He sighed happily as he watched the blonde-haired woman massage the pachirisu on the table. Oh, how he wished it was him receiving that treatment. He clutched his own hands, vaguely recalling the memories of her gentle yet honed touch dispelling the stress caused by especially complicated projects from his store job. As he continued to observe her from his bench outside her massage clinic, a wave of guilt crossed through him.
"You think she's amazing, huh Zeke?" Zeke nearly jumped from his seat at the sound of the voice. He looked to his left and saw a somewhat chubby man standing by. He wore a blue shirt and off-white, baggy pants, followed by a pair of red sneakers with white highlights.
"Oh, hey Frank. Didn't see ya there." He scooted over, allowing the larger man to take a seat.
"Thank you twice. Looks like my diet's paying off," Frank replied. "Eh, but enough about me. So I hear you two are getting married. Is that true?"
"No doubt. Nina, man, she's just... She's everything I could hope for in a m-- erm, girlfriend." He rubbed a finger against his right cheek. "Sorry, I'm just so excited about things."
"I gotcha. You two've been together for a whole year now. I don't see myself getting married any time soon, but I'm happy for you. A hardworking guy like yourself deserves to be happy." Frank watched Nina send the pachirisu and its trainer on their way. "Soon you're gonna get to experience those hands. Looking forward to it?"
"You have no idea," he said under his breath. Zeke looked at his watch, reading it as 5:45. "Oh, that's right! I've gotta go talk to the wedding planner. I'll see you later." He stood up and glanced at the red-eyed woman one more time, blinking twice when she spotted him and cocked her head. It was one of their silent tells to each other, this one in particular promising a meeting later on tonight.
"All right. See you later."
Nighttime could not have come sooner for Zeke. As happy as he was that the planner was dedicated to making the moment a memorable one, sometimes he wished he wasn't so energetic. As he sat in his chair, he thought about some of the many people he met in this town and which ones he would invite to the wedding. A good deal of them were mostly interested in their own lives, but were nice enough and made for pleasant conversation. He stood up and walked into the bathroom.
"How long can I keep this up?" he wondered as he leaned onto the sink. With a tired sigh, he closed his eyes. The red tint his fingers had grew more prominent as the black hair along his arms thickened. Clothes and shoes gave way to a sudden surge of black fur and thick, sharp, and red claws. His face became covered with the same fur as the lower half of it elongated slightly, nose shrinking until it was little more than two holes vaguely resembling that of a canid's. The subtle red highlights in his lengthening hair grew more pronounced until the traces of black became minuscule. His ears became triangular and moved to the top of his head.
"How long until I tell her the truth?" he questioned, scowling at his image in the mirror. "If she finds out..." Zeke shook his head, dispelling the thought but not the immense guilt coursing through him. His ears twitched as he heard the sound of powerful wings. Recognizing the sound, he opened his apartment window and jumped out, landing perfectly from the three-story jump and dashing towards it. It wasn't long before his acute night vision showed him a large fearow perched on a branch. Unlike other fearow he had seen before, this one was pecking at a large berry as opposed to a prey pokémon.
"Hey there Zeke," the fearow greeted him. "How's life?" A smile crossed the zoroark's face, and for a brief moment, the guilt he had earlier disappeared. That was all he needed to recognize the deviating pokémon.
"It's very exciting, Mange," he replied. "Complicated, but exciting all the same."
"You always were the type to take on challenges. I still can't see the appeal in such a life."
"I see what you mean. Life as a human can be a bit tricky. Heck, lots of humans would agree with me. They're bound by ideas that keep most of them from making sacrifices, but at the same time they like having fun. As far as I know," he stated, "they really want to live normal, peaceful lives, with a bit of excitement here and there."
"Is that so?" Zeke responded with a nod.
"They have to work for the things they have," he continued, "but think about it. It's a lot like how our kind have to fight for things we need."
"Well, what about finding a mate? You found someone who wants to be with you?" This brought a grin to the zoroark's face.
"Definitely, Mange. Her name's Nina. She just feels really good to be around," he swooned. "I think about her every day, and I even proposed to her!" This prompted the fearow to tilt his head in confusion.
"Proposed? What does that mean?"
"Well if my knowledge on human customs is right, it means we'll be mates."
"Ah, so you found yourself another pokémon in that human town after all? Kind of weird that you two will be together in a human-style way, but hey, that's just the way it goes. Congrats, Zeke!" The zoroark's smile immediately turned into a frown as he looked away.
