` Tastes of Crimson ?!

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The forest seemed to be calm, soothingly calm at that. Also, it was almost silent, with just a few Pokemon and earthy sounds here and there. Evening in this forest was probably a good time to decide to take a little break, to replenish their energy and such. The Kyoto Champion felt that it was, at least; and she already had things to prepare for a small meal. Already, the woman had plans for the evening; she only had to run it past her companion.

It had been at least a week since they began traveling together, and things went quite well. Problem was, Ryuu didn't seem to like Espeon that much, no matter how much Ayane attempted to convince him that there was no good enough reason to dislike the purple Pokemon. Thankfully, he had begun to trust Crescent, but he was still somewhat wary. Speaking of that, he continuously cast glances at the boy since they started off. The feminine didn't fully comprehend the wariness, but then, she also figured out why he figured he had good reasons to mistrust the masculine.

Pausing in the middle of a small clearing, near a brook, Ayane turned gracefully on a heel, her icy sapphires coming to rest upon Crescent. Though her exterior was emotionless, there seemed to be more sparks of life in her eyes than before, now that they were traveling together. Blinking slowly, she kept her exterior void of emotion, before she murmured, "How about we stop here for the night?" The look in her gaze hinted that she had plans to last through 'til night, and she figured that, after those plans, they would be quite tired.

Thing was, as she glanced around, there didn't seem enough landmarks to mark where they had passed through, and they had gone in quite far. Inwardly, she shook herself; she put those dark thoughts aside. They would be fine.

[ This is for Naze/ Crescent only. ][/blockquote]

[Naze]

With dusk beginning to shroud the heavenly night in a ritual that only the skies understood, the wind from the Northern hemisphere seemed to grow even colder as it calmly brushed past the pair, intertwining their presence into a single essence rather then two separate forms. Now their beings were becoming much more connected as a week or quite possibly two had passed between them with the smooth texture that the calmest of brooks would envy. But of course there were no different then most pairs in the aspects of a single issue ; though each trainer seemed to be quite fond of one another, their Pokemon were a much different matter at hand. Even though Crescent's beloved Espeon kept a perfectly civil relationship with Ayane's pocket monsters, the feline's issue seemed to lie within Ayane herself. And he could see the logic in the beast's purple gazes that had become almost glazed with loathe when Ayane entered sight. Yes.. They had been traveling alone for as years now with only four Pokemon to of ever joined them at their side. So Crescent couldn't hold it against his Pokemon for having such a dislike of this drastic alteration of their average lifestyle.

Amongst the thoughts of these new troubles with his own loyal companion plaguing him, Crescent rather unconsciously allowed the barrier that kept his truly stunning crimson iris and perfectly shaped pupil to alter into the dazzling iris of mixed shades of red that would've first appeared as a severe case of Sectoral Heterochromia yet these pools of reds seemed to be in constant motion, slow and dazzling as they spun around his slivered pupil ; eyes that should without doubt belong to a demon. This had seemed to be happening much more frequently, when ever he lost track of the conscious barrier he kept up that through his life time he had learned to control fell simply due to not keeping a constant check upon it. Perhaps it was because his level of comfort was slowly yet steadily coming to a rise? It was true that for each moment he forced his crimson iris to show that it put a strain upon his physical being though it had become something no more then normal after years upon years of endurance.

Crescent was only able to notice upon taking a glance up towards the sky from behind Ayane, noticing the clarity of the shadows that no human would've been able to witness as dusk made it's invasion upon the day. But too late to adjust it as Ayane spun gracefully upon her heal to face him with those truly dazzling sapphires that illuminated her features beautifully. Upon her question Crescent returned his approving answer with a nod, taking head to the words that spoke through her eyes as if a mirror into her mind that could act as a reflection or blocker at any time. "That would be fine. It would prove little good to step into nightfall within the forest unprepared," the man stated, keeping their gazes locked for a moment as his own inquiry of this schedule Ayane had seemed to conjure was relaid.

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At the boy's nod of approval, the woman nodded somewhat, keeping a soft, ghost smile to herself. Lately, she had found it almost a nuisance that the urge to smile had become quite common; it was probably due to the fact that she was traveling with the masculine - but there always seemed something else that whispered to her, Smile. Someone may be missing it. Always, there would be a barrier around that part of her thoughts, keeping that minor interior clashing away from the boy's detection.

