Monster Rancher Fan Fiction ❯ Night Time Visitor ❯ Night Time Visitor ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Night Time Visitor
By Cale Kuecker (Ashertye@aol.com)

Summary: A simple bath was all I wanted. It should have been simple, no complications. I mean, how much trouble could one little hare get into just taking a bath. What I wasn't counting on was the company. (PG13, but might be considered R by some)

Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Rancher in any way shape or form. If you try to sue me for using it, you'll get nothing but bus change. Do not use this story without my permission and do not change it for the same. This story was actually inspired by all the Monster Rancher romance fics that have been floating around. Hope you like it.

************************************************************** **********

It didn't take very long for me to make it back to the pond we'd passed a little more than a half hour before. Dumb Tiger. He didn't want to camp here, spouting something along the lines of not wanting to be were any potentially dangerous wild animals came to drink. I think it was more because he didn't want to give Holly an excuse to give him a bath, something he needed after being on the road without one for a week. Oh well, let that silly blue wolf smell like a refuse pile if he wanted, some monsters held themselves in higher regard and preferred not to offend others with their odor.
The pond was beautiful, especially with the moon and stars reflecting in its still surface. On one side of the pond stood a collection of tall smooth stones that almost made a wall. Smaller stone outcroppings were visible at the surface and under the water, the perfect place for a bath. The rest of the pond's bank was sandy and clean. All in all the whole place looked like a scene out of a romance book I'd once read.
I walked over to the rocks and placed my bandanna on one, along with a towel and a bar of soap. Carefully I slipped into the water, shivering slightly at how cold it was. I wish we were in a village. At least there I'd be using hot water. But I guess beggars can't be choosers. I let the water soak my brown fur as I completely submerged under the water surface, tingling a little as the small fish began to nibble at my extremities. It didn't take long to bet used to the cold water, and the night air was still and warm. All in all, I couldn't complain.
I grabbed the soap and began to work up a lather on my fur, attempting to remove the grit and grim of two days of travel. I had to stay near the rocks to really work. The pond had proven to be deeper than I had anticipated. It's times like these that I wish I had a few more inches of height.
Suddenly, I felt two strong, slender hands come to rest on my shoulders, rubbing soap into the fur as they massaged the muscles. I jumped forward and turned around, unsure of what I'd find. I wasn't ready for Pixie. For a while we just sat there, looking at each other. She sat there on the rock overlooking where I'd been, her hands still covered in bubbles from the soap she had touched. The look on her face was what really got my attention, though, a bizarre look I had never before seen on her face. A hungry gleam seemed to appear in her eyes as she looked at me. Slowly, Pixie slid from the rock into the water, sinking until it came to her shoulders. Her hands glided over her body as she undid the top part of her uniform and removed the bottom, placing both pieces on the same rock as my bandanna. I sputtered as water flooded into my open mouth, something I don't remember opening. Pixie once more moved her hands, grabbing the bar of soap as it floated past her, using it to clean her creamy skin. I started to think how embarrassing this could be. It really wouldn't matter that Pixie had been the one to invade MY privacy, all anyone would see would be me alone in the pool with a naked girl. What the passerby probably wouldn't notice, though, would be that Pixie's eyes had never left me, even as she turned her back to me. And they still had the same hungry look in them, which still made me very uncomfortable. And then I realized something. Pixie could be in the middle of nowhere and there would still be one guy that you could always count on to be nearby. At little afraid, I looked around hopping to spot Big Blue before he spotted me.
"Oh bother," Pixie suddenly said, seemingly to no one in particular. "Hare would you mind coming over here and scrubbing my back? My wings always get in the way when I do it myself." I felt my jaw drop again. What was her game? I looked around, expecting some sort of trick as I swam closer to her.
*This is silly,* I thought to myself. *If she wanted to hurt me she could have found any number of other ways to do it. She wouldn't just set me up.* I took the soap from her hand and began to gently rub it against her back. I could feel the tension in her muscles, and she was still looking at me funny, a soft growl escaping her lips.
Now before we go on, I should explain. I am neither naive nor am I stupid. What I am is inexperienced. I know, it sounds bizarre. Here I am, the searcher with probably the most travel time under his belt, who's seen and interacted with more people than the others probably even can imagine, and I don't catch on to something this simple. Of course, my ignorance was not destined to last long.