"Um, well..."
"Wait, it's a human you fell in love with?" Mange asked, surprised. "I don't feel too sure about this. Does she at least know what you really are?"
"I-I was gonna tell her at some point, but then--"
"Say no more, I get it. You got too caught up in things and couldn't find the time to confess. There's also how other people would react if they found out about you."
"I've been practicing the human form since I was a zorua," he said matter-of-factly. "There's no chance of that happening."
"But there is a chance of her being unhappy with your little ruse. If there's one thing I know about humans, it's that they do not like to be lied to."
"I'm not lying," he stated adamantly. "I really do feel that way about her. I make illusions, sure, but I really do love her. Love can't be faked or even forced."
"Then tell her. I don't care how you do it, only that you do, and as soon as possible." Zeke looked down. He didn't want to lead a life like other pokémon. The prospect of relying solely on his instincts to guide him sounded boring, stressful, and meaningless. He never thought he could actually fall into a position where it was possible he would have to give up the life he chose... but the more he thought about the confession, the more he realized it would have to happen. For her sake, he would have no choice but to admit his charade.
"...I promised I would meet her tonight," he mumbled after a moment of silence. "You're right Mange. I can't keep lying to her!"
"I'll be th--"
"No, this is something I have to do alone. You're right. Nina doesn't deserve to only know one side of me. She has to know all of them, even if we might separate." Without waiting for Mange to say anything, he dashed back, donning his human disguise as he did so. The fearow gave him a solemn glance, awed by the determined zoroark.
"Just like old times, huh? Good luck, my friend."
Zeke breathed deeply as he stood in front of Nina's massage clinic again, breathless from the run and his nervousness. He thought about how he was going to break the news to her during his run, and none of the outcomes he came up with seemed pleasant. In the best case scenario, he figured, Nina wouldn't mind, but he'd end up belonging to her. In the worst, she would...
"No!" he said resolutely, shaking his head. "I can't think about that happening." Peering inside, he noticed that there was a dim light on. Nina was still inside, most likely cleaning up for the day. Nervousness gripped him again, and for a brief moment the disguised zoroark lost control of his limbs. His legs simply refused to move him forward.
"D-darn it, I can't just stand here!" he muttered angrily. As if on cue, the door opened, and Nina stepped outside.
"Oh! Zeke!" she greeted him, strangely not surprised to see him. In his nervous state, he did not pick up on it. "I thought you had something to take care of and could not make it."
"I... I did," he struggled to say, "but I'm here now." It was partially true; he did go off to see his friend, and earlier he did attend to wedding plans.
"Well in that case, come on in! I won't be getting any more customers for now. You look tired." Before he knew it, she pulled him inside. She locked the door and led him to the innermost part of the small building. He sat on a cushion opposite her own.
"Hi, Nina..." he said slowly. The determination he had earlier faded quickly as he replayed the possible scenarios in his mind. Nina sure didn't seem like the type to be hostile, but he had never gotten on her bad side.
"Zeke, dear, is something wrong?" Her voice was ever so sweet, and the smile in her energetic red eyes was positively radiant. It was as if she outshined the only light hanging above them. He glanced at her through his blue eyes for a long time before he finally spoke.
"I..." Zeke cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "I have something to say."
"Whatever could it be, dear?" He only felt more guilty the more he stared at her smiling face. There was no doubt she was very happy to see him. It made sense since since they were set to get married in a few days, and he had done all he could to convey his own feelings. Every second he glanced at her felt like a minute. The disguised zoroark thought about the possiblities again, but managed to find his resolve once more. He stood up and closed the curtains, not taking any chances of someone accidentally discovering them.
"I've been keeping something from you," he said, compelling himself to look away.
"I'm sure it's not that bad." Even with his back to her he could still feel her smile. He rested his hands on the windowsill and calmed down. Hands gave way to red claws as he reluctantly dispelled his illusion. Clothes disappeared as black fur materialized, and as his hair grew longer it became red. Just as quickly as the other times, Zeke shed his disguise with the same ease as breathing.
"I'll understand if you want to cancel the marriage now." All of a sudden he heard the sound of barely suppressed laughter and turned around.
"Is that all?"
"W-What do you mean by that?" he asked, a bit puzzled. She stood up quickly.