Quite frankly, Ayane had found herself admiring those stunning crimsons of his, which seemed to switch forms - if you will - quite frequently. It tended to bother her, but then, she knew that if she had been afraid of those eyes, or even despised them, then they still would be alone; and from the way that his Espeon was acting, it wanted that. Yet, in her eyes, Crescent didn't seem to want the same things as his Pokemon.

But off of that, for now, she turned once more on her heel, making her way toward the brook. Ryuu, who was carrying her bag, came over and placed her bag beside her. Her nod noted that she acknowledged him, before she dug into her bag and took out a blanket, covering the ground near the brook, before glancing up at the heavens. Once her Salamance settled down a little ways off the blanket, she got to her feet and glanced at Crescent, but not after patting an open area on the blanket to show that he could occupy that space.

The sun seemed to be dying away almost swiftly; it was as if the moon was eager to greet them with its moonlight again. That phantom smile of hers slowly embraced her lips, especially when she glanced at those demonic, red eyes. "Should we train soon?"

[Naze]

As Ayane turned to lay her blanket upon the grassy forest floor, Crescent turned his gaze away to take minor advantage of his current gaze. Already shadows were beginning to cloak the depths of the sacred forest so that it may become the playing field to all the nocturnal beasts that would no doubt pay heed to the humans' presence within their regularly undisturbed habitat. Already, Crescent allowed his levels of caution to rise but felt comforted by the clarity his eyesight allowed him in the darkness of night, his vision reporting that there was nothing to be cautious of currently in the forest other then a few bird Pokemon retiring to their nests near by casually which was little threat. With that purpose served, his gaze turned back to Ayane in time to catch her physical gesture for him to join her upon the blanket that slightly cushioned the ground.

And then came her question. They had trained twice.. Possibly three times in their current days of companionship, simply working on his own Pokemon's attack power, speed, and overall performance. Puru had seemed to take a liking to Ayane, accepting her new partnership with it's trainer quite well as if it had found a joy in it's master's new found happiness. Espeon and Mareep were quite a different matter though, with one large difference ; Espeon acted in chase of ignorant loathe while Mareep was a timid creature that was much too frightened of the newcomer and Ryuu to even leave Crescent's side. A few times even, Crescent was slightly concerned that Espeon may act against his orders or against Ayane but so far his stern gaze seemed to act as a mental collar but the trainer knew better then to believe that would be a consistent restraint.

With that fear in mind and something unknown tugging at him, Crescent almost felt inclined to deny the offer. But it was pushed aside as Crescent stood just off the blanket as if his wish was not to dirty it with his neatly kept shoes. "If that is what you wish," he answered in his velvety purr of a voice before slowly blinking yet upon opening his eyes once more, those dazzling crimson hues had returned. It was no short of indecent to show those demonic eyes in front of such lovely beauty. His final wonder was if she would use a Pokemon other then her beloved Salamance in this practice before patiently anticipating her reply in whatever form it may come in.

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When the boy responded with his handsome, almost charming way, the woman gave a slight nod, that phantom smile still upon her near porcelain facial features. Their previous training sessions were quite fine, though she felt as if his strongest Pokemon disliked her and the rest of her team; but she couldn't allow that to get in the way. Slightly shaking herself on the inside, she began to ponder about which Pokemon to use.

Ayane had used Ryuu for all the previous sessions, so it was time for something new. Rayquaza would have been too powerful, not to mention he didn't listen to her as solidly as her other Pokemon. Perhaps she should use the weakest Pokemon she had on hand? Yes. That would be a good choice. Her hand slid into her waist bag, coming out holding a Pokeball. Glancing back at Crescent, her sapphires seemed to whisper, 'Hope you don't mind.'

In a whisper, she called, "Batsu, battle stance." Giving the device a toss, minuscule beams of light shot from the opening, before the ball snapped open. The beam of near white light landed to form that of a Persian, which flicked its tail and held itself proudly.

