“Are you sure about this?”

Adin looked over at Fae; the togetic had a worried expression on her face that told the shiny vulpix what she though of what he was planing.  “Yeah, I'm sure... this is something that I have to do Fae...”  he looked away and stared down at the ground with a hallow look on his face, “I can't – I won't be able heal if I don't.”

The togetic nodded solemnly, and gave her boyfriend a hug, “Don't forget that you were going to meet your sister out here in just a little bit.”

Adin rolled his eyes and gave a half smile as he returned the hug, “Don't worry, you know I won't leave her around waiting.”

“Adin, if you want to talk when you're done...” Fae trailed off.

Adin didn't say anything; he just gave Fae a kiss.  She flew off when he turned to look at the hospital that seemed to loom over him.  He looked down at the flowers he had picked out, spending the time to look up their meanings: asphodel, white and purple heather, as well as white and purple hyacinths.  He sighed, and wondered if, after he left the flowers, anyone else would understand their meanings.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&

René walked out of Faith's room in the Viridian City hospital, where she had been recovering from yet another cast-inducing accident. As he walked through the hospital to make his weekly visit to his mother, he spied a mon he didn't know...but had seen at school.

Adin had no idea that René was in the hospital, or he more than likely would have never have come in here, at least not today.  As it was, however, he went up to a nurses station and seemed to be asking the Chansey standing there something, before he turned and headed off down the hall, stopping in front of a Room that René knew intimately.

Seeing a mon he didn't know outside his mother's room raised a bit of a red flag with René, “Um, can I help you?”

Adin's tails frizz up as he heard a voice that he had never talked to, but still recognized.  Even given the likely hood of running into him here, René was actually not someone Adin had wanted to meet at the moment.  He tucked the bouquet of flowers he was holding behind his back and turned to face René with the best smile he could muster.  “Oh!  Uhh, René, right?  Umm, hi...”

“Hi....” René replied as he caught sight of the vanished bouquet, “um, you have me at a disadvantage....you are?”

Adin held out his free hand, “Oh, right.  Sorry, I'm Adin LeFeu.  I've uh, heard you're name around the school more than a few times.”

René took the hand in a shake, “Oh well, thanks um....what have you heard?”

The shiny vulpix smiled a little more sincerely, “Well, you're one of the most connected mon in the school; I think the most concise thing to say would be that you're... 'unique'. ... And I don't dare repeat some of the things I've heard that Weaver girl grumbling about you.”

René was heating nicely, “Ah....*cough* Well um, if you don't mind my asking... what are you doing outside my mother's room with flowers?”

The smile vanished from Adin's face, and he looked somewhere between embarrassed and ashamed as his ears folded back.  He slowly brought the bouquet out from behind his back. “Well, I was... I just...” he seemed to be fumbling for words, “I - just wanted to drop these off in there...”

“A lot of people have flowers delivered...” René nodded, ”...fans mostly. But you would've been too young to see my mom when she was still...” he looked away for a moment and starts again. “Why?”

Adin turned away and looked at the floor, “Would you believe me if I said I saw her in person once, when I was younger?”  He forced himself to look back at René for his answer.

The look of surprise that crossed René's face seemed to fill the corridor, “I have no reason to disbelieve you....when was this?”

Adin took a moment, and looked around uncomfortably at the few people who were passing by, “Would you mind if I told you inside?” He asked, indicating Vera's room.

René stepped out of the way, “If that's what you want...” he opened the door and bid the other vulpix enter, following after him. Lying in front of them was the still prone form of Vera Kitsunegari, surrounded with flowers and gifts from her fans and family---i.e. René. She was still lovely...even after nine years in a coma.

Adin entered, and seems to stare for a long moment at Vera's prone figure.  His face and eyes seemed... empty.  No sadness, no happiness, no anger.  He finally took his bouquet and set it with some of the others.  Seeing it next to the others, it's apparent that the selection of flowers in it is... different then the others.  Adin stared at the flowers and began to talk only after the door was shut, “René, have you ever heard of the expression, 'A Butterfree flaps it's wings in Hoenn and we get a Typhoon here'?”  Adin turned to face directly at René.

“Mostly in philosophy classes...now can you explain why you came?”

The two vulpixes locked eyes, Adin's words coming out harsher then he intended, “Because I'm a Butterfree and your mom was struck by lighting!”  He stopped and turned away, looking at Vera's unmoving form, his voice becoming much quieter, “I... I came to tell her that... I'm sorry for flapping my wings...”

