Hearts Intertwined By Fire

Chapters

Couple Questions
Love
Fights
Broken
Cold
Sensitive
Beautiful
Clingy
Rough
Backpack
Hair
Curses
Experince
Nightmares
Cuts
Silence
Blood
Understanding
Riceballs
Bad
Eavesdropping
Knowing
Flirt
Mistletoe
Pillow
Caught
Afraid
Sleep
Cuddle
Wall
Nickname
Fear
Virginity
Research
Repay
Heartbeat
Angry
Pee
Hard
Surprises
Rare
Family
Period
Private
Wet
Aid
Desperate
Slow
Punch
Beg
Voice
Regret
Swears
Sleepy
Cry
Realizations
Kiss
Protective
Remote
Elevator
Password
Rescue
Cheat
Pleasure
Clean
Reopenings

Couple Questions

Couple Questions

How was their first meeting?

Not a personal meeting as Kojiro was there as well but they didn't think too fondly of each other since they were literally just shoved together and told to be teammates.

Who kissed who first?

Musashi kissed Nyarth first

Who made the first move?

Musashi unknowingly told Nyarth. Nyarth later made the move to show that he knew and returned the feelings.

What's the relationship like?

Questionable at times since they normally yell at each other a lot. But very few actually see their steady and loving relationship.

What do they like most about each other?

Musashi likes the fact that Nyarth doesn't let himself be pushed around for what and who he is. She also finds him rather cute.

Nyarth likes Musashi's take charge and leader-like abilities... And her hair.

What are the dates like?

Normally start and/or end in some kind of argument. When completely alone, they open up more to each other.

What was their most romantic date?

Taking a day off to watch the sun and moon for twenty-four hours straight.

Who cleans the most?

Both do not like to clean but Nyarth is more likely to do so.

Who is the messiest?

Both are pretty messy. Musashi tops Nyarth by a little bit.

Who's most clingy?

Nyarth. He hides it normally, though.

Who usually cooks?

They don't bother themselves with that. But Nyarth is more likely to and is better at it.

Who is most motherly?

Musashi can be when/if Nyarth is pushed over his emotional limit.

Who's the most possessive?

Musashi doesn't like anyone trying to separate her and Nyarth.

Who gets jealous the easiest?

Nyarth. He has almost been easy to make jealous.

Who has the best table manners?

Both have terrible table manners but Musashi can be neat at times.

Who remembers the important stuff?

Nyarth is usually the brains of the operations.

Who has the most nightmares?

Nyarth. Normally of the past or what could become of them.

Who steals the blankets?

Both do so equally.

Do they enjoy dancing?

Musashi does. Nyarth... Not so much.

Do they ever go swimming together?

Sometimes.

Do they ever cook together?

Rarely.

Do they enjoy a good round of truth or dare?

Yes, but it quickly gets out of control.

Do they enjoy pillow fights?

Yes, but it quickly gets out of control.

Do they ever play sports together?

Being criminals is a sport enough for them.

Do they give each other nicknames?

Sometimes. Musashi has a cheesy nickname for Nyarth that only she is allowed to call him

Have they ever gone skinny dipping?

Once unintentionally.

Favourite food?

Unnecessary for Musashi. Nyarth likes riceballs.

Favourite ice cream?

Musashi likes strawberry and Nyarth likes vanilla.

Thoughts on wine?

No opinion. They have other things to get drunk on.

What do they do when they're bored?

Boredom is not a normal occurrence. Normally they go mess with the twerps.

How do they comfort each other when one of them is scared?

Musashi pets him and treats him like a child until he calms down.

Nyarth tries to comfort her using his humour and speech.

What are their careers?

Roketto-dan agents/criminals

Who is the big spoon?

Musashi. She's bigger and more willing to cuddle Nyarth than the other way around.

Do they go to sleep at the same time as each other?

Most times.

What do they do when the other is stressed?

Keep their distance normally until the other calms themselves down.

How do they spend time if the other is gone?

Rarely ever apart for long periods of time. If they are, they worry about each other.

Thoughts on PDA(Public Displays of Affection)?

Not okay with them. It's one thing to be in a relationship that is Human X Pokemon and then another to openly display that.

Thoughts on each other's friends?

Kojiro. He's their best friend.

What do they hate most about each other?

Musashi hates Nyarth's cocky and sarcastic attitude.

Nyarth hates Musashi's over-confident and angry attitude.

Who seems most likely to cheat on the other?

Musashi, though she would never do that.

What would happen when the other is caught cheating?

Musashi would probably become mad and hit Nyarth.

Nyarth would express anger and then silently break down.

What was their worst fight?

Musashi hit Nyarth too hard making him lash out, scratching her deeply and drawing blood.

How often are the fights?

A few each week. Normally nothing serious though.

Who usually apologizes first?

Nyarth usually apologizes first.

Have they ever kissed in the rain?

Once.

Their favourite ways of being held?

Musashi just likes to hold Nyarth to her chest and wrap her arms around him. Nyarth likes this too.

What happens when the other is getting flirted with?

Musashi plays along with it without going too far.

Nyarth makes smartass comments and plays along as well.

Who tops during sex?

Normally Musashi though Nyarth can get control sometimes

Most sensitive areas?

Musashi's hair.

Nyarth's charm and tail.

How do they like their sex? (Fast, slow, gentle, rough, etc)

Musashi doesn't care as long as she doesn't hurt Nyarth.

Nyarth likes it gentle but can take rough at times.

How rough can the sex get before it's taken too far?

Up until Nyarth starts crying is when they stop.

Favourite sex positions?

Musashi holding Nyarth against a wall.

If they would have a threesome, who would their third choice be?

Kojiro.

Who said ‘I love you’ first?

Musashi unknowingly told Nyarth

Love

Nyarth knows Musashi loves him and he knows he loves her. But Musashi knows she loves him and doesn't know that he loves her back. Kojiro notices the change in both of his friends and pulls Nyarth aside to question him. With his friend's support, the scratch cat, finally confesses to Musashi.

Something was... off about his two friends. They seemed a little, awkward around each other, Nyarth especially. It didn't help that, as they walked, he was in the middle of the two and so, he was able to pick up the sideways glances the two gave each other.

When he had woken up, the two were already up and about but the awkwardness was still there, like something happened between the two. And he was still yet to apologize to Nyarth. The only reason he would've asked him that question was because he was cold. He had been tired and irritated and had taken his anger out of Nyarth, not being able to think properly.

He hadn't meant to hurt him like that and the hurt expression on his face still bothered him. He needed to tell him he was sorry, while also finding out just what was up with his friends.

Glancing down to the feline in question, Kojiro simply said, "Can I talk to you Nyarth?"

The scratch cat shifted his head, as if his voice had snapped him out of some sort of trance. Looking up to him, he responded, "Uh, sure. Talk away Kojiro" He seemed on edge, like something was bothering him.

"Alone?" he pressed as the three stopped.

Musashi shared a brief, confused glance with Nyarth as she turned and sat on a stump at the edge of the dirt road. "I'm not even going to ask what you want to talk to him about, but just make it quick" she said lazily as she tried her hardest to avert her eyes from Nyarth. She was failing though.

Carefully, Kojiro led the feline to behind a few bushes a little bit away from the road to which he crouched down to his level, noticing the nervous movements of him.

"Look Nyarth, I'm sorry for my outburst last night. It wasn't your fault and... I know I hurt you. But I'm sorry" He never was good with apologies, especially with the stubborn feline that was one of his best friends.

The scratch cat looked up to him, a slight wave of confusion encasing his gaze before he snapped out of it, remembering the ordeal the night before. "It's alright Kojiro. I forgive ya" he simply said.

This caught Kojiro off guard. Normally, he would jump into a long and drawn out explanation on why he shouldn't forgive him but then end it with his forgiveness. This time, he had jumped straight to the end and now, he stared at him. The smile plastered on his face was fake, that was obvious. There was no spark in his voice or his eyes and he basically looked on edge, like he had something on his mind.

Something was bothering him and Kojiro was going to get to the bottom of this.

"Is dat all?" Nyarth asked simply, his voice sinking to an emotionless one. That was the final straw for Kojiro.

"Actually, no. You and Musashi seem a little... different today. I was wondering, what happened?" he asked carefully, unsure of the reaction he was going to get.

He was right to be careful with the situation for Nyarth seemed to freeze up, the smile fading away from his face. He seemed almost in a panic and if he didn't know him as well as he did, he would've thought that he was scared.

Maybe he was.

"I-I dun know what ya're talkin' 'bout K-Kojiro..." he stuttered out. Nyarth never stuttered. That was a severe red flag.

"Please Nyarth. Just tell me, you trust me right?" Kojiro gently questioned him.

The one in question averted his stubborn gaze downwards, as if the question was so hard to answer. After what felt like an eternity, he nodded his head but still refused to look up.

"'Course I trust ya" he stated quietly. That was so unlike Nyarth that Kojiro carefully reached his hand out a grazed his fingers against the top of his head. It wasn't really a pet though. If there was one thing he knew about Nyarth, it was that he hated being treated like a Pokemon. He respected him, he wouldn't do that to him.