[Naze]

Rather eager to witness what other Pokemon his companion carried, Crescent stood patiently a few lengths away from her in order to give the Pokemon room to reveal itself from the spherical device if it was as large or larger then what appeared to be her favorite Pokemon. Stunning crimson hues stood still as he watched her actions and read her graceful movements up to the point where the Pokemon was released. For a moment after the Persian was released, Crescent seemed to take a moment to admire the feline Pokemon with eyes that reflected it's perfect creamy furred body before the man reached into his black tailcoat. "I'll be enlisting my previous Pokemon int his battle, if you wouldn't mind," Crescent spoke in a truly calming voice before slowly pulling out a Pokeball that enlarged within his grasp. His faithful Espeon that he couldn't help but wonder about now.. He was beginning to question his own original companion's visual of Ayane and if it would ever try anything in aggression towards her... No, this beast was well trained and listened to his every command, it would never act in such violent mannerisms..

Upon revealing the ball in full clarity, a beam of sparkling red vapor was released and from it on the ground slightly infront of Crescent was the purple furred Espeon that he was amazingly fond of. But then instead of giving an order, Crescent held his hand up to his side at chest length to signal for the Pokemon to make no attack. As expected, it stopped though gave it's master a confused look until Crescent walked forward, a ghost of a smile dancing upon his lips though looked as if it was unstable, easily shattered. But then, the rather unexpected befell every onlooker as instead of possibly approaching Ayane, Crescent stood infront of Persian.

"You never told me you had a.. cat," he stated in an almost shakey voice before all previous views of a rather emotionless man without weakness was shattered as the trainer kneeled down infront of the feline, giving it's head long and affectionate strokes. Crescent even took it upon himself to go so far as gently placing the cat's paw within his own, applying slight pressure to the paw to allow the claws to escape their retracted state. Cats are beautiful creatures.. was all he could purr mentally, closing his eyes for a moment with an 'Ah' that was sighed out, stilling stroking the Persian as if it was his personal bliss. It would've taken a fool not to realize his 'weakness' at this point : cats, felines, anything in that family. And if his actions did not prove it, the smile that was now firmly upon his lips brought it to full opacity.

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When the purple furred Pokemon appeared from the trainer's Pokeball, the woman felt a feeling of familiarity as well as expectancy. Then again, it would be of question if she was to not expect to see those violet optics, which tended to show a dislike toward her at many times. A beautiful Pokemon, it was, raised as well as her favorite Pokemon. The champion watched the boy, observing his actions after he summoned his chosen Pokemon. Then, she forced herself to conceal her slight surprise when he began to take a few steps forward. At first, she thought he was approaching her - but a closer look showed that his eyes were all for her feline Pokemon.

By then, Ayane had pulled on her emotionless exterior. As she watched Crescent kneel to admire her Pokemon, a phantom smile almost flickered onto her lips. Now, as she watched his barriers weaken and break, she realized that he did have another weakness other than awestruck shock. "I never thought it was relevant," she finally replied in a whisper, making her almost silent way towards them both.

As the boy examined and petted Batsu, Ryuu tensed. When he abruptly raised his wings about half an inch, his trainer heard it, and she paused, hardly a foot away from her traveling companion and the Persian. She slid her hand gracefully, slowly, in the air at hip height, signaling to her faithful Salamance that there was nothing to be cautious of. Still, he could not relax himself.

It was usual, so the Kyoto Champion took a few steps forward, before kneeling down less than half a foot from the two souls. The phantom smile returned to her lips as she watched the trainer with her icy sapphires, inwardly slightly amused when she glanced at the cat's facial expression. It wore that of a proud, almost conceited look, but it purred despite that, calmly accepting the affection that the male was giving it. Ayane couldn't keep from taking a liking to it.

[Naze]

Almost blissfully stroking the Persian and enjoying it's purrs while taking no head to the Salamance that became aphrehensive upon his rather unexpected approach. "Of course it's relevant," Crescent stated rather swiftly after she said something as he showed the utmost attention to the feline. "I love cats. I've been able to read the emotions of many humans and Pokemon in my lifetime yet it seems that it's only the fickle emotions of cats that I cannot read clearly.." the man purred while he still gently indulged in the perfect example of a Persian. That was a point in that sentence where Crescent pondered whether or not to comment that it was not simply the emotions of felines that he could not read entirely but her's as well. Fitting since sometimes she was just as capricious as any Persian but like any gentlemen he swiftly ruled it out of thought.

