Wocky's 3rd day of his visit, and the subplot comes to a close.

The next morning, the couple woke up to Maya saying, “Wake up call!”

Soon they got up and got dressed, as he let her go first.

While Wocky was waiting for Pearl, Maya asked, “So, you got friends coming today?”

“Yeah, they wanna meet some of the gurls here... And Dino wanted to see Natsumi real bad.”

“Wow! It'll be impressive seeing how big he is! I hope the apprentices don't get scared, though...”

“Naw, don't worry 'bout that. He probly wouldn't want me to say this, but he actually really likes kids, so-”

“Aww, really? That's so cute! I'm getting the impression that he's a 'gentle giant'.”

“I guess... But don't say that to his face. He'd fume if people other than me and us guys knew 'bout his sensitive side.”

“Haha! Well, I hope Natsumi likes him!”

“Me too... When gurls reject him, he takes it real hard...”

“Oh, dear... Well, Natsumi won't do that... I hope...”

A few minutes later Pearl came out of the bathroom, dressed in her usual purple and white kimono.

Wocky grabbed his clothes and went in after her.

“I'm worried about Natsumi, Mystic Maya”, Pearl said, “She was acting very tense and anxious last night.”

“Don't worry”, Maya said, “I'll make sure nothing gets out of hand.”

“I hope so.”

“Dino sounds real sweet, though, I don't know if he'll do anything purposely to frighten Natsumi.”

“That's what I'm afraid of. I'm scared he'll get so excited he'll give the poor girl a heart attack.”

Then Maya pulled out a spray can and said, “Well, I got this can of pepper spray from my trunk, in case of that. Nick gave it to me years ago, but I never really used it.”

“Don't do that, Mystic Maya! He's Wocky's friend!”

“It'll be for Natsumi's safety, Pearly. I don't want him to get out of hand.”

“... I understand.”

Wocky came out of the bathroom in his clothes finally, and the three walked out of the room to the dining hall for breakfast.

**

“I'm really nervous about Natsumi, Wocky”, Pearl said as she was eating, “She's been extremely frightened since last night.”

“Don't worry, gurl”, Wocky said, after he swallowed his pancake, “When Dino acts crazy, me and the guys jus' kick him in the shins! Gets him every time.”

“Oh, my, don't do that! I don't want you to have to resort to violence on him”, Pearl gasped, “Let's just see what happens, and if he gets too eager, we'll just get Natsumi away from the area if she starts to get too scared.”

“Awright then, gurl, whateva ya say...”

Suddenly Natsumi appeared at their table, with her plate in her hand, and sat next to Pearl.

“... Hello, Pearl... Hello, Wocky”, she said.

“Hi”, they both said.

“Ya still scared 'bout seein' Dino in the flesh?” Wocky asked, munching on his fried egg.

“... Yes”, Natsumi said nervously as she took her fork and poked at her sand-dollar pancakes.

“Don't worry, Natsumi”, Pearl said as she put raspberry preserves on her toast, “We'll make sure Dino's under control. Mystic Maya even has a can of pepper spray from Mr. Nick!”

“Yeah”, Wocky said as he finished his pancakes, “Even if he does scare ya, he don't mean it, really. Like I told ya before, gurl, he's a big ol' brute on the outside, but he's got a gooey, mushy center, jus' like them candy bars I get at the convenience store sometimes.”

“...OK”, Natsumi said, pouring syrup on her pancakes and slowly nibbling on one of them.

Pearl then leaned into Wocky's ear and whispered, “I hope this goes well.”

“Me too, gurl”, Wocky whispered back.

Natsumi sat silent for the rest of breakfast, and when she was done she got up from the table and walked out of the dining hall.

Soon Wocky, Pearl, and everyone else followed suit.

**

A while later, around noon, Wocky and Pearl were walking around the village square as usual.

“Nice day, huh?” Wocky asked.

“Yes”, Pearl said, as she was holding Wocky's arm, “A very nice day indeed.”

They then went to sit down on a bench.

“It's been nice visitin' ya”, Wocky said, putting his arm around Pearl.

“Yeah”, Pearl said, putting her arms around Wocky's torso, “I really missed you for a while there.”

“Yep...”

“Uh huh...”

Soon they began to lean into each other, preparing to kiss.

That is, until Wocky's phone rang.

“Dammit”, Wocky hissed as he took his phone out.

“Yo.”

“Hey, it's da gang here”, he heard Dino's voice say.

“Whadda ya want?!”

“We was jus' gonna tell ya we jus' got off da train, and we's on our way.”

“What?! Oh, man!” Wocky then turned to Pearl and said, “Go get ya cousin, my homies're on the way!”

“OK”, Pearl said as she rushed to Fey Manor to get Maya.

“Well, we'll see ya real soon, aiite?”

Then Dino hung up.

Wocky then followed right behind Pearl to Fey Manor.

**

Maya was arranging some flowers at the Fey Manor grounds, when she saw Wocky and Pearl rushing towards them.

“What's up, guys?” She asked, putting the flower pots down.

“My homies are comin' right now!” Wocky said, “Go get ya peppa spray and c'mon!”

Maya pulled her pepper spray out of her kimono and said, “I already have it.”

Then she looked around and said, “Where's Natsumi? I haven't seen her since breakfast.”

