Commission done by  rd406

Starlight owned by myself

Luca-chan owned by  bfdc2008
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Cold. It bothered Starlight more than she cared to admit, and not just because she was a dragon type. Then again, after years of enduring winters the way she had in her past, anyone would hate the cold as much as she did. Phantom pain flared on the tip of her intact ear, and Starlight had to remind herself it was all in her head, that the constant nights of cold and frostbite were gone, that because of that frostbite, she had lost all feeling in that place on her ear. turning her thoughts away from the past, Starlight focused as much as she could on where she was presently. Warm shelter, a crackling fire in the hearth, and a guest sitting in front of her. The pokemon in question happened to be a very good friend of hers, a lucario named Luca by her guardian and mate. Not very original, but Luca loved it all the same, so much so, that she would regularly speak in third-person.

Starlight drew in a breath to focus herself, she had a job to do. Her mate, Cynder, was a professor who studied pokemon groups and societies, and Luca's past had interested him. He had studied lucario at length, but had never come across something like Luca's situation. His research had shown lucario rather disliked their shiny variants, not because of anything malicious, but rather because lucarios understood that humans, particularly the unsavory kinds, were attracted to things outside the norm. Therefore, a shiny in the pack tended to paint a rather big target on the pack as a whole. Luca's case was different, however. she had a deformity upon her evolution, and was lacking the steel spike on her chest that was present upon all other lucario Starlight had seen. Because of this deformity, Luca had been shunned, hated, and ostracized in her pack, and Cynder wanted to know if Luca's situation was an exception, or the rule. Now, both Starlight and Cynder knew Luca's past was a very sore subject for her, which was why Cynder had known he shouldn't be the one getting the answers. Instead, he had left Starlight in charge, as the latias was Luca's best friend, and someone she would probably open up to on the subject.

"So, Luca-chan." Starlight began, remembering to add the ToJo honorific. Luca was very particular about using pieces of the ToJo language, or Japanese as it was called in her world, in her conversations, a habit that was formed apparently because Luca's mate was very much into Tojo things, particularly TV shows. Once Starlight was sure she had the lucario's attention, she continued. "I wanted to talk to you today, as I am helping my mate with some of his research, and he believed you would be a good source of information for it."

"Oh?" Luca questioned, her inquisitive crimson eyes locking onto Starlight's sole bright viridian one. "Cynder-sama needs Luca-chan's help for his research? How can Luca-chan help?"

"Well, in order to help, you'll be needed to answer some questions." Starlight answered. "Questions, regarding your past." And there it was. The curiosity in Luca's eyes quickly fled, to be replaced by apprehension.

"Does... does Luca-chan have to?" she asked, her voice hesitant. Starlight knew she could say yes, and Luca would divulge everything she asked for. But to do that would definitely hurt the lucario, something Starlight would never wish to do. Luca was her friend, her best friend, her only friend, and hurting her would mean the likely possibility of damaging, or even losing that friendship.

"Of course not." Starlight replied, a tad hastily. "Neither Cynder or I would ever make you do anything you aren't comfortable with. You can say no and we won't press the topic at all. Granted, Cynder would be disappointed, but he can manage without the information." At that, Luca averted her gaze from Starlight, and began clutching her shoulder with a paw.

"Luca-chan doesn't want to talk about her past, but neither does she want to disappoint Cynder-sama." the lucario admitted, her tone full of guilt.

'Oh Starlight, you idiot. What have you told yourself about watching your words around Luca.' the latias mentally berated herself. Cynder wouldn't be disappointed in Luca at all, he'd just be disappointed. However, explaining that wouldn't matter in the slightest to her. Luca's double sided attribute was that she was always wanting to please. While in many cases admirable, it oftentimes got her into situations like this; pinned against a rock and a hard place. Instead of letting her friend back out, Starlight had accidently trapped her friend with her own guilt. Now Luca was going to insist that she ask her questions, if only to please Cynder. Starlight had to fix this situation somehow, or at least make it fair to Luca.

"Listen, I know what we're asking is difficult for you, so how about a trade?" There we go. If Luca was getting something out of this, it would make her feel a bit more comfortable with the situation. At Starlight's words, Luca's posture completely shifted. Her ears perked, and she held gazes with Starlight again. The guilt was gone, to be replaced by the curiosity that had originally fled her.

"Trade? What would Starlight-san trade?" Luca asked.

'Oh dammit, Starlight. Why do you always have to let your mouth run off when you're panicked?' What could she offer to Luca for her past? It would have to be something that she saw as worth talking about her past for, but what did Starlight have that was of such value? The answer however, made the latias chew at her lip.

"How about a trade of information?" Starlight offered, and upon noticing Luca's curiosity getting stronger, pressed forward before she lost her nerve. "For every question I ask you of your past, you'll get to ask one about mine?" That had gotten Luca's total attention, banishing the apprehension within her.

"But Starlight-san has never talked about her past before." said Luca, her tone full of surprise from the dragon's offer.

"Well if I'm asking you to share yours, it's only fair that I do the same." Starlight answered, masking her nervousness with a smile.

"Then Luca-chan agrees. After all, if Starlight-san can talk about her bad past, then so can Luca-chan."

