Work Text:
Summary: Everything changes, but that doens't mean we have to.
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort
Rated: K
When the Minus Misses came downstairs in the morning, a huge spread was on the table: fried Chansey eggs with leeks and cheese, a pile of toast, gallons of Miltank Milk, bacon, and a huge tart made from mago and watmel berries. "Geez, we in trouble, boss?" It was Kaede. She still sported banana blonde hair, a leftover from her days as a Beauty. "What'd we do wrong?" It was a well known fact that Shinobu only cooked when things were serious, or when she was extremely angry.
"I don't know, but I'm digging in," Coco said, forking a heap of fried egg onto her plate. She was a former gang member from Lumiose City , though she'd changed her constantly braided magenta hair over to the trademark pistachio on day one, though her Kalosian patois was still just as thick. "I'm hungry, and that bacon's calling my name!"
"Pass the Pichu-O's!" shouted Marie, a former Fairy Tale girl. She still had starry, mesmerizing pink eyes, though her hair was now just as pink, and styled into short, choppy spikes. "I want the prize inside! This month's is supposed to be a Marill figurine!"
"Dolls, dolls, dolls," Shinobu said, taking her place at the head of the table. She waved her hands and the other stopped fumbling for food, calming down instantly. "Youse guys ain't gotta worry, 'cus ain't no one in trouble. Kyou and I jus' got some news. Now pass me dat tart." A plate clattered, and soon, Shinobu had a nice slice of tart, and a cold glass of milk. "Kyou, youse wanna tell 'em?"
Kyou had been silent so far, fiddling with her spoon, dipping it in and out of her bowl of Pichu-O's as she sat next to Shinobu. "Um... sure. So, y'all know I'm... leaving, right?"
"Yeah, we do." This time, it was Alice -a former Parasol Lady, though her bob was now pistacho with black bangs- who spoke. "We're proud of ya, you know. Our girl's all grown up." She gave a double thumbs up towards Kyou, grinning ear to ear.
"Well, I..." Kyou paused, exhaling. "Shinobu is-"
"I'm going with her, dolls," Shinobu said. "I'm... I'm takin' a break for a while."
Gasps rose from the other girls, spoons and forks and knifes clattering down onto the tabletop. "But who's gonna lead us?" Marie asked, pink eyes shimmering.
"Well... Coco is." All eyes turned to Coco, former leader of the Lumiose City gang, the Dark Lights. She tugged on a braid, eyes widening.
"...You want me to step in while your gone?" Coco whispered.
"Yeah. We all respect youse, Coco," Shinobu answered, smirking. "Coco, youse the best person for the job, at least until I come back." She winked, chuckling softly.
Coco stood up, bowing down, hands slamming on the tabletop. "I'll do it, ma'am! I'll lead the Minun Misses of Mauville!" She sniffled and looked up, cheeks stained with tears. "Thanks, ma'am! Thanks so much!"
All the girls started to sniffle, and soon, they were all laughing and crying over gulps and mouthfuls of food. Soon, they stopped crying, dissolving into a peaceful calm. "Ma'am?" Alice asked.
"Yeah, Alice?" Shinobu replied.
"You two better have fun together," Alice said. "Send us lots of pictures and stuff for our house so that when you when get back, we can all celebrate, okay?"
"Yeah," Shinobu whispered. Kyou smiled and nodded, reaching over and taking Shinobu's hand. "Yeah, we will."
After the food was gone, Shinobu and Kyou went back to their rooms, getting their bags and gear for their trip. They figured it would be best to set off as soon as they could. A knock sounded on Kyou's door and Shinobu walked in, hair tugged up into a ponytail, and a large backpack shoulder on her back. "Ready doll?" she asked. Kyou nodded, turning off the lamp on her desk, and picking up her own backpack.
"Yeah. Let's head out before we all cry again."
Together, they made their way downstairs. The other girls, all five of them, stood in the entryway, uniforms on. "Now, you can't think we was gonna let you leave without a picture, can you?" Kaede said. She waved a camera in her hands and smiled. "Come on, now be a happy couple!"
Kyou and Shinobu leaned close, blushing dark red. "Closer!" Alice shouted, and Coco and Marie came up on the sides, pushing them together. Kyou stumbled and Shinobu caught her, pulling her close.
Snap! The camera went off, with the girls staring dreamily into one another's eyes, cheeks red as chopel berries. "Now, let's get a goodbye kiss!" Marie teased, clapping her hands together eagerly.
Kyou righted herself, chuckling nervously. Even though the Minun Misses all knew about Shinobu and her being involved, Kyou had always taken care not to do anything too public. But now, the girls wanted to see their happiness, and genuinely wanted to see the twosome off in style.
Kyou let her backpack slide from her back, clattering to the ground. Quickly, she brought her hands up to Shinobu's cheeks, cupping them, and before Shinobu knew it, their lips were pressed together, the sound of the camera snapping multiple times background noise.
"Got it!" Kaede giggled. A tear rolled down her cheek, but she swiped it away quickly. "Now, you two get up the road. Coco's got to get us girls ready for today's turf battle. We don't want youse two gettin' in any trouble before you get out of here."
Kyou nodded, picking her backpack up again. "Youse guys will take care, right?" she whispered, accent slipping back in.
"Right," Marie said, blinking her pink eyes. "Now, call us when you get to Lumiose City, and make sure you teach them girls a thing or two."
"Sure will!" Shinobu said, hands on her hips. She hitched her chin towards the door, and Kyou exhaled, zipping up her Ace Trainer jacket. "Ready doll?"
"Yeah," Kyou said, smiling. They both stepped towards the door and opened it, taking the first step towards their new adventure.