"You see, you're not the only one with a secret, Zeke!" Before he could ask what she meant, Nina got down on all fours. He could only watch as her own clothes faded away. Instead of bare human skin, however, he saw what looked to be golden hair cover her form.
"What... what's going on?" Nina's hands and feet took on a familiar, canid appearance. That was the only hint he needed to answer his question. "You're... a ninetales?!"
"It would seem so," she said with a gentle snicker. Nine golden, orange-tipped tails sprouted from her backside. At the same time, her human head gave way to that of a typical ninetales. She shook herself and looked at him lovingly. "So, it looks like both of us have a vested interest in the life of a human."
"Heh, I should have known," he replied.
"I have been doing this for two-hundred-and-fifty years now," she explained. "As you know, that is still young for my kind."
"This would explain why you were so calm about my secret. How did you do it?" She placed a tail on her nose.
"Scents," she answered. "I knew what you were the moment I laid eyes on you thanks to your scent. When I learned that my honed psychic powers could not mask it, I took to using perfume to temporarily overpower it."
"That makes sense... but if you knew, why didn't you confront me about it earlier?"
"Oh, I would have, eventually. However, I thought it best to wait until you were comfortable first. You know, your courage deserves a little reward." Before he could say anything else, she padded up to him and stood on her hind legs, pressing her muzzle to his in an imitation of a human kiss. Without giving it a single thought, Zeke returned her affection earnestly, reminding himself just how fortunate he was to have stumbled upon such a rarity. The moment they separated, he heard the sound of wings flapping again, and when he looked outside he saw Mange staring at them.
"A friend of yours?" Nina asked Zeke.
"A best friend, and my best man... if you'll still have me." She responded by nuzzling his neck.
"As long as we get to continue our double lives. There's something about the life of a human that just feels so... alluring. Giving it up would feel so..."
"Weird, right?" She nodded.
Epilogue
Five years have passed after that fateful day, and Zeke still found himself unable to believe his undeniably good luck. As he examined a photo of himself and Nina at their wedding, he began to wonder if he was actually been blessed with skill as opposed to undeniably excellent fortune. Their illusion was great enough to fool everyone and everything, including the numerous cameras present. The only one that hadn't been fooled was Mange, though it was only due to his prior knowledge. He snapped back to the present at the sound of his daughter's voice.
"Mommy, when will it hatch?" he heard the green-eyed redhead ask.
"You just have to be patient like we were when you in an egg, Zia," had been her reply, delivered with the same gentle sweetness in her tone he knew he could not live without. "I imagine it won't be long." He watched as the content little girl made for the front door. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"What is it?" Zia looked towards her father, who responded by pointing to his backside. Looking back, she realized that all six of her tails were showing. "Oh, right! Thanks for the reminder." When she was sure the illusion was up, she ran outside and headed for the nearby playground with a certain fearow trailing behind her.
"I'm so glad our little girl has such a reliable guardian. Perhaps someday I could meet such a trustworthy person," Nina commented, shedding her human disguise for the time being.
"We've been together since I was a zorua and he was a spearow," he said as he dispelled his own illusion.
"Our next child is going to be another little girl, you know. What sort of a world will she and Zia see?" The zoroark looked at her and smiled.
"Things are getting better, though it never seems that way. I hope that one day they can grow up in a world where they won't have to worry about being mistreated or captured."
"Fear not. That day is on its way again. I can feel it. After that incident in Unova, more humans have started paying attention to the feelings of our kind. Perhaps one day we can drop our illusions."
"Perhaps."
The moment Zia came back inside and took off her disguise, everyone heard the unmistakable sound of the egg hatching. Immediately, they ran to the living room to check on it.
"What should we name her?" Zeke asked. A black nose poked its way out of the egg, followed by a white snout. The rest of the eggshell fell off, revealing a white-furred, one-tailed vulpix. "She sure is adorable, just like you Zia."
"Aw, thanks daddy. I hope I can be a good sister to her."
"Ah, I know! Little one, how does Hope sound?" The newly named vulpix let out an enthusiastic cry.
"Hope? Why that name? It's a great name and all, but..."
"You two remind me of the conversation your father and I had earlier, and you give me hope for the future," she explained.
"You'll be starting Kindergarten tomorrow, right?" Zeke questioned. "As far as I know you'll be the first pokémon to attend human school. How does that make you feel?"
"I can't wait! I'll try and make lots of friends, daddy!" He smiled.
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