Saved by a Lucario Chapter 2
As Nycteus and Lucario continue the walk to his house, secrets are revealed.
The walk to Nycteus' home was surprisingly uneventful after they left their shelter. The drizzle faded out into mist, collecting into drops of dew on the petals of the forest's undergrowth. Side by side, Lucario and Nycteus strolled down the dirt path, which had turned muddy after such a rainfall. With the promise of washing up once they reached home, they didn't mind too much. Nycteus figured his companion was used to such conditions. Which got him thinking...
"Hey, Lucario..." Nycteus broke the silence between the two. It had been companionable, but the question burned in the human's chest.
"Yes?" The Pokemon hadn't minded the silence, either.
Nycteus pondered whether it was really something he could ask before realizing he'd already talked like he'd planned to ask something anyway. He was trapped. He let out a sigh- how could he be trapped with Lucario at his side?- and took a deep breath.
"I hope this doesn't come across as rude, but why..." Nycteus shook his head. "Why are you nomadic? Did something happen, or...?"
The look that came across his companion's face made him immediately regret his decision. Too late now, though. That sad look in Lucario's eyes, the downturn of his lips...
"It's not a good reason." Lucario shook out his fur. "Not that it's a bad one, either. It's... complicated."
"Lucario, I-"
Lucario held up a paw. "It's fine. I'm okay with sharing."
They slowed their pace just a touch- Lucario, to prep, and Nycteus, to listen. The forest after the storm was quiet, with little breaking the solemn air between the two. Nycteus wasn't sure what, but he felt a chill go up his spine. Was it really that bad...?
"When I was young," Lucario began, eyes turned to the ground, "I had two wonderful parents. Stunning in every way. They were true heroes." He scratched his chin. "I learned everything I know now from them. And then... well..."
Nycteus knew where this was heading.
"It wasn't anyone's fault." Lucario looked up. "It just... happened. In their sleep, of course. Together until the end." His eyes cast against the trees in the distance, a cottage beginning to be seen. "At the time, all I could feel was this... not anger, not quite, but a 'what am I supposed to do now,' sort of emotion. I had nothing tying me down anymore."
"So you left." Nycteus could fill in the blanks.
"I figured, if there was nowhere to call home anymore, why not let the path I walked be my home instead?" He turned his gaze to the sky. "It was rough at first, of course- I wasn't used to it at all." Lucario smiled at those memories. "Eventually, though, I got used to the grass beneath my paws and the sun above my head and I thought to myself, you know, there are worse places I could be."
Nycteus felt a tear come to his eye. So he was right: it had been lonely for the Lucario. Nycteus thought he should be happy that Lucario found his calling in life, yet there was a nagging sadness underneath that kept pulling at his heart.
"That's-" His words caught in his throat. "I'm so, truly sorry, Lucario. I..."
Lucario, finally, turned his gaze to his companion, and just like that fateful day months ago, the two locked eyes. New, though, were the wealth of sadness in one's eyes and the broken dam of tears in the other's. Nycteus rubbed at his wet cheeks yet found he couldn't look away.
"Nycteus?" Lucario asked softly.
"You're so brave," the human whispered. "For- for caring about others, even when you have nothing left to care for. I-" He let out a shuddering breath. "I admire that about you so, so much, even if the others can't."
They held their eye contact for a brief second more- a second that felt like ages- before Lucario finally broke the spell. He had to wipe away a tear from his eye, too, though a sad smile played upon his face as well. Nycteus knew that this one was real. The Lucario looked back as soon as he could.
"Thank you." His smile, small yet stunning, crinkled his eyes. "That means a lot to me."
Just then, a feeling filled Nycteus' heart. A feeling with innocence at its heart. "I love this person. I truly do." He thought.