Before I could react, Pixie turned around, her arms grabbing the back of my head as she planted her lips on my own. My eyes opened wide as I realized her intent and I took a startled jump backwards out of her grip, which was thankfully not strong. I saw a wicked smile appear on her face and looked around, expecting to see Big Blue somewhere growing red with anger and ready to pound me into a carrot patch. The sound of water being forced aside drew my attention back to my pond-mate. Pixie now floated in front of me, her wings laying flat against the water keeping her up as she bobbed gracefully closer toward me.
"You need to relax Hare. After all, I'm not going to hurt you... much," Pixie cooed. Her arms came to rest on my shoulders, looping around my neck. Her elbows caught my head as I tried to dive under. "Ah, is the bunny a little skittish around big bad Pixie?"
"It's not that I'm 'skittish,' as you put it, it's just this is kinda sudden," I said, defending myself.
"And here I thought you liked surprises."
"Not if the surprise involves Big Blue breaking me in two."
"He's not here. Believe me, he did want to be. But I felt you would not appreciate an audience."
"So why me?"
"Big Blue is my best friend, someone whom I can trust with my life beyond any other. But, I'm afraid when it comes to other matters, Big Blue is unable to express himself. My circle of friends has diminished greatly since I left Moo. Truthfully, you searchers are my only other friends. Genki and Mocchi are of course too young to be of any use, and I somehow doubt Tiger would consent, my being a former baddy and all."
"So that leaves me as last choice, eh? Don't I feel special." Suddenly, her arms were at my waist and pulling us closer, until both our bodies touched. I'll never forget how her body felt against mine, hard as rock yet softer than any feather.
"I'll tell you something, Hare, I never settle for a last choice." Once more her lips latched onto mine in a ferocious kiss. For a moment, I was almost afraid we'd sink each other, but those leathery wings of hers proved not only strong enough to hold us, but also to begin pulling us to shore. I had to admit, despite the danger, I was feeling very turned on by my partner's advances. My body even seemed to be going on automatic pilot as it stopped acting as a passive partner in the kiss. I felt my hands begin to wrap around Pixie's body, careful to avoid the wings as they pulled us gently to where we could stand. Well, at least where she could stand. I, being shorter than a beetle, held on to her as she kept me above water, an embarrassed look coming over my face. That was when I felt something wrap around our left and right legs respectively, binding them together. At first I thought it was a snake until I felt the pointed tip of a tail, Pixie's tail, begin to trace the curves of my hips.
I'm not really sure how we wound up on the sandy shores, but we did, Pixie's tail still wrapped around us. I, of course, was on the bottom, a necessity to prevent the woman's wings from being broken under our weight. Not that I minded at the time, it gave my hands plenty of free room to move over her smooth skin. My mouth and tongue rolled away from hers, drifting down her neck. She moaned in pleasure as we began, the water of the pond dripping from her body to mine. My free leg began to kick at the air, as I let loose my own soft groan. One of my hands grabbed the base of her tail as her mouth began to nibble on the tip of my ear, sending a shiver of pleasure all the way down my spine. Suddenly, she began to roll, resulting it us rolling over, ending with me back on my back and both of us grunting. The next thing I knew her arms once more held my head, pulling me closer. I felt he shudder as my cold nose touched he bare flesh. I shuddered as I found myself deprived of oxygen. I twisted my head, only to be greeted by the thumping sound of her beating heart in my ear. I smiled as I listened to how fast her heart moved and how warm she felt. Pixie's released my head, moving one of her arms underneath us both, her fingers cutting through any tangles that got in her way as she reached the small of my back. It felt like I was laying on a rock for a while. He free hand made itself useful by stroking my side, playing my ribs like a harp. It was so pleasing I actually found myself responding in kind. An almost human giggle escaped Pixie's lips when I touched her, a sound I couldn't help but join in as we continued in our activities, totally absorbed in the moment.
It's funny how your perception of the passing of time can be altered depending on what you are doing. It often seemed like we'd been walking for hours whenever I traveled with my friends, and eternity passes between campsites. And whenever we seemed to be having fun, time seemed to slip away faster than it could be counted. So it was this night. It seemed as though we had hardly begun when we both released a final moan of ecstasy. I have never felt more tired, even after I battled Celious in Centaur's arena. Pixie moved off, rolling over onto her side beside me. I looked over to her from my side, and looked at those eyes, no longer filled with the hunger of before, but a contentment. We were both breathing hard from our exertions, and I watched as he chest expanded and contracted with each breath. I reached out an arm and slowly, gently, touched her soft cheek. She smiled at me and a finger soon began to glide up the middle of my furry chest, stopping when it touched my chin. It moved forward and I followed, bringing my face closer to hers as we kissed again. Though this one seemed less passionate than the ones we'd shared before, it was no less memorable.