Surprised by the gesture, he looked up to him and simply stared for a few long moments before he looked away, his tail twitching slightly behind him. Letting out a soft sigh, he looked back to his friend and spoke, "Okay Kojiro. Ya win, I'll tell ya" His voice wasn't really defeated but it was lowered in volume.

"So, last night, afta ya... Ya know, rejected me. I-" he started but was interrupted to which he hid his annoyance.

"I'm sorry about that" Kojiro added quickly.

"I know but, afta dat, I-I basically t'ought I would probably freeze ta deat' an' dat would allow me ta cry maself ta sleep. But den, Musashi... Sh-she must've heard me or somet'in' 'cause she came ova ta me an'... She asked me ta sleep wid her" Nyarth explained quietly, his thoughts in a jumble as he remembered when she had come to him in the cold.

The mere thought of Musashi asking someone, Nyarth especially, to sleep with her came as a surprise to Kojiro but he decided to not interrupt him.

"Da strange t'in' 'bout all of dat is dat when I tried to get closa ta her... She pulled me closa ta her, an'-an' I liked it" he paused briefly, remembering the feeling of surprise and warmth that had overtaken him in that moment.

Shaking his head, he continued on. "We-We were 'bout ta fall asleep when she said somet'in' an' afta t'inkin' 'bout it. I-I t'ink I feel da same way" By this point, he had completely looked away.

Kojiro could tell that something was still bothering him, something just needed to get off his chest. But what could Musashi have said that Nyarth could feel the same way about which would lead them both to acting like this?

"And what was that Nyarth?"

He couldn't hold it in anymore, he needed to tell him. "She said dat she loved me an' I love her taa" he stated confidently as he looked back to his friend.

Fights

Their fights were always simple and routine and never really went anywhere. But when Musashi accidentally hurts Nyarth, he lashes out.

Broken

After yet another failure to capture Pikachuu, a typical blast off ends badly when Nyarth injures himself. Musashi takes it upon herself to take care of him, whether he wants her to, or not.

Cold

Nyarth gets cold again one night and goes to Musashi for warmth.

Sensitive

During a relaxing night, Musashi discovers the various sensitive areas of Nyarth.

Beautiful

Musashi watches Nyarth. She watches everything he does and everything he is. She can't help but believe that everything about him, is beautiful.

Clingy

Nyarth is very clingy towards Musashi. Musashi just finds Nyarth cute when he's jealous.

Rough

During one their daily nights alone, Musashi accidentally pushes Nyarth too far, reducing him to tears and revealing his vulnerable side again. Musashi does her best to comfort him, knowing that she had hurt him.

Backpack

Nyarth gets a new habit that Musashi isn't sure what to make of it. She allows it though, since he just looks so cute while doing it.

Hair

Nyarth really likes Musashi's hair, so he decides to play with it.

Curses

Nyarth continuously calls Musashi out for her slipping of curses. That is until, he blows his own top off when yelling at the twerps. Musashi finds it more cute than anything.

Experince

Nyarth experiences just how it would normally feel to be the female in a relationship when Musashi finds another purpose for their shared dildo.

Nightmares

Musashi and Nyarth are plagued with nightmares of what will come. They both hide their suffering from each other but Kojiro notices. And he is determined to show the two this as well.

Cuts

Nyarth has tried to hide it but when Kojiro and Musashi find out one night, he is forced to face a fear he never wanted to face. When Nyarth runs off, Kojiro informs Musashi on just what Nyarth fears and together, they hope to reassure their hurt friend.

He winced slightly as the skin on his arm split and the gleaming metal slipped into the open wound, the wound of which he had just created alongside many others from other nights. His paw held the small knife shakingly, tears streaming from his blue eyes as he remembered just why he was doing this. This was the only way he could relieve himself of the pain without the others knowing.

The cuts were always small and his fur would always cover them up, but the rare time one was noticed, he would just say that it was because of a fall or trip instead of the truth.

But since when was that new? He was a liar, a manipulator. How they still trusted him, he didn't know. And they, his best friends, were the very reason these thoughts existed. He didn't blame them. No, he loved Kojiro as a best friend. He loved Musashi as the lover he never thought he would have. Then who did he blame?

Who else but himself?

He was more of a failure than the three of them combined. He should have never been born, only to become the center of most of his friends' problems. The pain of his self-hatred was enough to send him over his emotional edge, something that rarely happened. He did this to himself to show himself just how much of a reject and a failure he was.

He wanted to remind himself that no matter how much he loved someone and no matter how much someone else said they loved him too, he was alone and he was unloved and useless. The only reason he was still there was because he was a Pokemon that could walk and talk. That was it. Nobody thought he was special for just being himself. Nobody.

The tears were uncontrolled, his sobs silent as he had grown used to these episodes. The bushes that surrounded him sealed him from the world, the only thing bringing him out of his pit of misery was the knife of which he so carefully cut into his flesh. It hurt and he deserved every bit of the self-inflicted pain.

His black ears were flattened to the top of his head and even his whiskers drooped as he had transformed from his lively and confident self to a broken and useless excuse for a Pokemon. He hated it. He hated all of it.

Wrapping his tail around his shaking form, he wondered if Kojiro and Musashi wondered where he would run off to this late at night. Maybe they wondered but didn't care enough to go in search of him. The thought sent a new, fresh wave of tears into his eyes, shaking his entire being as a choked sob escaped his throat. The blood from his self-inflicted wound dripped from his arm, to which he pulled the knife away and watched the blood drip with blurry, unfocused eyes.

Then, a snap sounded behind him, his sharp hearing snapping him back to reality. He froze, the small knife still in paw as he waited for a sign that the snap wasn't just his imagination. The rustle of bushes signified just what he was fearing all these times. He was going to be caught in the act.

Quickly yet quietly, he tossed the small knife underneath a nearby bush and forced the tears away, using all of his energy to rid himself of them. In doing so, he clutched his bleeding arm to his side, leaving it there and feeling the blood clot in his fur.

He just sat, silently hoping that whatever or whoever it was would turn around and leave and leave him to his 'work'. He hated calling it that, but he was receiving no joy in the pain. But he had to call it work. It only felt right.

"Nyarth, are you there?"

He knew that voice anywhere. Pricking his ears slightly, he couldn't help but let out a small breath of relief to himself to know that it wasn't Musashi. But it was still Kojiro. He was no stranger to the feline. Nyarth knew he had to play his cards right so Kojiro didn't become suspicious of him. Any other time, this would be a piece of cake. Now, he just felt vulnerable and lost. Acting like himself would prove to be a harder task than he had first anticipated.

Gaining control of his voice, he spoke, not daring to look back behind him where he was sure his friend would soon appear as he said, "Y-Yeah, Kojiro?" with a slight strain to his voice. He cursed himself once more for stuttering.

His sharp hearing picked up the approaching footsteps of his friend and then the pause, the pause of which he could feel the presence of someone behind him. He didn't need to look to know who it was.

"Nyarth, what you doing out here?" he heard him ask.

Letting out a forced and quiet laugh, he answered, "I could ask ya da same t'in', Kojiro" forcing his voice not to waver. He still refused to look at his best friend.

Kojiro was no fool. He knew just by the quiet tone of his friend's voice that something was wrong. The simple fact that he didn't look at him was enough to make him begin to worry. But maybe he was just thinking too much. Maybe nothing was indeed wrong with the feline.

Taking a few steps forward, he locked his gaze at the form of his friend, who had seemingly ran off many times each week in the night to do who knows what. Not being able to sleep, he had decided to go looking for the scratch cat, curious as to what he was doing.

"Are you okay, Nyarth?" he carefully asked.

"Neva betta" he responded, a fake laugh slipping from his sore throat.

Now Kojiro was suspicious. The laugh was fake, he wasn't looking at him and he didn't look at his best, now that he continued to look at him.

The blue-haired man was close to saying a remark to the obviously false response when something caught his eye.

Underneath a bush slightly to the side of the feline, was a gleam of metal off of the moonlight that was hovering overhead. Metal wouldn't have been a surprise in a town or something but they were currently in the middle of a forest, so there should be no way that something of that material would be out here.

Curious, he made his way over to it, crouching down to Nyarth's level to grab it. Almost immediately, the scratch cat's head snapped up and fear filled his blue eyes. Before he could grab the metal object, Nyarth had grabbed his arm with both of his paws, pulling back with as much might as he could so that he did not see it. He couldn't see it. He just couldn't.

But he should've known what would happen next, for Kojiro's eyes wavered from the feline's efforts to the wound on his arm, the blood still leaking out of his wound.

"Nyarth, you're bleeding" he stated.

Nyarth froze, his blood running cold and his eyes snapping to his own bleeding wound. He was too shocked to remember just what he was preventing him to do. Kojiro took his chance as he reached down and picked up the object, his own mind going into shock as it was revealed just what it was.