René took a half-step back before rallying himself, ”Sorry? What are you talking about?”

“I -” Adin stopped, and took a deep breath, before taking a seat in a chair next to the bed, and indicated René should do the same.  “When I was 7, my family came to Viridian City for a huge convention my dad was speaking at.”  He stopped and looked up at the ceiling, remembering, “My mother, she wanted to go have a little time to herself in the city while my dad 'watched the kids' in our hotel room.  I decided that I wanted to say goodbye to mom for the day, so when I heard she had left early, I went down to the Lobby to see if I could still catch her.  I saw her outside talking to another Ninetales-” He paused and looked over at Vera, “while they waited for a cab.  I went running out when I saw my mom start to get into one that had just pulled up.”  Adin's ears folded back again in shame as he recalled what happened next* There were some stone steps leading down to street side and... and I tripped.

Taking a seat next to him, René looked confused, “So our mom's were talking and you tripped....I must be a bit dense today because so far I don't see how this requires you to apologize for anything.”

The look that Adin gave René almost seemed a bit angry, but he calmed himself, and turned back to Vera, “Like I said: I tripped.  I fell, and... I cried.  My mother turned and saw me lying there, and she signaled for the other Ninetales... your mom... to take the cab instead.  As my mother held me and checked to make sure I hadn't really hurt anything, I looked up and saw the cab pulling away.  It- it didn't even make it a block before...” Adin stopped, and looked back at René with his eyes starting to look wet, “Your mother was in that car... that ACCIDENT, because I tripped and cried!”

René was stunned into silence, his face paling, ”...I see...” he looked down. 

Adin turned away and looks at the floor as well, “There's... a little more to it than that.  If I HADN'T fallen, then that would have been my mother in the accident.  And, as bad as this sounds... I was so glad that SHE was the one who was spared and not your mom!”  His face seemed to flush with inward anger, “and I always felt so guilty for thinking like that!  It was- I just - ! “  Adin raised his hands into fists, and then let them drop as he let out a long breath.

“Adin...” René put his hand on Adin's shoulder, “you can't blame yourself for what some drunk idiot did. Do you think things would be better if it were you or your mom who was in that bed? Or worse?”

Adin grasped René's wrist, and started to shake a little, “Better for who?  I've got a whole family who loves me.  We could have gotten through it together, but you...”  Adin looked up at René with teary eyes, “I'm not deaf, René; I've heard about the things you've gone through, what you've had to put up with... how much better would your life have been if you'd a shoulder to cry on at home, huh?”

René looked away, “....it just - doesn't work that way. You can't say that the life of a person from a small family is worth more than the life of someone from a larger one.  Yes, I miss mom....I love her now more than ever...but you can't blame yourself for that.”  He sniffles,  “....but how do you think I would feel if our positions were reversed? That it was my mom--or me--coming into your mom's room to beg forgiveness for not taking that taxi instead of your mom. What would you say?”

“I... I mean... I don't-”  Adin fell silent, and absently wiped his eyes.  As he did, he stopped cold, and looked down at his now tear-stained hand.  He seems shocked as he looked at it.  After a long moment, his lips curled into the tiniest of happy smiles.  “You jerk” he whispered.

“I've been called that a lot....care to elaborate?”  René just regarded Adin cooly, no anger present in his voice.


Adin looked up at René with a smile as tears ran down his cheeks, “After the accident, I promised myself that I'd never cry again, because I didn't want anyone else to be hurt just because I could take care of myself.  I kept that promise, and haven't let a tear slip since then.”  He gave René a light punch in the arm, “Now two minutes in a room with you, and you've got me crying like a Bonsly!”

René rubbed his arm, “Yeah....most people cry when they meet me. It's okay...I appreciate you telling me this but I don't need...or want....you blaming yourself for what happened. It's okay.”

Adin chuckled, “Yeah, I've heard THAT about you, too.  Look, I can't say that I'm every going to feel entirely okay with... this...”  He looked over at Vera's still form, “but I think coming here will help me heal.”  As he turned back to René, he stopped cold as his ears twitched a little.  Something in the air changed a bit as he looked over at the door,  “Geeze, I forgot what time it was...”  he looked up at the other vulpix for a moment, “René... there someone outside the door who I'd like you to meet.  Would you mind if she came in?”

René shook his head, “Not at all.”

