**Rotten Fruit**

[WritingWithLove]

Ella smiled kindly and whimpered, "Th-thank you. You're the nicest guy I've met in a while..." She attempted to stand, but was "too weak" to get on her feet. She stumbled and fell back down, and she pounded her fist on the ground and muttered, "I can't do anything right!"  

[The Jolly Victini]

"Nonsense." Fenikkusu said flatly. He helped the girl to her feet and began walking. "None of this is your fault. Now just hold strong, I'll get you to your respite."  

[WritingWithLove]

She smiled and wiped the years from her eyes, keeping the canvas bag close to her side. "Thank you," she said, lightly grabbing his hand, "M-my name is Drizella, by the way. My friends call me 'Ella,' and you can, too. What's your name?"  

[The Jolly Victini]

"Greetings, Drizell-- erm, pardon. Ella. I am Fenikkusu Macafee; spiritual guardian of the Macafee family." Fenikkusu explained.  

[WritingWithLove]

"Spritual guardian?" Damn, this might be harder than I thought... but... what'll Daddy do to me if I fail? Look at what he did to Mother...

The next thing she said was sincere when she replied, "A guardian, huh? I could really use one of those."
She thought of Sawyer.
The little pest.
Where was he now?
***
Sawyer had made sure that no one was around to hurt Frost, so he had wandered into the hallway. The cookies had to cool, you know.
Mystified by the replies from Nowhere, he continued talking to the echoes.
"Hello again!"
"Hello... Hello..."
"How are you? I'm feeling great!"
"Feeling great... Great... Great..."

Talking to the echoes reminded him of his mother. She had always told him that if he was ever lonely, he could find a spot with an echo, and there would be someone to talk to. "One day," she had said, "when I pass on, you might even be talking to me!"
If only she was aware of how soon he could test that.
He missed her smile, and her hugs and kisses, and her laugh, and everything else about her. He wanted to talk to her, and this was his only hope.
"I'm wishing!"
"I'm wishing..."
"For the one I love, to find me!"
"To find me..."
"Today!"
"Today..."  

[Fenrir Shade]

((No, not really. And I have a feeling I know where this is going...))

Fenrir gasps, having held the kiss for too long. He wondered if anything could get better with her, because right now all he wanted was to be with her. "Absolutely nothing could go wrong today."  

[WritingWithLove]

((You may know where the train is headed, but you have no idea of the path it's going to take to get there. wink ))

Briar chuckled and sighed. "I guess we'd better get up," she said as she sat up. The cold air chilled her bare skin, and she grabbed her robe off of the floor and wrapped it around herself. She blushed and smiled as she looked at Fenrir. He was so perfect. Everything was perfect.
For now.
***
Sawyer sat down against the wall and said, "I wish I could find someone who I could make friends with. Mister Swift and Miss Frost are very nice, but I wonder if there's another kid."
"There's another kid... There's another kid..."
His ears perked. "You think so?"
"I... know... so..."  

[The Jolly Victini]

Fenikkusu chuckled. "You may indeed have one, you just might not know it yet." he said.

Almost as if on cue, B.E.N., the resident nuke, came walking happily down the castle hallway.  

[Fenrir Shade]

((True, true. Now I wish I hadn't turned the schedule down when I boarded.))

"Awwww... Do we haaave toooo?" playfully complains Fenrir, rolling over and stretching. He slowly stands up, realizing that standing naked in the middle of a castle made primarily of ice was a very bad idea. And a very large contributor to the shrivel effect.  

[X_HeartofRoses_X]

Rose followed behind B.E.N. cheerfully, a rose barret in her hair. As soon as the scent of cookies caught her nose, however, she ran forward. "Cookies!!!" She squealed, giggling. As she passed by Sawyer she unfortunately tripped over his legs, barreling to the ground. She sat up, tears forming in her eyes. "Owwie..."  

[WritingWithLove]

((Okay, my internet's down, and I'm currently tapping away in my step-dad's iPhone. Please forgive any misspellings! I'll let you guys know when I'm back on my computer!))

Ella looked at the little fur ball and squealed with suprise. "Oh, how cute!" she cooed, temporarily forgetting her facade. She rushed to B.E.N. and scooped him up, pleading, "Oh! I want to keep him! He's mine now!"
***
Briar laughed as Fenrir got chills of his own, and she grabbed his arms and dragged him back on to the bed. "C'mere! You're too fantastic for me to let you go just yet" she said with a laugh. She leaned over and kissed him deeply. What was the rush, anyhow?
***
"Oh, sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Sawyer said, helping Rose to her feet. He locked eyes with her, and he suddenly felt very odd. "Um... I'm Sawyer." he said shyly. He found himself blushing as he smiled kindly. "Wh-what's your name?"  

[Fenrir Shade]

((That's fine. I hope it gets fixed soon.))

Fenrir laughs as he kisses her back. "Oh? But it was your idea to get up." he replies jokingly. "How did I come to deserve such a beautiful woman such as yourself?"  

[X_HeartofRoses_X]

Rose's eyes twinkled, and a blush appeared on her muzzle that was the same color as her fur appeared. "O-Oh, um...I-I'm Rose...N-Nice to meet you, Sawyer..."  

[WritingWithLove]

"I get a lot of ideas about a lot of things, Fenny!" she replied. His last comment finally sunk in, and she blushed. "And that depends," she responded, "on how exactly I came to deserve an incredible guy like you!" She looked into his eyes and whispered, "Damn... How do I deserve you? I mean... Wow. I love you." She kissed him deeply, focusing on only him, believing that her room was its own world, and she wasn't willing to leave yet.
***
Sawyer's experience with girls was very limited, and he only knew one compliment- well, one appropriate one. He blushed a bit deeper and looke at his feet as he said, "Your eyes are very sparkly. They're like stars."  

[X_HeartofRoses_X]

Rose's whole muzzle turned dark pink, and her head spun. "T-Thank you..." She stuttered. What is this feeling?