Suddenly, Pixie stopped, and her entire body seemed to freeze in place. For a brief moment I was confused, until I figured out what had caused her sudden rigidity. A faint noise was coming to my ears, a snickering I hadn't noticed until now. A soft rustling of leaves also indicated the intruders' presence. Someone had been watching us, and I had no idea how long they'd been there. Pixie's finger returned to my face, firmly pressed over my lips and commanding me to silence. We both quickly stood, ready for anything. The snickering had turned to chuckling, which continued to get louder as if mocking us.
"You might as well come out, now. We know you're there," Pixie said, her voice taking on an even colder tone than it usually held. There was no doubt about it, she was pissed. Not that I could blame her, I felt my fists ball up as my anger rose. The bushes in front of us rustled more wildly than before as the chuckling turned to raucous laughter. Out of the growth stepped eight zuum, each brandishing Moo's insignia on a chain around their necks.
"Oh that was such a good show. You two could really clean up if you took it on the road," the lead zuum said.
"The mighty Pixie and a peasant fuzzball. This is just too rich," came another lizard's snide remark. Pixie eyes grew harder as she stared the at the captain.
"You will be very sorry that you intruded on us reptile."
"I have to tell you, even without Master Moo's reward for your hide, this night has been far from sorry... ZUUM ATTACK!!" The captain yelled. The dinosaurs fanned out surrounding us. I raised my fists, ready to fight as many of the baddies as I could and maybe five Pixie a chance to escape. What can I say, they'd caught us with our pants down, no pun intended. I knew Pixie could take care of herself, but, the way my mind was working, that fact just didn't register.
A zuum, the one that had called me a "peasant fuzzball," charged at us, opening his mouth to try to bite my head off. A foolish move, as I gladly demonstrated when I loosened his teeth with an uppercut. A blur of red shot out from behind me, slashing at the zuum's exposed neck and severing his windpipe. I looked back at Pixie to find her wings fully spread out, lifting her lithe body into the air. Any worries I had about Pixie in this situation vanished as she dove at two more of the zuum, slashing at their throats the same as the one before, killing them almost instantly. Pink energy sparkled around her fingers as she pointed at another zuum, killing it with a lightening bolt. She moved so fluidly, it was almost beautiful to watch. Fortunately, I snapped out of my revelry in time to plant a fist on the crowned forehead of a zuum that had decided I was an easier target than Pixie. I followed the punch with a left kick to the baddy's stomach. I jumped on my right foot and turned, connecting with his head. I hadn't really meant for the kick to be so hard, but it sent the zuum's head to the rocks very hard, and I heard the crack of bones before he turned into a lost disk.
Another zuum came at me, spitting fireballs in rapid succession as I hopped and danced, easily avoiding the poorly aimed attacks. I made it to the lizard as he prepared to launch another volley and forced his mouth closed on the fireball. The look on his face was priceless, even better than the time Genki had eaten an Inferno Pepper at that restaurant, despite everyone's warnings about how intense it was. The Zuum hopped around, waving his hands at his smoking mouth trying desperately to cool it. Finally he remembered the pond and raced over to it, forcing the water into his throat. It was too good an opportunity to miss. A swift kick planted my foot right on his scaly backside, sending him sailing into the center of the pond. A shaft of pink energy finished off the hapless zuum. Above me, Pixie had moved onto her next target, grabbing him by the tail as she soared higher and higher into the sky, the zuum screaming and begging for her to let him go. She did. And she was even gracious enough to lose some altitude before letting go. A part of me hoped he didn't suffer long.
The final two zuum, leader and the final subordinate, were at once reconsidering the wisdom in attacking us.
"This is impossible. We outnumbered them four to one."
"Hey, the lady did say we'd make you sorry, lizard lips," I said, goading the captain to attack. It was a lot easier to fight an opponent blinded by rage. The captain, however, had other ideas.