Adin nodded to the door, and though it didn't open, a small mon came through it none the less.  The vulpix that stepped through is small, and almost frail looking.  Almost everything about her was white; her bleached robes, her brilliant fur; she was even wreathed in white smoke.  The only things on here that weren't white were the small motes of blue and purple that flitted through her smoke, and her eyes; here eyes were solid black orbs, and seemed to not even be reflective.  Her entire demeanor radiated calm as she floated over to the two older vulpix and gave a little bow.

“Um, hello!” René gave a little bow back, “And who are you, miss?”

Standing up, Adin made the introductions, “Oni, this is René Vulpes, and that's his mother over there... René, this is my little sister, Yuurei Oni LeFeu.  She's eight.”  Oni nodded and smiled, giving René a little hug.  As she did, a brief vision of a garden of flowers appeared in René's mind, before it vanished back into the room they were in.

Returning the hug, René smiled, “What a cutie....I take it she has some psychic abilities?”

Adin nodded, “More than some, in point of fact.  She's a prodigy... but I guess that comes with her being a ghost type...” he gave his sister a loving hug, which she returned.

“A ghost type? But she's a vulpix...” René rubbed her head kindly, “Why is she here, if I may ask?”

Adin cleared his throat, “She's what's called a delta... no one quite knows what causes them, but every once in a while, a mon is born... the wrong type.  Consequently, my little sister can't even make an ember...” He gave her a hug, “but she can float through walls, and has WAY more telepathic abilities than a normal vulpix would.”

“Well she's adorable.” René said, scratching her ears.

The little vulpix smiled and hugged René again happily.  “Well, you're right about that,” Adin spoke, “about the only thing that you could really say is 'wrong' with her... is that she can't speak.  Even when I talk to her telepathically, she can't answer with words.”

René hugged her back, lifting her off her feet and rubbing noses with her, “Awww, she doesn't need to speak in order to be adorable, do you honey?”

Oni shook her head, and returned René's Eskimo kiss.  Being able to float on her own, she weighed almost nothing to René.  Adin reached over and gave her hair a little rub, “As to the second question you asked, René... it probably didn't click with you when I said it before, but... she's ~eight~.”

René smiled at her but then frowned as he tries to think about the implications of her age, “I... don't understand.”

Adin sighed and lifted his sister from René's arms, “The accident was 9 years ago, René; Oni was born 11 months ~after~ that.”
  
“So your parents conceived a child right around the time of my mother's accident. What are you--are you saying that if your mom had taken that taxi, she could've lost the baby?”  He could only stare at the pair blankly.

Adin sighed and shook his head, “point of fact, She was conceived after the accident... as to the implications...” he looked at his sister for a moment, “instead of saying what I was contemplating when I walked into the hospital, after the conversation we've had...” he smiled, “I'll say that you like her, she likes you, and that's good enough.”

René nodded and gave the little girl another hug, “Works for me!”

Adin just stood by and watched René and Oni hug for a while.  His smile faded a little as he gave a polite cough, “Ahem.  I hate to interrupt, but... Even if you don't blame me for anything... I 'd like to make this official... “

René looked up at Adin, “Please, you don't have to...”

The smirk Adin gave René seemed almost sad, “Yes, I do... if not for you or your mother, then at least, for my own peace of mind.”  He paused and straightened up, taking a deep breath for what he had come here to do as he turned towards Vera's bed, “Vera Kitunegari... I'm sorry.  I'm sorry for being at least part of the reason you're in this bed.”  He turned back to René, “And I'm sorry that my actions, even if they were accidental or indirect, have caused you so much grief and strife, René Vulpes.  Even if you don't blame me... you still have my apology.” he sighed, seeming drained.

“...if it makes you feel better...then I accept your apology, though none was called for or needed.”

Adin smiles and nods, his frame seeming to lighten, “Thanks, René; I don't think you'll ever quite know how much I just needed to hear that.”  He turned and looked at Vera,  “Though I hope someday, I can hear it from you, too, Ma'am.”

René smiled wistfully, “Someday....” to change the subject to something less somber, he musses Oni's headfur, “Cute kid sister you have.”

Oni smiles at René, as here hair seems to naturally float back into it's original form.  She reaches up and musses René's hair in return, before hopping down and going to stand by the head of Vera's hospital bed.  As she looked over Vera's body, the blue and purple motes of color that ran through her smoke detached and formed into three small Gastlys, each one's core only about the size of a softball.  the all stared at Vera with her.

A bit put off, René looked over at Adin, “Um...is that normal?”