It was a small knife with fresh blood dripping from it. He briefly looked to his friend's wound and back to the knife, putting two and two together. He didn't want to believe it though. There was no way that the lively and happy Nyarth was doing this to himself. It just wouldn't happen.

Snapping out of his shock, the scratch cat released his arm, backing up as his ears flattened back to the top of his head. He spoke, quietly as he struggled to keep his voice steady. "K-Kojiro. I-I can explain..."

The fear, pain, and guilt in his blue eyes made his denial reveal itself to be true. But why and how long had he been doing this?

He decided to ask just that.

"Nyarth, how long?" He spoke quietly and with a small trace of worry leaking into his voice.

'H-Huh?"

"How long have you been... doing this?"

It was then that the emotions in his system bubbled up inside his small body. Tears slipped from his eyes as he forcefully fought against them and he could barely form the words to speak the truth. He was such a wreck right now. "I...I-" he tried but was overwhelmed with a sob of all of his emotions combined. He fell to a stumbled sit and wrapped his tail around his shaking body, the tears coming in uncontrolled amounts. He could barely look at Kojiro and thus, he looked away.

Kojiro was stunned, the simple question obviously holding much meaning, especially for the feline to completely break down right in front of him. He always was the toughest out of them, even beating Musashi most of the time. This... thing he was doing obviously was affecting him more than he could've thought possible.

Moving to the feline's side, Kojiro gently wrapped his arm around him, much like Musashi would normally do and pulled him into a hug, allowing him to cry until he couldn't stand it anymore. It felt like they stayed there for an eternity before Nyarth pulled back, the tears still streaming from his eyes but he was nevertheless, more calm after letting all of that out.

"I-I'm s-orry..." he uttered as he trailed his gaze to the ground. He hated being this vulnerable in front of him but just he couldn't hold it in. At least he could let it all out in a friend, but did he even deserve that either?

Before the thought could linger, he heard the blue-haired man ask the question again. He was not going to lie. There was no reason to.

"Uh... A-A few mont-t's..." he spoke, his voice barely carrying any kind of weight. It was just flat and strained, the complete opposite of who he truly was. But he couldn't help it. He had to just let it all out one way or another.

"So, basically since we left Unova and before you and Musashi... You know, became a thing?" Kojiro reasoned slowly so that the feline did not break down again.

The feline gave a short nod to show that it was right, not wanting to speak anymore.

"But Nyarth... Why?' That was the question and the question itself was not something that the scratch cat was very fond of. How could it if it was causing him to cut himself multiple times a week in the night, left to suffer by himself?

"'Cause nobody loves me!" Nyarth said, almost too loudly as a choking sob shook his entire body.

Kojiro jumped slightly at the outburst. But he did not back down. He needed to understand the reasoning behind the actions of which he was making. "Wh-What do you mean Nyarth? What about Musas-" He didn't get a chance to finish for the scratch cat shook his head and growled softly, a sound that was rarely ever heard from him because of it being too Pokemon and not human.

"Lies. Dey're all lies. Ya an' Musashi dun really love me. Ya just say dat ya do in orda ta get me on yer side. I am alone in dis world. Dis is da only way dat I can remind maself of just how right everybody is" He breathed heavily, tears streaming down his face as his eyes darted around, never once meeting his friend's worried green eyes.

"Widout ma ability ta walk an' talk, I would just be any ordinary nyarth. Ya would be widout me an' maybe ya'd be betta off. I'm useless an' unloved. But mostly, I'm just alone" Nyarth stopped to turn his gaze away, the growl fading to nothing in his throat.

"Nyarth..."

He didn't have time to react as he was pulled back into a hug by his friend, a hug that spoke more words than he could ever speak. Kojiro held onto the feline, not wanting to let go, in fear that he would cut himself again.

He felt unloved, despite everything the three of them had been through. But he wasn't alone. He might've been all those years ago, when the three of them would've ditched each other at any given moment. But now, they would never even dream of doing that to each other. Nyarth was definitely no exception.

"You're not alone" Kojiro stated.

"I-I am Koji-"

'You're not. I love you as a best friend and Musashi loves you... Like that. You're not alone, Nyarth. Don't think like that" Kojiro pulled back to try and meet the blurry eyes of the feline, who briefly met his only to break down once more. This time however, he did grab onto the blue-haired man and he did find comfort in him, not once thinking about how he would push him away and unlove him like he so much feared.

They stayed like that and just when he was beginning to feel better, a snap split the air, one that sounded much like the one of which he had heard when Kojiro had appeared. His sharp hearing listened silently, picking up more movement and then, his heart plummeted into his stomach. He knew who was coming.

Panic slipping into his eyes, Nyarth backed away from Kojiro, shakingly grabbing the small knife in his paw as he struggled to keep himself under control. No. No, she couldn't find out like this. She just couldn't.

But she will. And he was as good as dead now.

"Nyarth, what is-" Kojiro started but he was cut off by the red-haired woman who appeared, her eyes wandering over to Kojiro in the process. Nyarth was rooted to the spot, fear taking hold of him as he delicately clutched the knife to his chest.

"Kojiro, Nyarth. What are you guys doing out here? It's the middle of the night" Musashi stated sleepily, her eyes finally wandering to Nyarth, who had regained control of himself and had shoved the knife behind him and underneath his tail to hide it.

But Kojiro had noticed his action and frowned. Ignoring Musashi's presence for the time being, he reached a hand out towards the feline, quietly speaking to him, "Nyarth, if you want to end this, just tell her"

This caused the scratch cat to freeze, his pupils dilating in fear. "N-No... I-I can't K-Kojiro..." he uttered.

"Kojiro, Nyarth. Tell me what exactly?"

Nyarth jumped at her voice, fearing his next move. Why he decided to try and act like his usual self was beyond him. Maybe he foolishly thought that it would actually work. Man was he dead wrong.

Letting out a nervous and forced laugh, he briefly lifted his arm to scratch the back of his head, looking for a reasonable answer. Normally, he was a natural-born liar. But now... Now everything about him was the exact opposite.

But before he could even begin to answer, Musashi had tightly grabbed his arm, pulling him forward, but not enough to reveal the knife still tucked safely underneath his tail.

She trailed her fingers against his still bleeding wound, just missing the other scars from previous times hidden below his fur. She knew it was blood and her lover's blood no less. He had been hurt by someone.

Having just waken up from sleep and thinking too much on who could've hurt the feline, she released him and looked towards Kojiro, a low, dangerous glint in her blue eyes.

"You know, when I made that promise to rip whoever would hurt Nyarth apart, I wasn't lying Kojiro" she stated.

Getting her message that she thought that he had cut Nyarth, Kojiro took a step back. "I assure you that I did not do that to him"

"If not you then who did?!"

Kojiro pulled his gaze away from his friend, looking again at Nyarth with a sad knowledge. "Tell her Nyarth"

Musashi narrowed her eyes. "Don't try and force him to lie, I know you did it" She stated, taking a stalking step forward.

Fear pricked into Nyarth's heart as his friends began to fight. All because of him. An unloved and useless excuse for a Pokemon. He didn't want this and he wasn't going to let this get into a territory that they would never be able to be brought back from.

Tears dripping from his eyes, Nyarth turned around and grabbed the small knife, gripping it shakingly in his paw. "Mu-Musahi..." he tried.

"Not now, Nyarth. I'm taking care of something"

Narrowing his eyes at the response, he growled softly and jumped forward, landing in between the two and, using all his strength, he pushed them away from each other. "S-Stop! Dun fight 'cause of me. Dis is all ma fault. Dun blame Kojiro for it if it was me who hurt maself ta begin wid" he said.

Musashi stared at him, at his sudden assertiveness. He said he hurt himself. But there was no way he would be able to cut himself in that way on purpose or by accident. It had to be Kojiro. It just had to be.

"What do you mean, Nyarth?" she asked.

Fear once more took ahold of him, causing him to glance backwards, towards Kojiro, briefly meeting his friend's eyes in the process. His eyes were saddened as he gave him a short nod and said, "It's alright, Nyarth. Just tell her"

Reassured by his friend's words and gaining a new self-confidence, he shut his eyes and opened them again, turning his gaze to meet his lover's. "Dis is what I mean" he stated simply as he held onto the knife in his paw and revealed it to Musashi.

He didn't wait for her reaction and, ignoring everything else, he focused on his arm and cut a wound next to one he had already made, which had stopped bleeding by this point. He barely reacted to the pain but he didn't need to break down again, for he was suddenly grabbed again, this time more forcefully.

He let out a small whimper as the knife was pulled from his grasp and thrown to the ground next to him, the handle sticking up out of the ground. His wrists were held tightly by a strong person, who had yanked him towards her as she had crouched down to his level.

He tried not to look at her and instead looked to Kojiro, who had crouched down to his level behind him. He knew that was not what his friend meant by telling her but that was the only way he could assure her that it was all him, and not anyone else.

Staring into his friend's eyes, he fought back the urge to cringe at the saddened and worried look in them, It wasn't a bad feeling but it was a feeling nonetheless.