It was only when he heard the loud, aggressive hiss of his Espeon that Crescent abruptly halted his affection towards Batsu and turned a rather confused gaze towards Espeon. He was aware the this Pokemon was very jealous of both humans and Pokemon alike yet this was something rare for such a laid back Pokemon. Espeon commonly had the emotions of it's trainer ; calm, charming, yet seemingly void at some points. But this.. This was a sight. The purple furred Pokemon stood with all four legs spread, silvery claws kneading the grass below as it bared rows of deadly sharp dagger fangs towards the four other present. The beast released another sharp spitting hiss, purple shaded fur risen to full height to give the appearance of an aggressive or irritated feline.

Quickly taking action, Crescent's rather joyous expression dissipated like steam into the sky before he stood to his feet, posture perfectly straight with his tall height making Ayane reach him at about shoulder height. "Stop, Espeon. That's an order," the trainer stated in a stern tone that was no doubt harsh enough to make any of his Pokemon quiver but the regularly well behaved nekomata - based feline took no notice to his master's command and simply charged forward with speed that had yet to be rivaled, aiming a tackle at Ayane that was purely filled by jealousy and the hatred it already felt for the newcomer.

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The phantom smile grew slightly when the boy began to speak; he was showing so much liking and affection toward the feline Pokemon that it was difficult to believe he had seemed almost void usually. Almost subconsciously, the woman gave him a slight nod, the enlightenment of her facial features still present as she slowly straightened up. It was pleasant to watch them like that; she just knew that the feline and the trainer would get along well. But then, the scene was interrupted.

Immediately, Ayane found her brightened expression to have dissipated, gone like it was now a stranger to her. Perhaps she was wrong to believe that Espeon would not attack her. No, she was wrong; there was no maybe about it. The menacing posture of the purple Pokemon could have struck panic and those that did not seem calm enough, but the champion did not find anything to bring adrenaline or fear. She was perfectly calm - almost eerily calm. However, it was a completely different story for her loyal Pokemon. Both of them had no calmness about them.

Ryuu was already extremely tensed, fangs bared as he raised his wings high; if he did not seem menacing before, he definitely did now, especially when a growl slowly slipped from him. And Batsu, having been so proud and comfortable a moment before, now was poised to strike, a hiss slowly escaping his jowls. Once the Pokemon was a purple blur, the feminine once again calmly shifted her hand to hip level, signaling for her Pokemon to calm down. But they were so tense, they nearly lunged, both of them snarling - but the icy, almost harsh glare their master gave them caused them to hesitate.

And that was probably what allowed Espeon a direct hit - not that Ayane had planned to avoid it; no, she welcomed it, for she saw raw jealousy and hatred in those furious eyes. If it truly hated her so, it deserved a chance to harm her. And the impact was almost tremendous, knocking her to the ground, but she remained strangely calm, keeping her sapphires averted from those violet eyes - even though a crack had sounded at the lower area of her legs. Also, she knew that there was blood, for her Salamance and Persian appeared so furious - yet she would not allow them to attack.

Her eyes seemed to ask, 'This is what you wanted, is it not? For me to be harmed?' There was no threat in her eyes; rather, they were calm and void. But she could not find the will to look away from those glaring, enraged optics.

[Naze]

Though Ayane seemed to have no quarells with being struck, her male companion did not like those icy blue sapphires govern his actions as the Espeon paid no head to Ayane's message relaid through visual eye contact but it's answer was obvious once the beast sunk that top row of it's fangs. Yet before the pair to plummet to the forest floor with the Espeon's fangs still sunken into Ayane's bare flesh, the Pokemon swiftly clenched it's deep purple eyes shut and released the female Champion to widen it's mouth for a sharp yowl of pain that sent the small creature flying, a flash crimson able to be seen and upon further inspection of the Pokemon it had a small gash within it's side that bled freely onto the blades of grass beneath the nekomata. It's eyes were clenched shut in agony but opened them for a moment with a saddened expression visible within it's pained gaze. 'Why' it seemed to inquire towards it's trainer that held two fingers, an index and a middle, apart from the rest for they seemed deadly with sharpened nails that were caked with fresh crimson liquids, gravity allowing it to drip down in sticky strands, ribbons forming from each finger to drip down upon the forest floor.