"Pixie may be able to fight us, but don't think some weak little carrot muncher can do it too. Especially when it's two on one." Both zuum rounded on me, and I moved into a defensive stance, ready for anything they could throw at me. Suddenly, Pixie stepped between us, an angry look on her face as her left hand was raised over her head. A looked up to see a small red ball of energy resting on the tip of her lone index finger. What ever attack she was preparing, Captain Zuum obviously knew it, as his eyes widened in fear and his body began to shake.
"Be gone," came Pixie's whispered command as the energy ball moved swiftly towards it's targets. With no time to spare, Captain Zuum grabbed his partner, forcing the unfortunate lizard to take the full force of the killing attack. Alone now, the captain decided discretion to be the better part of valor, and ran like a mad-monster, tripping a few times over his own clawed feet. Undoubtedly he'd be back with reinforcement. Reinforcements that would be a lot more numerous than his original group. Reinforcements that might just stumble across my sleeping friends, putting them at a disadvantage in a battle. I couldn't let that happen.
I sprinted after the zuum, quickly closing the gap between us before leaping into the air, saying the magic words "Dragon Kick" as I flew. A familiar flame surrounded my outstretched foot as my body was sped up to provide the devastating force the attack needed. Captain Zuum gave a fearful look over his shoulder, just in time to see my fireball foot connect with the back of his neck. I felt and heard it as his neck broke and his body toppled downward, changing into a lost disk as I landed by it.
"Nice moves, Long Ears," Pixie said, as she landed nearby, looking over the results of my work.
"He left me with little choice," came my reply.
"Then you shouldn't fee bad about doing what is necessary." Pixie gingerly walked over to the rocks, kicking the lost disk of the zuum that had died there. I looked over at her. Her body looked as though it had never left the water. Not a smudge, not bruise, not even a grain of dirt seemed to be on that beautiful skin. I, on the other hand, could have fed a worm with the mud that had become stuck to my fur. Despite my having to take another bath though, this night had been great. I walked over to Pixie, who had grabbed her clothing from the rock and begun to get dressed.
"You were, fantastic..." I said. I noticed she didn't even look at me when I spoke. Something was wrong. "Look I'm sorry if I insulted you or something by trying to protect you back there, but..."
"It's not that," she said, her eyes closing. The look on her face didn't seem like an angry one, it seemed more like she was trying to hide like she was... It couldn't be, could it? Pixie, former member of the Big Bad Four, was acting embarrassed.
"Hey, what's the matter? I'm here, you can tell me." I placed my hand on her back, gently starting to rub. I was stopped quickly by her hand, which gently moved me away. Finally she started to look at me.
"Why do you have to be so sweet?" she asked, dropping my hand.
"Huh?"
"You're making this harder than it's ever been Hare," she answered, the expression on her face changing. Her eyes took on a much sadder appearance and her jaw lost some of it's hardness. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."
"What do you..." Only one thought came to my mind, and even as it did I fought to find a reason it couldn't be true. But, for all my brilliance, there was no way I could persuade myself to any other conclusion. I'd been used. A tear came to my eye. I know it sounds sappy, but that is what happened.
"You always seem to roll with the punches, like nothing can really faze you. Everything about you seemed to say you don't get too close to people. I thought you'd be perfect."
"Why," was the only word I could say as I choked back the anger and betrayal I felt. I kept my eyes locked onto her, the best glare I could muster. I didn't want her to think she could sneak away, even for a second. In hindsight, I don't think it was really necessary.
"Pixies are creatures of passion. Even the ones that seem coldest can't help themselves at some point. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen."
"So what, I was just someone to release all these pent up needs with!!! An object to use and then throw away!!!"
"It wasn't like that Hare. Like I said, you seemed the perfect type. I had no idea you'd actually think there was something more to it than that."
"Well I did..." I had taken all I could. I grabbed the soap from the rock and returned to the pond, intent on achieving my original goal of cleanliness. I had to. I didn't want Pixie to see the well of tears coming to my eyes. "Well you got what you wanted, so you might as well leave."
"No," came her reply. The sound of claws on stone indicated she'd returned to the perch where this whole mess had started. "I'm not leaving until you understand."
"I UNDERSTAND PERFECTLY, YOU WERE HORNY SO YOU JUST DECIDED TO USE ME TO ALLEVIATE IT!!!" I yelled, whirling around to face her, tears rolling down my cheeks. "I knew you pixie's had a selfish streak, but I didn't dare think it was this bad!" I wanted to hurt her, to hit her with something, so I threw the only thing that was handy at her. Her hand moved like lightening to catch the bar of soap.