He was brought back to reality with a sharp pull towards the one he was dreading to meet the gaze with. Biting his tongue, he tilted his head back forwards to meet his lover's eyes. The emotions were mixed, some worried and loving but otherwise angry and demanding. Any other time, he would be intimidated by them. Now, he was downright terrified of them.

"Mu-Musashi..." Nyarth tried, but was cut off with a sharp tug towards her again, creating a soft whimper of pain to slip through his throat in response to the aching pain in her grasp.

He expected her to ask why but no, what she said nearly made his heart stop.

"Stop"

His breath caught in his throat. Everything seemed to freeze as he struggled to process the one, simple word. He looked for a response but couldn't find any. It was like he was stuck in an endless time loop.

He couldn't even react when he felt Kojiro come to his side and gently grab his arm in which he continuously cut himself. He ignored the bloodied two wounds and instead pushed back his fur to look at the scars of which he had given himself.

Time stood even more still.

Then the pressure and pain in his wrists gave way. He reacted on instinct. He reached down and grabbed the knife and fled, tears streaming down his face and his mind in a complete overload. He fled to the most obvious and safe place he could think of. And so, back to his sleeping bag he went, where he curled up and cried silently, the knife clutched tightly in his paw.

Nyarth had nothing else to do. His mind overloading with thoughts and emotions, he did the only logical thing. He shut his eyes and cried himself to a dreamless sleep. Just because it was dreamless didn't make it good. He feared the moment he woke up, fearing the hatred he was sure the others were going to give him for hurting himself in such a way. He wasn't sure if he would be able to take it.

But when he would wake up, he would have to. He wasn't going to run away. He loved Kojiro and Musashi and no amount of pain was going to keep him away from them. Absolutely nothing.

She should've been harsher with him, a part of her knew that. But another part, a stronger part, knew that the way she handled the situation was fine. The way Nyarth had acted the entire time she had shown up. The stuttering, the fear and pain in his eyes, the way he seemed to stop functioning when she told him to 'stop', and finally, how he ran off in tears just now.

The nagging feeling in her mind told her to go after him, a fear in her own mind believing he would up and leave them but it was only then did she notice Kojiro, who had been silent from the moment he had revealed the scars of what Nyarth had done to himself. He moved over to her side and seemed to read her mind, and thus he spoke.

"He won't leave. You know he's not like that" He spoke calmly, though his voice was etched with worry for both of his best friends.

"How... How do you know?" she asked him, her voice soft and calm as she began to recover from her shock of Nyarth's self-torture.

The first thing Nyarth realized when he woke up was that he wasn't in his sleeping bag. The second thing was that the ground shifted slightly when he tried focusing on it. And the third thing made him really wake up.

Someone had picked him up in a way he absolutely refused in being held in, like a child. His blue eyes shot open, his blurry gaze straining against the sunlight that seemed to be beaming directly in front of him. He breathed heavily, as if coming out of a nightmare. Judging by the last night, it might as well just have been just that.

How he knew it had really happened was when he realized that the knife he had used last night was still gripped tightly in his paw, said paw sore from holding it all night. The knife had dried blood on the tip. Any other night, he would've cleaned the blood off of it. He hadn't this time because he had panicked and had gone directly to sleep. This meant that Musashi and Kojiro...

Nyarth gulped before he pulled his eyes open again, meeting the gaze of the one of who had picked him up. His heart should've stopped from both the beauty of the eyes and the fact that he was terrified of the person's reaction, but he felt oddly calm, like he knew nothing bad would happen to him.

"Mu-Musashi..." he simply said, not knowing what else to do.

Musashi should've been angry, but she had talked to Kojiro after Nyarth had fled and learned of his reasoning as to why he was doing what he was doing. Sure, she should've been mad and no one would blame her for being so, but she just couldn't bring herself to do that to him, herself, or Kojiro. She decided to fix the problem peacefully for a change.

"Are you okay, Nyarth?" Kojiro asked briefly as he turned from his side of the balloon to the scratch cat, who had turned his gaze to his friend, searching his gaze for any form of anger. None, just like Musashi. Nyarth was reasonably confused. Why weren't they mad at him?

"Y-Yeah. I t'ink I'm fine" he flatly responded, completely unlike him.

Sharing a quick glance with Kojiro, Musashi let out a small sigh before she leaned down and placed him back to the floor, to which the feline dropped the knife to the ground, kicking it aimlessly to the far corner.

The silence was killing him. He needed to break. He needed to let it out. "I-I'm sorry, Musashi, Kojiro. For-For doin'... dat for so long an' not tellin' youse guys. I-I just sometimes dun feel loved an' I needed ta let dat out somehow" He sadly retracted a claw and lifted it up in front of him. "I guess it wasn't da best option afta all"

He blinked rapidly as tears began to creep into the corners of his eyes. Not wanting to stumble, he leaned against the side of the basket of the airborne balloon and lifted his blurry-eyed gaze to both Musashi and Kojiro who had crouched down to his level, watching him with non-angry and strangely soft eyes.

"We love you, Nyarth"

Spoken in unison, the words made his heart skip a beat, his eyes unblinking as he tried to process the words. They... They loved him. He wasn't alone. He was loved. He was wanted... He belonged somewhere.

He tried to formulate a response but no words would form. He didn't need words apparently for the two got his message and leaned forward, both pulling him into a joint hug, holding onto him as he cried for a different reason. He was happy. No longer did the thoughts plague him on how useless and worthless he was. If he had two best friends, or a best friend and a lover, who loved him this much, then surely he belonged with them, right?

Yes, as long as Nyarth had Kojiro and Musashi, he knew they would forever be the one and only Roketto-Dan.

Silence

Musashi finds a way to shut Nyarth up for once and he is not unhappy about it.

Blood

Any other time, she would've shoved him away but this time, Nyarth is able to seduce Musashi in the most unexpected way possible.

Understanding

Nyarth is lost in thought and finally asks why both Musashi and Kojiro went after and saved him from J when he had been kidnapped. Their answer leaves its' mark on his heart.

Riceballs

Musashi, Kojiro, and Nyarth all love riceballs. Nyarth loves them a little bit more then he is letting on, though.

Bad

Nyarth has been bad so Musashi punishes him for it.

He wasn't sure how this started but now he was in the middle of it. But at the moment, he had absolutely no idea what was happening. And he was scared, to be honest.

The area was dark, except for the glow of the moon overhead, peeking through the trees. But he was not in a simple position. His paws were tied tightly behind his back, and fear was beginning to overtake him until a sharp pain hit his back, making a soft whimper escape his throat. It wasn't a hard pain, but it was a pain nonetheless.

Then she appeared in his line of vision, a shiver of fear and anticipation creeping up his spine as he noticed the long whip clutched in her hand. He had felt the amount of pain that could cause from being the curious guy he was, but now, he was scared. He wouldn't be in this state if he wasn't in any sort of trouble.

Once more, the whip hit him, this time on the back of his head, making him bite his tongue to prevent the whimper from escaping his throat. He shivered as it touched his fur again, this time trailing alongside the side of his face, moving his slightly drooped whiskers with it. With a sharp movement, it was yanked from his face, making him cringe. The next time it touched him, it hung underneath his chin, guiding him to look up to what he thought would be the flaming and angry eyes of his lover.

Instead, he found a gentle and loving glow in her narrowed blue eyes. The look seemingly froze him to the spot, making him unable to react until he felt the sharp pain of the whip connecting to his back once again. He let a soft whimper escape his throat in the sudden pain, yet he did not let it control him. He just wouldn't allow that.

"You've been bad, Nyarth" she said as she crouched down to his level, the whip gently trailing down his back as she tried to calm him.

He stared at her, unsure of what to say or do, which wasn't much, seeing as though he was in this state.

"And I know you know why" she stated as the whip trailed down his arm, which went over the scars in which he had once cut himself and had since stopped. A shiver crept throughout his body as he realized where this was going. They had roleplayed before, he shouldn't be scared. He wasn't scared anymore, instead excited and trusting.

"You do know why, right?" she seductively asked, her voice dropping to a low whisper.

"Y-Yes. I do know" he breathed out, never breaking their locked gazes even once.

A small smirk crept onto her face as she reached her spare hand out to gently trail her fingers against his scars, the ones in which he had given himself. He had stopped but that didn't mean that it didn't make him bad. The shiver that shook his whole body only left her with more drive to continue, hoping that he had picked up that her 'punishment' was actually not real. The look he gave her told her that he knew and wanted this to happen.

Carefully, she placed the whip down to the ground next to him as she leaned forward, reaching her hands to behind him as she untied his roped paws together. Gently, she took his smaller paws into her hands and brought them into his line of vision. One could imply that she had complete control of him but that wasn't it. Not having him tied up signified that they both had equal control over each other.

And that was the way the both of them liked it.

Eavesdropping

Musashi, Kojiro, and Nyarth decide to eavesdrop on the residents of a town that they had followed the twerps to. Added on with what they say, Nyarth goes in search of answers and what he finds leaves its' mark of the TRio's minds.