'Those' eyes had once more returned to his pupils and they held no more then harshness and a sense of betrayed anger within their deep, venomous pools that reflected the injured Espeon. That is, until they glanced towards Ayane. Ryuu could've crushed his Pokemon to bits with it's large jaw or Batsu could have caught it with skilled claws yet they did not and he knew why ; Ayane order.. Why? But there was no time to ponder those trivial questions in his current vision as Crescent swiftly knelled down beside his current female companion. Instead of the harsh exterior that seemed to make Espeon cringe out of fear upon gazing into them, they showed a concern for her well being. He also felt guilty for allowing his own Pokemon to deceive him into believing it would not act in such conduct yet it did not show within his eyes ; no it hid slyly behind one of the rotating shades of crimson that nearly matched the blood which warmed his index and middle finger of his left hand.

"Ayane.." Crescent muttered, his velvety purr remaining in his tone before averting their gaze to inspect her current condition. Upon her chest was a gash created by Espeon razor sharp fangs and upon her leg was another patch of warm life that slipped to the floor freely. "Are you alright?" he began to question with a sigh that seemed to make his thoughts of 'what the hell were you thinking' clear. In such chaos the moon had finally reached it's height within the sky, stars shining upon them as well as the moonlight that made not only Crescent's pale skin seem to illuminate but the concern within those demonic eyes that seemed far from such a ghastly state with those emotions piercing through anger.

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It was almost a shock when the purple furred Pokemon was abruptly thrown aside, with a gash causing the pretty crimson fluid to be stolen from the creature's body. The woman closed her eyes for a few moments, gathering herself and regaining the ability to ignore the pain that throbbed at her chest and leg. However, her mind was almost whirling, wondering what had done such a think to the Pokemon. And she received her answer when she reopened those sapphires, which were now glazed over with that emotionless barrier; the boy. Now, she definitely knew he was cursed, with a demon within, but she could not find any fear lingering in her.

Ayane knew she admired those demonic eyes, and now she knew that she was also not only awed, but almost comforted at points; this was one of those points. Her emotionless shield remained, and she slowly sat up, sapphires locked with rubies. For a moment, after Crescent asked if she was alright, she did not reply. She knew she didn't appear alright, and her leg probably wouldn't allow her to mask the pain. She closed her eyes, a soft, almost inaudible sigh breaking past her lips.

Batsu snarled, propelling itself toward the Espeon. As he glided through the air, his muscles rippled, and when he landed so elegantly, his claws unsheathed to the fullest. There was a hate inside its pale red slits that was frightening, and its bared pearls seemed to show no less menace than its seemingly penetrating gaze. Ryuu roared almost thunderously, seeming pissed beyond belief. He launched himself over to his master and her companion, glaring harshly, hatefully, at Espeon. They both appeared prepared to blast the purple Pokemon to smithereens; the Salamance readying a Dragon Pulse, the Persian Power Gem.

However, the feminine signaled for them to stop - and, with great effort, they obeyed. Opening her icy blues, she glanced at the attacker, then to its trainer. She appeared quite calm, emotionless even. One could believe she now resented them both, as if she were giving them more silent treatment than before; but her eyes, as they caught sight of the trainer, held appreciation, appreciation for his concern and care. Without a word, she attempted to get to her feet; at first, it seemed she was fine, but a split second later, her injured leg buckled.

[Naze]

Crescent's only looked away from Ayane once to glance at the Salamance and Persian that threatened his once amazingly faithful and well mannered Pokemon with their attacks while the Espeon still held it's intimidating appearance ; each strand of purple fur upon it's back spiked up and rippling, baring the rows of fangs within it's mouth in a loud hiss. Yet it was no surprise to the trainer when his female companion called off the attack that the Salamance and Persian began to commence by their own wills. These monsters were truly well collared and for a moment a spark of shame was attempting to make it's mark upon the male yet without any kind of kindle, the spark swiftly perished but not without a single question ; Why can't you do that? For a moment his own Espeon summoned the memory of his old Pokemon which had been forced to travel with him by the curse for quite some time now. It was a fickle beast, temperamental and could care less about the orders Crescent gave for it did not trust nor respect him. Could his Espeon be experiencing similar emotions towards him that Kyukon had once harbored?