Adin chuckled a little, “Oh, sorry; those three have been with her since she was about three.  She just wandered back into the house with them in tow one day.  The two blue ones are Haze and Mist, and the purple guy is Smoke.”  all three turned towards René long enough to proclaim themselves as feral pokemon are want to do, before going back to looking at Vera.  “I usually forget they're even around.  They won't do any harm, but I'll ask her to stop if you're uncomfortable with them...”

“Uh, no it's fine....” it did seem slightly morbid to see three feral ghosts hovering over his mom's prone body, but if Oni liked them then René wouldn't feel right objecting.

The ghost seemed to be working in unison with Oni, moving to look over Vera's entire form.  It was odd, but the more they looked, the quieter the room seemed to get.  Adin's fur began to stand on end as he looked on at his sister, “Oni... what-” He fell silent as Oni closed her eyes in concentration, the gastlys doing the same.  His eyes went wide in response; he had only seen her like this once before.

René was looking more and more disturbed, “Okay, now I ~am~ starting to think about wanting those ghosts gone...”

Everything seemed to stop as the gastlys floated back into Oni.  Then, something happened.  Though her lips never moved, both older vulpix began to hear... a song.  There were no words, only tones, notes and cords, but the little vulpix seemed to be sending the song through her telepathy and although it contradicted what Adin had said about her, the voice singing the song unmistakably belonged to ~her~.

“...wow...” was the only thing René could think to as as he listened in awe.

“Oni...” Adin whispers her name softly.  He looks over to René to make sure that he was hearing it too, before turning back to his sister and just... listening.  The song was beautiful, but also sad, and haunting; it seemed fitting for being sung by a ghost.  she sang for almost 4 minutes before letting the melody trail off.  When she was finished, she turned to her brother and René and gave them both a thin smile.  She glided over to René at eye level, and after staring into his eyes for a second, gave him a hug.

René hugged her back gently, “Wha - what was that for?”

Adin sighed, giving a little shrug and a smile as he petted her head, “I don't know; she has her own reasons for doing things.  What I do know is that this makes you the second person to ever hear her voice, telepathic or otherwise.  Before this, I'd only heard her sing once before, when I snuck her down to the bottom of Snowpoint Temple to look at the statue.”

René Looked genuinely touched, “I--I'm honored.” 

Adin nodded, and plucked his sister off of René, “Well, I guess this means she REALLY likes you.”  He rubbed noses with Oni, “Not that I see anything wrong with that.”

“Heh, I get along with kids well. Meghan DeCinder's little sister Maggie--she's Oni's age--calls me her brother-sister!”

“Yeah, I know; I think I hear your name at least once every time she's out on the floor helping train mon!”  Adin laughed.

“She's a sweetie” René beamed at the little vulpix, “like Oni!”

Adin nodded, “Maybe they'll end up teammates, who knows?  Speaking of the DeCinders, you're pretty close to them... do you when might be a good time to 'talk business' with Meghan?”

“Hmm....when she's not on a date with Vosa or training with her team. What sort of business are you thinking of?”

“Well, now that we've gotten a good footing in Viridian, my dad wants to start up some distribution deals for our health food and sport/energy drinks with some local gyms, and the DeCinder Gym has a great reputation.”

“Sounds like a neat idea. I'd try talking to her when she has a minute at school. When she's at the gym she's usually swamped.”

Adin nodded thoughtfully, “Alright, thanks.”  He looked at the clock above Vera's head, “speaking of my dad, though, we should get home for dinner soon.”

“Okay. Thanks for stopping by and...well, it was good meeting you. And Oni!”

Adin nodded and reached his hand out, “you're welcome, and thanks for letting me get this stuff of my chest, René.”

“Anytime.” René answered with a shake.

Adin shook, then hesitated for a moment, scratching the back of his head, “Umm. there's one more thing I wanted to ask, though it's a bit embarrassing...”

“Go on; I won't laugh or make you feel uncomfortable.”

Adin's cheeks flushes a bit, “What kind of conditioner do you use on your tails?  The air quality and stuff in Viridian is a lot different than what I'm used to., and my are always a frizzy nightmare.”

René beamed with pride born for knowledge, “Oh! Well, you're coming down from up north, so... try something with a higher pH.”

Adin nodded, though still seemed a little embarrassed having to ask for grooming advice, “Thanks; I'll try that!  Listen, if you're ever in the Meshi district, don't be a stranger; I'm sure we've got a poffin flavor you'd like!”

René smiled as the two vulpix left the room, “Neat, thanks!”


&&&&&&&&&&&&&&