressure of his lips against mine was all it took to send a jolt of electricity coursing through my body, a crazed swarm of Butterfree breakdancing in my belly, and every single ounce of willpower I had not to pass out from the sudden feeling of weightlessness I experienced. He's so warm.. it feels so safe.., I found myself wondering silently even as my ears relaxed, my tail drooped, and my eyelids fluttered shut. I don't know how much time passed; I was lost, clinging to the faint shred of light that was Nema. Surely this was all just a wonderful dream. Any moment I'd wake up and find myself in my own room, in my own bed, clutching a pillow or unfortunate Taiki who had the misfortune of being subjected to my nightly visions.
I began to realize, even as the contact between us broke, and I found myself once more on that rocky outcrop on the beach, my arms still safely around him, that it was all real. It wasn't until he placed another kiss near the corner of my mouth that I knew this was happening; I could see the sparks crackling into the rapidly darkening night, and smiled shyly as I always had, resting my cheek against his warm chest, reassured by his rapidly beating heart that this wasn't a dream. He ran a hand through my hair, carefully trailing them over an ear as if to experience the inhuman texture of the fur, and I let him, though I normally abhorred any foreign contact to them, much like I did with my tail. I could hear him breathe steadily, holding me securely as we watched two Mantine sail across the black waves, chasing each other and calling out as they finally vanished into the depths of the sea.
We sat, his arms around my shoulders as I leaned back against him, watching the eerily luminous patches of water fading and lighting up in different spots as schools of Chinchou and Lanturn communicated somewhere in the crushing depths. I imagined I saw a Gyarados lunging out of the water and vanishing again, but it happened so rapidly I wasn't certain; nonetheless, it made me shiver, and Nema pulled me close, thinking I was cold. Several Staryu lay on the beach or in the shallows of tidepools, the red gems in their centers pulsating with a dim light. I fancied they were communicating with the stars above us, like so many researchers had concluded. I didn't want it to end, but all good things had to, sooner or later. Nema helped me pick my way through the dark stones, catching me when I lost my footing, and we returned to his car in silence. I reluctantly slipped into my seat, all too prepared for the drive home, but all the more relaxed now; I managed to avoid clutching my seat with a death grip, responding with an embarrassed flush when Nema gave me a knowing grin, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as he guided the car along the road.
All too soon I could see the flickering lanterns of my house, and a small seed of disappointment began to sprout. Nema left the car further away, just so he could walk me to the door; my tail gave a pleased twitch, and I smiled inwardly at the warmth in my face. "I really hope you had a good time." he said as I turned to bid him good night. I blinked shyly, trying to avoid blurting out just how amazing I thought everything had been. "I... it was perfect." I mumbled shyly, my confidence slipping at that moment. He surprised me with another kiss, bringing a fresh blush to my face, and offered me another of his amazing grins. "I assume that means there'll be many more to come." Before I could react to that, he smiled, wishing me a good night, and returned to his car. I stood watching him in the puddle of light that the red lantern above me provided, listening to the engine coming to life, the initial roar subsiding to a steady purr, and only turned to go inside when I was sure I could no longer detect the sound of the motor.
Noah wasn't home; I could only assume he was spending the night with Dakota. I latched the door, wandering to the staircase in a daze, unaware that Schuyler and Croatan were watching me from the living room, considering my actions with satisfied smiles on their faces. I managed to make my way to my bathroom, slipping out of the night's clothing and tugging on only a pair of shorts to sleep in, just barely remembering to brush my hair and teeth, to turn off the lights and finally crawl into my bed beside Taiki, who was eagerly awaiting my final return. He scooted up to me, happily nuzzling my neck and loosing a soft crooning sound as I hugged him close. "I missed you." was all he muttered, and I rubbed my hand along his head, extracting a rough purr from my Linoone. "I missed you, too."
Maybe I'd wait until tomorrow to reveal just what had gone on during those few hours I was with Nema; for now, I wanted to recall every second of that first kiss on the beach, and I soon slipped into a state of sleep, the faint scent of Nema's body still fresh in my mind as if he were right there beside me.
I knew I'd sleep well tonight.