Knowing

During a fight, Musashi accidentally says something to Nyarth that hurts him since he thought she never knew. When he suddenly stops fighting back, Musashi does her best to comfort him.

Flirt

Musashi decides to flirt with Nyarth in public, just to see Nyarth blush.

Mistletoe

While searching for each other, Musashi and Nyarth run into each other under the mistletoe. Nyarth tries to suggest that they don't have to go through with tradition but Musashi cuts him off with a kiss.

Pillow

Nyarth develops the adorable habit of using Musashi as a pillow.

Caught

Musashi catches Nyarth in a vulnerable position and takes advantage of the situation.

Afraid

During one of their daily fights, Musashi becomes extremely angry with Nyarth and threatens to hurt him. Nyarth shuts up and fears her. Musashi notices and tries to comfort him, guilty that she had frightened him.

Sleep

Musashi wakes up late at night, taking a moment to watch Nyarth sleep, listen to his breathing, and to notice his subtle movements.

Cuddle

Nyarth doesn't let Musashi leave their sleeping bag by aggressively cuddling her.

Wall

In an argument, Nyarth tries to storm out but ends up slamming straight into a brick wall.

Nickname

Musashi has a cute nickname for Nyarth which is actually embarrassingly silly. Kojiro doesn't know that Nyarth only allows Musashi to call him by that, and one day, he learns the dire consequences.

Fear

Nyarth tries to cheer up Musashi by admiring and praising her for being brave and not being afraid of anything. Musashi then admits that she's actually terrified of losing Nyarth.

Virginity

When the twerps meet up with their old friends once more, one Pokemon feels threatened by Nyarth, thinking he wants to steal Pikachuu from her. In a defensive act of rage, she finds the scratch cat alone and decides to mess with him. Feeling traumatized, Nyarth seeks comfort in Musashi, who blows up on the Pokemon that had hurt her lover. With the job done, she decides to relieve Nyarth of the stress of being a virgin, with his careful consent, of course.

Research

After a talk with Kojiro, Musashi takes it upon herself to research about an interspecies relationship and in doing so, realizes just what Nyarth goes through every day of his life. But when Nyarth comes in to show her a video of what could happen to them, Musashi is forced to comfort him to the best of her ability.

Repay

Nyarth decides to repay Musashi for all that she has done for him.

Heartbeat

After having a near brush with death, Nyarth comes out alive and well. But Musashi keeps having awful nightmares about losing him, and in the middle of the night, she decides to go to Nyarth and rest her hand against his chest to feel his heartbeat, just to reassure herself that Nyarth is still alive.

Angry

Musashi gets extremely angry at Citron, and threatens him to the point where Nyarth is afraid of her. Musashi notices this and lets the twerp go, feeling guilty for frightening Nyarth.

Pee

When Roketto-Dan decides to spend the night in an abandoned house in the woods, Nyarth needs to go pee badly in the morning. The only problem is that Musashi keeps hogging the bathroom and he doesn't know what to do. When she finally does let him into the bathroom, he is faced with a very awkward yet heated situation.

Hard

Musashi is more overt with her interest in sex, but Nyarth normally comes off of as sex-shy. During a steamy make-out session, Musashi decides to be bold and sneak her hand down the to Nyarth and, surprised, whispers to Nyarth how she can’t believe he's so hard already. Nyarth gets harder after Musashi says this, much to the embarrassment of Nyarth but much to the enjoyment of Musashi.

Surprises

Nyarth is the only one who gets to bear witness to Musashi's surprises.

Rare

The TRio continues on with their daily adventures and failures to capture Pikachuu, all the while Kojiro is helping to hide Musashi and Nyarth's growing relationship. But a struggling Pokemon trainer soons catches an interest in Nyarth and desires nothing more than to use him for a profit. When he confronts both the TRio and the twerps, he will be faced with the wrath of those who have grown close to the feline.

Family

An off topic conversation leads to a talk about the TRio's families. However, when Musashi and Kojiro notice Nyarth's odd quiet and distant behavior, they confront him about it. With his heartfelt answer, the three will realize just what a family truly is.

Period

Nyarth knows about a lot of... things but one thing has seemed to slip by him. When Musashi turns him down and says something, it leads to a very awkward conversation as she tries to explain what a period is to Nyarth. The next day, Nyarth has a similar awkward conversation with Kojiro.

Private

Musashi has far more sexual experience than Nyarth. As a result of his lack of experience, Nyarth often becomes quickly overwhelmed by pleasure during private times with Musashi, but he feels guilty because he is unable to please her as much as she pleasures him. However, unbeknownst to Nyarth, Musashi thinks less about herself and more about the feline's needs during their private times and gets most of her pleasure from watching Nyarth writhing and moaning underneath her.

Wet

Kojiro can't sleep so he simply thinks to himself, until he becomes aware of Nyarth. Add someone having a wet dream with someone who also sleep talks and you do not get a good result.

Aid

Musashi decides to help Nyarth get pleasure when she is unable to do so normally.

Desperate

Nyarth becomes so unbearably turned on that he is reduced to whimpering and begging and pleading for Musashi to fuck him senseless.

Slow

She has been unable to please him the way he wanted her to for too long now. After a harmless fight, Musashi pins Nyarth down, locks their gazes together for a few moments, and then proceeds with sweet, slow and romantic sex.

Punch

Musashi takes a normal fight too far when she punches Nyarth in the face. His lack of any verbal response tells her that she needs to fix the situation in order to make it better.

Beg

Nyarth wants sex but Musashi is feeling naughty and makes him beg for it.

Voice

Nyarth relies on his voice, they all know that. So when he comes down with a sickness, he loses the one thing he is terrified of losing. His voice.

Regret

The aftermath of 'The Path of Indecision'. Musashi returns to Roketto-Dan but cannot live with the regret she has for hurting Nyarth, for making him cry and break and finally begin to push her away. Whether he likes it or not, she will prove to him just how sorry she is for hurting him like that.

Swears

Musashi tries to get Nyarth to use swears more often but he refuses to. So she resorts to the one thing to make him swear more.

Sleepy

A normal, failed day comes and goes, leaving Nyarth struggling to not fall asleep. Musashi notices however and, against his sleepy will, she puts him to bed.

Cry

Musashi holds a sobbing Nyarth. He then cries himself to sleep with his face buried into Musashi

Realizations

Musashi houses secret feelings for Nyarth and Nyarth does the same. They just don't know that they love each other. When one cold night pushes Nyarth to his breaking point, Musashi takes it upon herself to help him, making them both realize just what they mean to each other.

Kojiro was mad, he really was. Though he really shouldn't be. Them losing to the twerps and Pikachuu was a normal occurrence in their daily lives now. Even Musashi, who normally was the one to be off the walls being angry had calmed down a few hours after they had gotten blasted off again. But Kojiro, for some reason was still mad about it.

Maybe it was because it was one of those rare times where he had an idea that he came up with by himself and he felt like it was unstoppable. Only when it was defeated and destroyed by the very ones they had been following for more years than they could count did he find himself being sucked in with the anger and being unable to contain it, even longer than Musashi could.

After he had had his 'raging fit', as Nyarth liked to call it, he simply did not speak to the other two as they sat by the fire which was crackling in front of them. It was silent, none of them daring to speak, none wanting to be the victim to any of the others' rage or annoyance.

Kojiro was sitting on his own side of the fire, just staring into it, as if nothing else was there, just the fire and his thoughts. Musashi had been on her own side, alone, until Nyarth had joined her on her side, probably not wanting to give James the chance to lash out at him. That mostly had been happening to Musashi. Nyarth, wisely, she would give him that, kept his distance, wanting to give the blue-haired man his space to let him cool himself down.

But in the silence, it allowed Musashi to think, something she normally didn't do, except when they were in these short times where silence would befall the three of them. She would be the first to admit that she knew that she often times acted first before thinking and would usually have to live with the aftermath of whatever it was. Normally, it had something to do with their plans to get Pikachuu but never did she admit to that, not when the other two were already angered and annoyed enough after their continued failings.

But then Nyarth had sat besides her, his gaze not focused on anything. If anything, he was looking into the woods around them, like he expected something to pop out at them. Maybe he was right to be careful, they didn't know exactly where they were in the first place anyways and anything at all could be in the forests of the Kalos region.

But the moment he sat besides her, her thoughts were immediately cut off by a strange little feeling inside of her. She felt this a lot more than she cared to admit. The feeling would spring up whenever the scratch cat would be besides her, and even looking at him could cause it to come up. But what it was, she didn't know. Any other time, she would be unable to think about it but now she actually had nothing else to do but think.

She hadn't always felt the feeling. But maybe she had because only a few years back did she actually notice it. When exactly, she could not recall but she did remember as to when the feeling had been at it's strongest point.

It was when they were in Unova, not anything like their usual selves and actually taking everything seriously, even going far enough to do dangerous missions without even thinking about it. It was when they decided to embark on their Ghost Train mission and, knowing that the twerps and Pikachuu were going to be there when they were going to launch their plan, they all decided to let Nyarth make up the story that he was kicked out of and left behind by Roketto-dan. It would allow him to join the twerps, gain their trust, get the Pokemon into the Pokemon centre and steal them and all of the pokeballs by throwing them through the air ducts.