'You hear that, Starlight? You're inspiring her to be more confident. Don't wuss out now.' Drawing a deep breath to steady herself, Starlight was about to ask her first question, but then noticed Luca's apprehension was back, creeping about in the back of her mind like a shadow. She knew if she asked first, Luca would still be uncomfortable with things, so Starlight needed to change that.

"Tell you what, Luca-chan, since I was the one who asked you to do this, you can ask the first question." Luca was surprised by the offer, and decided to accept it. Thinking long and hard on what she would ask, Luca finally brought out a question.

"Starlight-san, why do you hate the cold so much?" she asked. It took all of Starlight's willpower not to wince. That question had a very painful answer. Hearing that question pitched, Starlight wanted to avoid it, to just say, 'because I'm a dragon-type. We all hate the cold', but she wouldn't. She promised an answer to Luca's questions, so she would answer properly.

"Luca, you know I was hated amongst my drove, right?" At Luca's nod, she continued. "When winter came, my drove would always huddle together, making sure to be in close proximity to each other so as to keep warm. Every night, the drove would sleep together in a big pile, a big mass of red and blue to keep everyone warm through the night."

"Except you." Luca supplied.

"Except me." Starlight confirmed. "Every winter, I was alone in the cold. No one would help me stay warm. In fact, everyone tried to get me to freeze. During the day I'd fly alone in the freezing wind, all the other drakelings making my life miserable the whole while. They'd bury me in the snow, or douse me with water, so that I'd get wet and very cold. In the night I would be forced to sleep away from the drove, exposed to the winds and storms. Sickness and frostbite were my two constant companions during winter. But above all, it was the glares, the insults, and the beatings that were the worst. When I recovered from sickness, I was met with stares of hate. When the drove woke in the morning, and I woke with them, I was greeted with insults and rage. They wanted me to die, for the cold to do what they were not allowed to do. And when another was taken by the cold instead, the entire drove would descend upon me and beat me to within an inch of my life." Starlight was broken from her tale when she felt something clutching her tightly in a hug. Looking down, Starlight saw that Luca had wrapped her in as good a hug as she could manage around her abdomen, her body trembling from barely repressed sobs.

"No more, Starlight. Please, no more." Luca whimpered out. Seeing her friend in such distress, Starlight readjusted herself to reciprocate the hug. After staying like that for a bit, Luca managed to calm down and return to her seat, and silence fell between the two.

"So, yeah, that's why I hate the cold." said Starlight in an effort to break the silence.

"Luca-chan thought you would just say it was because you were a dragon type." Luca mumbled in reply.

"Luca, if I want my questions properly answered, I must answer yours properly in turn. Anything you ask of me regarding my past, I will answer honestly and fully, nothing held back." Luca once again locked her two eyes with Starlight's one. "However, I do believe it is now my turn." With that, Starlight levitated over a pencil and pad of paper. "So, your pack. What was its structure like?"
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Several hours had passed. Several hours of tears, hugs, and reassurances. All questions had been answered, and now both girls knew more about each other than they thought possible. Now though, it was time to say goodbye. Starlight could sense her mate approaching the house, and knew it wouldn't be long until he returned Luca to her world.

"Well Luca-chan, thank you so much for your help." said Starlight.

"Luca-chan is always happy to help." Luca answered cheerfully. With that, the two pokemon headed for the door. Opening it psychically, Starlight couldn't help but shiver when a cold breeze ran across her, but the cold was stopped when a very warm lucario huddled up against her.

"There we go, now Starlight-san isn't alone in the cold." Luca chirped, and Starlight smiled.

"Thank you, Luca-chan." she replied, and the two left the house for the porch. A light snowfall had begun, but thankfully there was little wind, so the front porch remained snow free.

"Ne, Starlight?" Luca called, getting the latias' attention?

"Yes Luca?" Luca shuffled on her paws a bit before continuing.

"Starlight, Luca wants you to know that if the memories of the past start hurting, you can always come to Luca-chan." That statement made Starlight stop dead in place. She knew Luca's offer to be genuine, and couldn't help herself.

"The same goes for you as well Luca. If you are ever finding the memories getting the better of you, you can always come to me. I know your mate is a soldier and thus is gone for long periods, and few, if any, of the other girls understand the lives we've lived. If you need someone to help you, be it to scream and vent at, to cry with, for anything at all, I'm always available. And never get it into your head that I'll be too busy. I will always have time in the day for you." An explosion of joy was the only warning Starlight received before she was nearly tackled out of the air in a hug, Luca running a string of thank yous. Starlight was rather embarrassed, her mate was watching everything unfold and through their bond she could feel his bubbling amusement. Nevertheless, she wrapped an arm around Luca's shoulders in return. Just as Starlight was about to end things, Luca spoke up.

"Starlight, Luca wants you to know that she sees you as far more than a friend, and today has only proved it. So Luca doesn't want to see you as a friend, Luca wants to see you as a sibling. A sibling who knows and understands Luca's past, just as Luca knows and understands your past. So, will you be Luca's Nee-chan, Starlight?" Nothing. Nothing had or could ever prepare Starlight for what Luca had asked. A sibling, a real sibling, was something that Starlight had wished for since she was a drakeling. It didn't matter if Luca was an adopted sibling, she was still more genuine than her twin ever had been. Barely containing herself, Starlight wrapped her other arm around Luca, holding her tight as her warmth banished the cold around them. Starlight managed to whisper one last thing before the tear in her eye slid down her cheek.

"Thank you, Imouto."