"I understand that you are angry. You probably have a right to be."
"Probably? PROBABLY?!?! YOU USED ME!! Don't you have any feeling for anyone else, or is that something you pixies just aren't able to do?" I spit out the word pixie, a action that actually made her wince.
"Truthfully... No. I didn't really give much thought to your feelings. I didn't with the others and you seemed so similar."
"You keep saying that, like it's a perfectly acceptable reason for your actions."
"Come on Hare, you're smart enough to realize that what happened tonight couldn't be a once in a life time occurrence. You're not the first I've done this with. I know that may sound insensitive, but it is the truth. The other two, they were baddies, chosen because I knew they'd have no lingering attachments. Even if they didn't understand why I wanted them, they didn't care." That didn't seem right to me. How could anyone think nothing of a night like this.
"So you just used them too?"
"Don't make it sound like I was the only one who did anything. They weren't exactly unwilling partners. They were actually more into it than I was, and all they wanted afterwards was to brag. I never felt guilty about them. You were different, that's what makes this so difficult. You didn't try to take advantage of the situation until I gave you no choice. And here you are, not running off to go tell your friends but actually sticking around. Did you ever intend to tell?"
"I'm not... really sure," I said. It was the truth. Who could I tell it to? This wasn't really something I was interested in making public knowledge. My ears drooped a little at the thought.
"You wouldn't have. I can tell." She closed her eyes once again, those same beautiful eyes I'd fallen for only a few hours before. "You must believe me when I say I never meant to hurt you. And if there was any way I could change it I..."
"I never said I'd want it to change," I found myself saying. My hand clamped over my mouth as that came out.
"Then what is it you want?"
"You," I said. "You're what I wanted, since the moment I met you." What was going on? Here I was, saying something I know would made me sound like a lovesick fool to someone I was supposed to be hating. For her part, Pixie seemed equally surprised. Oh well, since I couldn't go backwards, I might as well go ahead. "And why shouldn't I. You're beautiful, you're powerful, and, even if you try to hide it sometimes, you've got a kind heart. That's why I went along with you Pixie. Even if you knew there was no chance, I still thought there was." I swam up close to her perch, the hard stare I'd been favoring her with had vanished from my face.
"Now I'm even sorrier," Pixie said, her hand resting on mine as she leaned over to my face. Before I knew it, we were once more kissing, a tender one this time, that seemed to last for eternity. Finally we pulled apart. "I wish there was some way I could gain your forgiveness Hare. I can only promise you I won't do this to you again."
"Pixie, was there... was there... ever a chance we could have..."
"Become a couple? I'm really not sure. There might still be a chance. I'm not an expert in affairs of the heart, especially my own. But now, more than ever, I want to be alone." Pixie's wings unfurled and she rose into the air, ready to leave. "Take care of yourself Hare." She said, disappearing into the darkness of the night. All I could do was wave as she left me. I almost can't remember what happened afterward. Pixie had given me something to think about. I do know I took the time to clean the fresh mud from my fur before grabbing my things and heading back to camp. Somewhere along the line I may have lost my bandanna, since I didn't have it when I arrived. Not that that was a problem, I have plenty of spares in my bag.
Everyone else was asleep by the time I arrived, but try as I might to be quiet, there was one monster who refused to stay asleep. Tiger lifted his head to stare at me. I almost believed he'd been up this whole time waiting.
"My you were out late," the wolf said, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb our friends. "The others were worried you'd been ambushed by enemies. We even went out to search for you. You're lucky I was the one who found you first." I hadn't noticed how tense I'd grown at the sound of his voice. "Don't worry, as far as they know you're fighting an infestation of fleas." A bit much, but it would account for why I didn't come back.
"Thanks," I said. Taking my place on a soft patch of ground. Tiger may be a jerk most of the time, but he did have his moments.
"If that's what your idea of a bath is however, I may have to start taking some of my own." Well, at least Tiger was kind enough to muffle his yelp when the dirt clod hit him.

************************************************************* ***********

Well that's it. My attempt at a romance or just a little moonlight fun, depending on your view of things. As to the fate of Hare's bandanna, I'll just leave that up to your imaginations. Since you've made it down to here, though, I'm sure you'll be kind enough to leave a review or criticism depending. Just remember, flames will be misread for whatever my imagination can conceive, so it really doesn't do any good to insult me. Until next time, Sayonara.