It was simple enough. All three of them knew that the story was false and that they would never do that to Nyarth but when he left, she felt sort of... empty. Maybe Kojiro noticed it, maybe he didn't. It didn't matter because at the time, they were too busy getting the Ghost Train ready to notice each others' behavior but Musashi did notice her own behavior, and it scared her to say the least.

Nothing really scared Musashi. Maybe dying or being permanently separated from her best friends but this feeling was so strong when Nyarth was gone that it almost overtook her. But the moment that he had returned, the moment he lept down that air duct and right in front of them, the feeling subsided, only a little bit.

They remained professional and although they did share a moment after their failure, the feeling had told her to do something that she reasonably resisted. She wanted to rush to him and hug him like she was afraid she had lost him. She knew he would return and plus, hugs just weren't her thing. So then why did such an urge flow through her entire being right at that moment?

Flinging her mind back to reality, she realized only then as to how cold the air around them was. It wasn't shivering temperature just yet but it would no doubt turn to that point in maybe less than an hour. It was only then did the warmth of her friend besides her actually become noticed by herself. And right when she noticed how close they actually were, the feeling from long ago sprang back into her being.

Hesitantly, she looked down at him, as he didn't notice, for he was still watching the trees around them, his eyes narrowed in determination to ensure that he could look out for danger without the aid of anybody else.

Looking at him just made that feeling grow a little bit and once more she felt the urge to wrap her arm around him and pull him closer to her body but once more, she resisted it. The feeling was no longer seen as just a one time thing from being separated from one of her best friends for a few days but as an actual thing that she needed to figure out. But it was just so strange that she didn't know what to do, she didn't even know as to what to think.

Never did she feel this way towards Kojiro or anyone else for the matter. No, it was only Nyarth. Only the crazy, determined, stubborn, joking, loyal, smart, caring, soft, cute-

Wait, what?

Cute? Now where did that thought come from?

Nyarth was crazy, not insane, but he did come up with some wild ideas. Ideas that both Musashi and Kojiro often agreed with anyways. He was also one of the most determined people and Pokemon she knew. Unless it was a literal Pokemon battle, he would never back down from a challenge, even if the odds of him coming out on top were low. That was one of the things she actually admired about him, though she would never admit to that, well except to herself.

Stubborn was exactly the reason as to why she often times buttheads with the feline whenever they had an argument. Like his determined state, he was also extremely stubborn and didn't take 'no' for an answer unless, of course, he was literally thrown into a wall. But even then, most times that only made him more stubborn to get his point across.

Nyarth had said that he was the joker of crime and she agreed with him the entire way through. He was a joker who often times came off as sarcastic or would pull a joke or pun without even thinking. And, although she hid it rather well, whenever he would do one of them, she would internally laugh at them, though why she always hid it was a mystery, even to her.

He was loyal, that had been proven so many times. Even when he had the many chances to leave them, to leave Roketto-dan, he never took the chance. And if he did, he always bounced back, stating that he could never leave his best friends and his life's cause. He was loyal to Roketto-dan. He was loyal to Kojiro. He was loyal to himself. And he was loyal to Musashi.

He was smart, he had to be to have been able to teach himself how to walk bipedal and to talk but that didn't top his knowledge on technology and the many daily things in life and the world around them. He being a Pokemon also made him know literally everything about Pokemon, and his ability to understand and translate what the Pokemon were saying was smarter than anyone else she had ever met was. Sure, he wasn't the smartest in the world and he often did many stupid things but he was smart and that just made her think that he was more cute-

There it was again. What was that?

He was caring and soft feline though. Underneath all of the tough and hardness of his character, he was indeed, a caring and soft person. He hid it very well, most of the time. He was able to hide his emotions, even when he was simply about to explode. Very few times had she seen him reduced to tears but each and every time... That feeling would just want her to pull him into a hug and not let go until his tears were reduced to nothing.

But, like always, she could never bring herself to do that. But he was caring, rarely not helping one of them if they needed it, even when they would refuse his help. Despite anything they would do or say to him, he still cared. And that just made the feeling grow stronger.

He was soft. That could be taken two ways and both shone a light onto his very being. To the touch, he was soft. Each and every small time she would actually be able to touch him, she had the urge to just pet him and let the soft feeling of his fur on her hands stay as she did so. If anything, she just wanted to be able to hold him, for him to actually like it and lean into her while doing so.

Okay, what was with these sappy thoughts? There was no way that would happen. Even if Kojiro was able to pet him a little bit on his head when the feline was near him but the lingering fact that she was never able to share the same moment with him, hurt. Yes, it hurt.

But again with the weird thoughts. Why was she thinking like this?

Nyarth was soft in the way that he could be angry one second and then calm and understanding the next. She had noticed this switch more than once. Most times they had to do with hurting Pokemon but they also slipped into that category of both Musashi and Kojiro. Like him being caring, he had a very obvious soft spot for his best friends.

Cute... It was a simple yet strong word and looking down at him now, she wondered just why the feeling would grow stronger and stronger the more she connected the word with Nyarth. She wanted to reach her hand out, to gently pet the top of his head but for some reason, she was... scared. She was scared of him jumping away from her or just downright rejecting her. That too would also hurt.

But she was immediately brought back to reality as Kojiro broke the silence they had been encased in for the past hour or so. He barely held any emotion in his voice as he finally spoke. "I'm going to bed. Do me a favour and don't wake me" He got up and from his seat and walked over to his large, blue sleeping bag and crawled into it, hugging it to himself in the process.

Musashi and Nyarth knew better than to say anything, let alone say anything to Kojiro.

It was only then did the temperature of the air really hit her. It was downright cold, to the point where she almost shivered. Almost. She knew that both Kojiro and Nyarth were awake and showing the sign of possible weakness in front of them was not something she was up to do anytime soon. No, she just took it and tried her best to ignore it.

The fire before them was dwindling to almost nothing now, letting the coldness really hit the two of them though she suspected that he was more protected from the cold what with his fur and everything.

It took only a few more minutes for Nyarth to speak as well, though more casually and more to himself than she was sure he had intended to do so. "Well, I guess I'm gonna go hit da hay as well" he said in his adorable little accent.

Okay, seriously, stop with the crazy thoughts already. Just stop!

Nyarth stood up and casually walked to his smaller, yellow sleeping bag and crawled inside of in, curling into a small ball within it.

It only took a few more minutes afterwards for Musashi to finally give into the cold. Ignoring another shiver within her body, she followed the others' leads as she found her magenta sleeping bag and climbed into it. It took only a few minutes for her to fall to sleep.

And then, she woke up.

The feeling. It was back. It had woken her up. There was something wrong.

Peeking her eyes open, she became immediately aware of the feline in the golden sleeping bag a little ways next to her. He was curled up in his bag but holding the cover off his head. He looked to be shivering now. Not just any kind of shivering though. It was shaking his entire body and even beginning to shake his bag.

The feeling was becoming stronger each and every second she stared at his shaking form. She felt the urge to pull him into her own bag, to let him share her warmth and to make him stop shivering. But how could she ever do that? He would think that she was crazy.

Eventually, Nyarth crawled out of his bag and Musashi immediately noticed that the normal confident and over-the-top glint in his eyes was gone, replaced by a frightened and hopeless one. The look was one she had to force herself to not react to. It reminded her too much of herself, when she was child.

He was careful as he approached Kojiro, who normally would be fine with allowing him to sleep besides him but this time, she knew it would not end very well.

And she was correct. When Nyarth had attempted to wake him up, he was met with an angry and annoyed response, not once, but two times. The first was just annoyed, telling Nyarth to go away but the second was more forceful and mean-spirited.

It had hurt Nyarth. That was clear as day. He knew that Kojiro was not in a good mood but completely taking that anger out on him for simply not wanting to freeze was a new low, even for him.

Flattening his ears against the top of his head and allowing his tail in fall limply to the ground, he sulked back to his sleeping bag and, very carefully, curled back into it, pulling the cover once more over his head as he tried to gather whatever extra warmth he could around his body.

Silence overtook the area before the muffled and faint whimpers and cries were able to be heard by Musashi. Kojiro had already fallen back to sleep.

Nyarth's cries were enough to make that feeling slip almost out of control. It told her to convince him to sleep with her. In more ways than one, she knew that this was the right thing to do. And she honestly had no real control over her actions, nor her emotions anymore.

Climbing out of her own sleeping bag, she became aware of the shivering cold in the air, which she immediately shivered upon feeling it. No wonder Nyarth was being pushed to tears from the cold. His bag was smaller than theirs' meaning it was without the amount of weight on it, making it lighter and not as warm. Even with his fur, it still wasn't enough to help him.

Carefully, she walked to his bag, kneeling down so that she was on his level. She hesitated. She could easily turn back now and move away but no, seeing him shivering and crying because of it reminded her too much of her experiences as a poor child who had also suffered from the cold and being unable to do anything about it but remain awake every night and cry herself to sleep, unsure if she would even wake up the next day or if she would freeze to death.