Yet his thoughts were no longer allowed to paralyze him as he locked gazes with Ayane, taking mind to her appreciation towards his concern ; to the fact that he actually cared so much as to inquire about her health. Yes.. He had expected an answer somewhat like that and had not hoped for verbal wording, those sparkling sapphires were all that she needed to relay messages. Like a relic of the Holy Spirit, she seemed blessed with that ability.. The blessed locking gazes with the damned, the two elements that should never of clashed without blades was seeming to now mix and embrace each other to the point where it was impossible to categorize the two. Beauty, true beauty at it's best.

But as stubborn as the feminine was to never release her powerful barrier that she held between her true emotions and her exterior expressions, Crescent showed no shocked when she attempted to stand upon her own two feet. With that injury? Oh yes, now it really would've been a shock if she succeeded. And as if timed, her injured limb buckled to prevent any further attempt at the female endangering her own health. Yes, and she would've been sent plummeting back to the hard Earth as well if her male companion had not begun to rise to his own feet. For a moment, the world was most likely a blur in the feminine's eyes and when it was not, the world would've still seemed odd with only the sky in clear view. "Honestly, if you can't respect your own body's limitations then there will be no healing it. You may be stubborn however I won't allowed that to endanger your own health any further," the man spoke, a phantom smile appearing upon his lips as he closed his eyes only to reopen them slightly, revealing that those stunning crimson rubies had returned.

It was a wonder when she would realize that Crescent's arm was tucked beneath her and his palm resting upon her side while the other was under her thin thighs, his palm gripping her gently as Crescent held her in a bridal fashion, lifted above the ground at the trainer's full height.

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Even as she began to fall, even when she knew that the boy and her had only begun their travels, the woman did not feel any urgency; something whispered to her that she would be almost safe around the boy. It was something she had grown to trust half of the time, and just as it did many times before, it was proven correct when, during the moment when the world was a blur in her collapse, she felt something touch her - grab her, to be exact. For a split second, her mind was disoriented, but, as if it were a charm, his voice calmed down her mind, allowing it to regain control a second or so faster than usual. Her sapphires closed, and a phantom smile embraced her lips again.

Indeed, Ayane was uncomfortable, being carried at the moment, but she had to ignore her dislike of physical contact currently; Crescent was merely keeping her from permanently damaging herself. It would be a shocker if she had not felt his arms under her, holding her above the ground; she had plenty of sensitive things, from hearing to sight - but her sense of touch was perhaps almost the most powerful. If even a fly was to fly a couple of centimeters from her skin, she would have felt it. So, the trainer's strong arms were quite easy to detect, to feel, especially since she was basically laying in them. If she had been younger, perhaps she would have blushed, or even show her embarrassment, or even irritation; but she felt none of that at the moment. Gratefulness was in her sapphires as she reopened them and glanced into those stunning crimsons. If he was truly watching her smile, he would have seen it grow the slightest bit.

Ryuu and Batsu had almost rushed to their master's aid, but they had abruptly stopped when her companion seemingly rescued her. And now, the Salamance seemed to trust Crescent enough that he turned his back to them, stepping up beside the Persian. They were still furious, and it was as if they were sending signals through the atmosphere; after all those years of learning such abilities, Ayane had learned how to feel many souls' emotions, especially when they were plain in the open. She knew that, after already three signals for them to keep from harming Espeon, they would not attack.

It was when she was certain they would not defy her that she glanced up at the boy again. Her ghost of a smile flickered larger for a split second, before it grew back to how it normally would be, a good bit smaller. There was almost amusement within her glazed blues, and the clouding barrier seemed to crack open, just barely. For a moment, she did not mind him carrying her; it helped with her leg, and it showed to her that the chances of him bonding with then betraying her were growing slimmer.

Even with her eyes stating the message, she decided to use her voice, which came out much more angelic than one would expect when the owner of the voice was injured, "Thank you, Crescent." A hushed whisper it was, soft and beautiful, but there was no mistaking the graceful appreciation and returned feeling of companionship hiding deep down; at least, to Crescent there was no mistaking. Anyone else, and it would have seemed that the words had no further meaning than that angelic voice.