Now, she was seeing one of her best friends suffering the same way and more so that this strange feeling was causing her to want to help him more than ever. She knew what she had to do but she didn't know what the outcome would be.

Reaching her hand out she softly called his name, nudging him gently, something she rarely did, ever. "Nyarth. Nyarth, wake up" she said.

His muffled cries became silent as he seemed to tense up at her voice and her touch. Seconds felt like minutes as he slowly pulled the cover off of his head to gaze up at her, his ears still flattened to his head.

At first, she couldn't help but to stare. His eyes, a perfect shade of blue were one of the most beautiful things to look at, the only thing beating it being her own beauty, of course. She felt like she could stare into his eyes forever. But the fur below his eyes were stained with wet tears, some still threatening his eyes in general.

It took his voice to snap her out of her trance. "Mu-Musashi? What do ya want?" He spoke quietly as he struggled to not allow his voice to crack and falter in front of his hard-hearted friend.

His voice was also something she found herself becoming transfixed by. It held a slight accent but it still was enough to make her believe that it could be the one and only voice she could listen to forever and never grow tired of. She kind of wanted him to continue to talk, just so she could continue to listen to his voice. But she knew better than to do that.

She took a few moments to go over her answer, knowing there was no going back now for the feeling was completely taking over.

But Musashi did not respond in words. Instead, she responded by reaching her hand down to gently touch the back of his head, noticing him tense up at her rare, gentle touch. She knew that he was scared that she would hurt him or something and that fact alone hurt her more than anything.

Her hand touched his soft fur, though she resisted the strong urge to pet him. To the touch, he was soft but also cold, so cold she almost shivered again. She knew that her childhood self had been extremely cold at times but Nyarth felt like he was just going to turn into an ice cube at any given second. Sure, maybe she had felt that way before but seeing one of her best friends suffering the same way, she just couldn't stand it. He didn't deserve to suffer any more than he had already did, especially as a kitten.

"You're cold" Musashi stated. Nyarth simply gave the smallest of nods without speaking. Letting out a small sigh, she held her hand gently against the back of his head as she spoke once more. "Come sleep with me, Nyarth" she said softly.

His reaction was what she had expected but there was something... off by the way he reacted, like he really didn't mean it. "N-No, I-I can take care of maself" he said, a slight crack to his voice as he turned his head away from her gaze, probably to avoid her seeing the clear tears beginning to fall from his eyes.

He was literally crying because of the cold. He was being stubborn again. The feeling was growing stronger and stronger. It was like she no longer had control over her actions or her words. But that honestly didn't bother her too much.

"Please, Nyarth" This got his attention. His flattened ears pricked somewhat at the word. Please... Musashi rarely used that word and if ever, it was to be sarcastic or something like that. For her to actually use the word in a nice way and directed towards him, no less, was enough for his own judgement to freeze up, to the point where he had no idea as to what to do.

He turned back to her and looked up to meet her eyes, noticing her actual worry and understanding look. It was a new look in his friend and he had no idea what to make of it, hence why he did not answer her.

But he did not need an answer for Musashi carefully moved forward and gently picked the feline up. Normally, this action would be to probably throw him into a wall or something along those lines. But this time, she was careful with him, not sure as to how he would react to her action. But it was enough to make him turn his head to meet her eyes once more. Musashi had to force herself to not keep staring into his eyes.

She quietly picked her way back to her sleeping bag and placed Nyarth next to it. She climbed into it and pulled the cover back to look at the Pokemon who was watching her with curious and confused blue eyes. He seemed to be shivering more than ever now and seeing it caused the feeling to just grow and she had no control over it anymore.

"Come here, Nyarth" she softly urged, reaching her hand out into the cold towards him, beckoning him.

He stared at her, an uncertain glint filling his eyes. "A-Are ya sure, Musashi?" he asked carefully, unsure if this was a joke or not. If anything, he was confused by her sudden kindness towards him.

"Yes, come here" she responded gently.

He didn't react at first and simply stared at her confusingly, as if waiting for her to laugh and hurt him further by saying that it was a joke. It never came. The cold was already making him shiver even more and he couldn't stand it. He had no other choice. Trust Musashi and hope for the best or go back to his own sleeping bag and cry himself to sleep and possibly just freeze to death doing so.

Carefully, he crawled into the bag besides her and found himself unknowingly being drawn by his friend's body heat. Before he could think about it, he moved closer to her, an action he would normally be met with by being shoved away. Not even Kojiro would allow him to be that close to him.

He prepared himself, for the hurt and the shove that he was sure to come. He prepared for the cold once more and the kindness from Musashi replaced by annoyance and anger once more.

But it never happened.

If anything else, he expected her to just ignore him but her next action sent a wave of surprise throughout his body.

As he became closer to her, taking comfort in his friend's body heat that was helping to warm him, Musashi gently wrapped her arm around him and pulled him closer to her. The new sensation that spread throughout the feline's body at that given moment was so foreign that he had no idea what it was. All he knew was that it felt right and that all of this was alright. How he knew that, even he didn't know.

Musashi herself could feel that the feeling was at its' strongest point ever now. Nyarth was right next to her, pressed up against her with her arm draped over his body. She had done something nice for him and he liked it. But the feeling was not subsiding, nor did she want it to. This was probably the closest she had ever come to her feline friend and she wanted the moment to last as long as possible.

But her thoughts were interrupted by his soft voice. "Musashi, why are ya doin' dis?" he asked in his adorable accent.

That was the question, wasn't it? Why was she doing this? She knew it was all in the feeling but no way was she telling Nyarth that. But in a way, it was also something else, something she knew she could actually tell him.

"I-I guess you reminded me of myself when I was a child. I don't want to see you suffer like I did" It was a reasonable response, one that she meant a little more than she was letting on to.

"So, ya actually do care 'bout me?" Nyarth asked simply.

His question hit her heart harder than anything else. He didn't think she cared about him? After all they've been through, did he really think that she didn't truly care about him? If he truly did, then her heart may as well just have broken right then and there.

"Nyarth, you're one of my best friends. Of course I care about you" she said.

He seemed content by this and even relaxed against her. "I care 'bout ya taa, Musashi. Ya an' Kojiro" he responded, his voice softened as he found himself beginning to give into the temptations of sleep.

She too was about to fall asleep when a thought hit her mind. In that moment, she knew what the feeling was, and just why it was directed towards the feline. It was something she knew existed and had always thought that it would be directed at someone else, maybe even Kojiro in the long run. Never did she suspect finding herself falling for a Pokemon, her best friend.

And never did she imagine herself being perfectly fine with it.

In a way, she should've figured it out long before, after seeing how the feeling had already coursed through the feline's body and even many others, but never did it click until she felt it herself.

Was she playing with fire by falling for him? Possibly. She herself was even going far enough to be downright unsure if she should even call the feeling this. But it was strong and she knew it was true.

Nothing else seemed to matter now. All she cared about was that Nyarth was besides her now, no longer shivering and feeling safe and relaxed by her side. Carefully, she reached her hand that was not around him to the back of his head where she gently pet him, receiving a small shift of his body as he pressed closer to her, enjoying her touch.

His move finally finalized the feeling, just what it was.

It was love. She was in love with Nyarth.

Pulling her hand back, she gently pulled the cover of the sleeping bag over both of their heads before she rested her head down next to Nyarth's. But she couldn't fall directly to sleep. Even if he didn't hear her, she knew that she had to say it, just for her own closure so she knew that she was correct and to make sure that it truly did feel right.

"I love you, Nyarth" she whispered so softly that it almost like it was not even spoken. It felt right, so it was right. Content, she tightened her grip on the feline as she closed her eyes and allowed sleep to take her away.

Nyarth was no heavy sleeper and did not fall asleep very quickly or easily. He felt Musashi begin to pet him and, thinking it was somehow her just showing that she cared about him, he pressed closer to her to show that he liked it.

But even when the calls of sleep were nearly upon him, she uttered the next four words so quietly that he almost didn't hear her. But somehow he heard her and her words were as clear as day due to his sharp hearing. He froze, his heart skipping a beat and his eyes snapping open.

He remained still for a few long moments, listening to his friend's breathing, recognizing the soft and slowed breathing so that he knew she was asleep. That was good, sort of. Not really because now that just left him to his thoughts and he honestly didn't know what to think.

'JMusashi, l-loves me?! No, dis must be a joke! Dere's just no way!' he attempted to reason in his mind. But to no avail. The way she said it and her kindness towards him, even her gentle touch just screamed something more than friendship.

Yes, they were best friends but how could she love, out of everybody else, him? He was a Pokemon and to many others, he was just that. A Pokemon who could walk and talk. He was nothing more than a partner or maybe even a friend. Best friend was pushing it but for the hard-hearted and tough red-head to be in love with him?

He shook his head, his heart beating a mile per second as he realized that the more he shifted, the more the sleeping Musashi was wrapping her arm around him and pulling him closer and closer to her. Kojiro rarely ever let him sleep close to him and even in the rare occurrence that he would wrap his arm around him, it would feel awkward to both of them. This... This was different. Somehow, this felt right. This felt nice. He liked this.

But love, it was a strong word. He had felt it for Meowzie, that was the whole reason he was who he was now but over time, his thoughts of love for her had subsided, replaced by an ever growing hatred. He gave her everything not once, but twice and still she broke his heart. He didn't love her any longer. He hated her.

And the other Pokemon he would 'fall for', it never felt right. It just sort of happened, like he had no control over himself or what he was thinking. Afterwards, he would always feel confused. Now, he felt a question creep into his mind, one that made his head hurt from thinking.

Did he ever feel true love before?

Meowzie, maybe, but the others, no. No, he didn't. In a way, he loved Musashi and Kojiro. They were like family to him and that he could say without thinking it was the wrong thing to say. Even thinking it was enough to calm him down in a stressful situation because he always knew that they were by his side.

But Musashi... She loved him. Somehow, someway, she loved him. Instead of freaking out like some normally would, he was oddly calm with the new information. It was like he was fine with it but with that, the real question hit him hard.

Did he love Musashi back?

Narrowing his blue eyes, he focused his mind on the many times he could've felt that feeling towards her. Thinking about it, he would get more urges to try and hug Musashi than Kojiro. However, he normally did so with Kojiro because he was scared of angering Musashi. But that didn't mean that the strong urges weren't there. If anything, resisting them only made him want to do it more and more.

He was good at hiding his true emotions, that even he knew. But love was a very hard thing to hide but somehow, he had been able to hide it for so long. He had done literally the impossible of being able to hide it from himself.

Thinking about it, he knew it was real. He knew it was true.

He was in love with Musashi.

Smiling softly to himself, he nestled himself deeper into her chest and shut his eyes, whispering a very soft five words. "I love ya taa, Musashi"

The two fell asleep together, two friends who secretly were holding feelings for each other. And to them nothing else mattered. As long as they were together, things would be alright.

Hopefully.

Kiss

After finally confessing their love for each other, Musashi decides to kiss Nyarth, completely unaware that it was, in fact, his first kiss.

Protective

Kosaburō and Yamato return for a brief meeting with the TRio. Yamato takes it upon herself to finally talk to Nyarth, and by talk to, she really means just throwing him around. He is not happy and neither is Musashi, who is only a ticking time bomb about to explode. But when Yamato pushes the line too far, the duo may never want to ever crossed paths with them again.

Remote

While testing out a machine, Musashi and Nyarth fight over the remote.

Elevator

After a fight, Musashi and Nyarth get stuck in an elevator. Hopefully they won't kill each other by the time Kojiro can get them out of it.

Password

Needing the information for a new plan they have, Musashi tries to log into Nyarth's computer. After trying multiple passwords, she finally takes a crazy chance and types in their own name. It works.

"Damnit Nyarth. What the hell is your password?" Musashi muttered to herself as she got it wrong again.

Normally, she would've asked him to do this but seeing as though he had to work with something more complicated that he excelled in meant that she and Kojiro had to get the information they needed.

The only problem with that was that the information they needed was on Nyarth's computer and she didn't know his password.

She had asked him multiple times before but he always refused to reveal it. She knew that if she asked him now, she would definitely wouldn't get the answer. But she could easily get him to do it for her.

But Musashi secretly really wanted to figure this out. She wanted to see just how well she knew her little lover.

Rescue

Takes place during Episode 54 of Season 18: XY. When Musashi and Sonansu are taken by the Calamanero, Nyarth vows to rescue them. But he soon finds that he is not as confident as he would prefer and so both Kojiro and Maaika help him through to their victory.

"Sonansu! Musashi!"

Fear laced his voice as he watched in a frozen stance, staring at the Calamanero that had imprisoned his friends. One second ago, he had been confident, despite being scared. Now, he was simply terrified and was thus, rooted to the spot, unable to move.

He barely reacted as the other Calamanero began to hover the four of them off the ground. No, his gaze was locked on the love of his life, all confidence seemingly have drained away into nothingness. He didn't care if the same thing happened to him, he just needed to get to her, no matter what.

Flicking his ears upon hearing Maaika ink spray their attacker, he braced himself and landed cleanly on his feet but he still couldn't move. He was frozen and unable to think straight. Good thing someone else he was close to was looking out for him.

"Nyarth, we have to go!" Kojiro yelled as he grabbed the other's arm and dragged him away, having noticed his panicked state. He didn't necessarily fight back as he simply weakly reached one paw out in front of him as they began to retreat. He briefly caught the gaze of his lover, as he wished nothing more than to be in her arms once more.

Soon, he found himself yanked behind the rocks with the intelligent twerp who had ordered his Horubee to dig their escape route. Following the twerp and his Pokemon, Kojiro cast one worried glance back as he dragged Nyarth to the escape route.

He paused briefly as he felt Nyarth break free of his grasp and rush towards the tunnel. He watched the scratch cat stop and glance behind him to the two he needed to rescue. "Sonansu! Musashi! We'll come back an' save ya! Just be safe!" he screeched over the roaring wind and his own thundering heartbeat.

Fighting a wave of tears in his eyes, he leapt down the hole and disappeared. Clutching his Maaika to his chest, Kojiro followed him with the slightest hesitation as he forced himself to not look back.

Cheat

After finding Musashi 'relieving' herself with someone else, a heartbroken Nyarth decides to finish what he had once started. Despite the protests of Kojiro, he continues on with his plan. When the someone comes and finds him however, he is pushed past his emotional limit and only when Musashi makes a serious decision, does Nyarth truly learn just how much Musashi loves him.

Tears raked down his face as he forcefully told his body to retrieve the object his friends had believed he had gotten rid of. With a shaking paw, he reached into his sleeping bag, and slipped out the cleaned and shimmering knife of which he had not used for about a month now.

Pleasure

During one their routine private times, Musashi uses multiple methods to pleasure Nyarth, whether he agrees with it or not.

They had done this countless times before but he still let out a sharp, pain-filled gasp as she slipped it inside of him, his breaths coming in heavy and ragged as he forcefully fought the tears threatening his eyes. A whimper slipped out of his throat as he began to adjust to the intrusion, despite his will for it to not come out at all.

Tilting his head back, he met the gentle and loving eyes of his lover, who had reached her hand down to his slightly hardened member and began to rub it carefully. Immediately, he let out a soft and quiet moan, his eyes shutting and his tail flicking slightly from it's awkward position on the floor besides him.

"Oh, you like that, don't you Nyarth?" she asked quietly, her tone seductive as she continued to rub him. Suddenly, she began to gently stroke his hardened member, making his breath hitch in anticipation.

Swallowing a growing moan in his throat, he forced the words out. "Y-Yes, Musashi" his voice lacking the spark that held his accent.

Slowing the stroking of her hand, she carefully traced her other hand alongside his charm to which he let his body shiver underneath her gentle touch.

Clean

Musashi has a weird yet casual conversation with Nyarth as she cleans him.

She was careful with him as she gently rubbed the top of his head, spreading the soap throughout his soft fur in the process. He simply looked up at her, watching her movements with a curious glint.

She continued to brush down the sides of his face, gently cradling his sensitive whiskers in her fingers as she looked down into his curious eyes.

Then she paused in her movements, gently folding back his pricked ears with care. He shot her a quizzical look at this action but didn't say anything. In fact, none of them had said a word since she had begun to do this for him.

She then paused once more as she looked down at him, speaking for the first time in a while. "Close your eyes" she said softly, to which he simply blinked. She half expected him to ignore the comment but she knew that it was hard to keep his big me-owth shut for more than a few minutes. He had to let it out at some point.

"Huh? Why?" He didn't say anything else, but she could tell he was biting his own tongue to prevent more words from spilling out. He looked cute doing that.

She gave a soft laugh at his confusion. "Do you want this stuff in your eyes?" she questioned him.

He paused, a slight thoughtful look in his eyes. "What, does it stin' or somet'in'?" he asked. He was trying so hard not to continue to talk but she could see he was slowly losing that fight.

'It can but do you really want to risk it?" She knew he was a risk taker but even she knew that he wasn't reckless, most of the time. His eyes were sensitive like his tail and his charm. He would want to protect them.

She was right in that sense as he narrowed his eyes slightly in thought and then looked back up to her. He paused for a few moments before he gave a small nod of his head. "Alright" he said simply as he shut his eyes.

Smiling softly, she very gently drew her fingers over his shut eyes. taking note of the sensitivity of them as he began to tightly hold them shut. She was careful as she brought the soap around his fur, being sure to reach every crevice she could. He also knew to keep his mouth shut as well, mainly because he wasn't that stupid.

But she never saw him as stupid to begin with.

Reopenings

She had been rough with him and refused to listen to his pleas for her to stop. But when Musashi takes it too far and reopens wounds from the past, she will have to do everything in her power to show Nyarth just how sorry she really is.