[Naze]

With the beautiful moon as the single witness to their escapades and the spotlight for their entertaining play, Crescent allowed the phantasm of a smile to still haunt his thin lips. If anything, the reaction he had revealed to Ayane when her injured knee buckled as no more then a reflex.. Yes.. Yes that was all, wasn't it? At least, Crescent was eager to cling to that solution to the growing uneasiness he had began to feel when holding his female companion. His lone concern at first was the fact that he had actually just lifted her from the ground when this woman had not even liked using her voice [not that she needed it] and would much less like even being touched ; gripped onto his a protective manner. And then an unexpected spark of nervousness broke into his set of laid back, calm emotions. Though it was not kindled, the reason for it was unknown to the trainer but it was there.. Why? Yet the inquiry was easily cast aside ; the emotion had not breached his powerful barrier kept about his exterior expression nor had it even reached his eyes thus, there was no urgency in deciphering his own complexity.

But all of this was swiftly eased upon his stunning crimson hues catching her smile growing oh so slightly. Amusement and approval mingled smoothly within that ghost of a smile playing upon her lips and everything was perfectly soothed within the young man upon her beautiful gaze showing great appreciation for his actions as well as the fact that she currently had no quarrels with being held for the moment. Nor did Crescent mind it, to hold her close was a warm feeling that he had not felt in many, many years from another human. The last welcomed physical connection with another human being that was memorable was his dear affection mother that was long deceased. But in the dead of night with some wounds beginning to increase in blood flow, there was no time to be spared for sentimental nonsense.

But still.. It was utterly surprising when she spoke to him.. Verbally spoke her gratitude to his action. While there eyes were locked, colors mingling in mutual reflections within their irises, Crescent's smile grew ; nothing quite noticeable if she had not paid mind to his expressions but there was no mistake that her seemingly holy voice was appreciated like a blessing. A blessing from the angel that she was. And in return, the man's smile returned to only mild and his eyes returned a warm kind of 'You're Welcome' to the feminine before he turned upon his heal gracefully.

Espeon however watched their actions with a distasteful spit before looking to the Salamance that had seemed to protective over Ayane at first though now appeared content with Crescent's helping hand. ~Will you not do anything? You were once over-protective and now you simply let it slide..~ the purple feline began to speak in a silent tongue only known to the Pokemon of the world, locking his brilliant lavender eyes upon Ryuu for a moment before turning and beginning to run his sandy tongue over the wound his own master had delivered to him. Cursed as he was, the Espeon knew his own owner well enough to realize that he would never strike the vitals. Demonic as Crescent could rarely seem, he was not a killer ; much too gentle of a man to dirty his bare hands with murder that was unprovoked.

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The dragon Pokemon cast a harsh glare to the purple one after he had watched the boy carry his master away. In his opinion, they were comfortable with each other, especially after the dramatic scene that had occurred only a moment before; for once, the winged beast allowed himself to give it to the trainer that his master would be in safe hands. Still, he was very, very upset, considering the fact that the scent of blood was powerful; he could tell his feline teammate was also quite upset. The damned lavender Pokemon was pathetically envious in his eyes, unworthy of respect.

Ryuu growled, almost loudly, when Espeon questioned him. ``He has protected my master from you,`` the Salamance replied, a certain dislike lurking within his tone. He cast a sidelong glance at the Persian, hearing the faint hisses being emitted from the feline's throat.

Batsu was quite furious, and though he was a snobby Pokemon in his own prideful way, he felt that this Espeon could have been so much better. Jealousy signals failure. He spat on the ground, his distinctive tail twitching as he turned his back to the purple Pokemon. ``Let's go, Ryuu; Lady Ayane may be needing us.`` With that, he padded off, and Ryuu, after a cold glance at the wounded, followed the creamy Pokemon.

Ayane was almost relaxed, her sapphires closed as she kept her breathing steady; it was a warm feeling, being carried by Crescent. She knew that she was weak with these wounds, which gave the outside her blood, her crimson life. Blood and pain, she did not fear - only if it was from someone else, one she valued. And, tonight was the same as any other time she was harmed; she was glad it was not her companion who had been harmed.