“I don't know”, Pearl said.

Suddenly they heard a tiny voice say, “... I'm right here...”

Natsumi popped out from behind a tree nearby.

Wocky went up to her and said, “Gurl, why're ya hidin'? Quit bein' so scared, we're gonna make sure Dino don't freak ya out. And Pearl's cousin's got peppa spray to stun him, case he gets too crazy!”

Pearl then took her hand and said, “Let's go to the village square. Just stand by us and you'll be fine.”

“Awright, let's get on down there”, Wocky said to Pearl as he followed Maya to the village square.

Natsumi held onto Pearl's hand tightly.

“It's OK, Natsumi”, Pearl said to her, “Once he gets here, you won't be so nervous anymore.”

Natsumi didn't respond.

**

By the time the group reached the village square, a whole slew of people were standing around, waiting excitedly for Wocky's friends. They were talking in anticipation about how Natsumi and Dino will react to each other, and about who Alfonse and Ricardo will choose among the older girls.

Natsumi stood next to Pearl, still holding her hand tightly.

“It's OK”, Pearl said to her again, “Everything will be fine, trust me.”

Maya started walking up the path towards the village entrance saying, “I'm going to the entrance to greet Wocky's friends.”

But before she could get there, she saw three blurry figures coming down the path.

“Oh, gawd”, Wocky whispered to Pearl, “They're here.”

Natsumi let go of Pearl's hand and backed away from the crowd, trying to hide.

The large figure in the middle was obviously Dino.

The figure to the left of him was Alfonse, the youngest member of the gang at age nineteen.

His hair was honey blonde that was very scruffy and had light brown eyes.

Alfonse had a custom made jacket similar to Wocky's, but it was sky blue with stars printed on the front and the sleeves, and wore a light pink shirt with a white cutesy cartoon cat face on it, and wore white sneakers.

He was also the shortest at five feet nine inches, and was the smallest framed, but not by much.

On Dino's right, was Ricardo, the oldest of the bunch at twenty one, with long light brown hair and also had brown eyes.

Ricardo was the 'classiest' dressed, due to the fact he wore a white collared shirt and a beige blazer, and black Beatle boots, and had a similar frame to Wocky and was the same height as him too.

As the gang got closer to the group of girls their jaws dropped and their eyes went wide.

“Woah!” Alfonse gasped, “Look at all dem dames! They're everywhere!”

“I know, man”, Ricardo said, “I can't choose jus' one!”

Dino was looking around anxiously for Natsumi.

“Nat”, he called out in his booming voice, “Where are ya?!”

The girls jumped at his voice, and looked up at him amazed and a little scared at the same time.

“Mr. Walkie Talkie's friend is really big!” The younger girls said about Dino, “He's like the giant in that story Mystic Maya read to us once!”

Natsumi really hooked a big one”, The older girls said, “A really big one!”

Pearl realized that Natsumi was gone and said to Wocky, “Oh, no! Natsumi ran away!”

Wocky looked around for her, until he saw her standing behind the huge crowd, in an empty space by herself.

“Hey, Natsumi!” Wocky called out to her, “Pearl's lookin' for ya!”

Natsumi didn't move and inch.

“Where, Wocky?!” Dino said eagerly, still standing by Alfonse and Ricardo, “Where is she?!”

Wocky reluctantly pointed to Natsumi as the other girls moved out of the way, making Dino a path to Natsumi, looking at her nervously.

When Dino and Natsumi finally locked eyes, he went absolutely nuts.

“NAT!” He shouted excitedly.

Alfonse and Ricardo tried to hold him back.

“Whoa, Dino, slow down, man!” They shouted, but he easily broke free as he began to barrel towards her like a loose cannon.

Natsumi yelped and covered her face with her hands, as if trying to create a barrier around herself.

Everyone swore they felt the ground shake as Dino continued to charge towards her.

“Oh, gawd”, Wocky said, “He's completely lost it.”

Pearl looked at Natsumi nervously and said to Wocky, “Oh dear...”

When Dino finally reached Natsumi he quickly dropped down to her level and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Nat, my lil' Nat, I finally get to meet ya!” He said with much excitement, “Ya even prettier in person!”

Natsumi trembled violently in his arms, still with her hands over her face.

“Oh, gawd”, Wocky whispered to Pearl, “I think he's scarin' her...”

“Don't worry, Wocky”, Pearl responded, “He doesn't seem to be hurting her, but she does look terribly frightened.”

Dino started to feel Natsumi's trembling and said, “Woah, lil' gurl, ya shakin' more than my aunt's chihuahua!”

She didn't respond.

“Dino, ya blockhead”, Wocky shouted at him, “Ya scarin' the guts outta her, man!”

“W-What?!” Dino responded, “O-Oh... Aww man...”

He then said to Natsumi, “Ya... Ya scared o' me...?”

Natsumi said nothing, continuing to tremble and hiding her face.

“Dis ain't goin' so good”, Alfonse said to Ricardo, “I thought she liked 'em, but...”

“Anudda gurl's rejectin' him again”, Ricardo said, “Jus' great...”

Wocky and Pearl looked at them sadly.

“Man, she don't like him at all!” Wocky said to Pearl.

“Yes she does, Wocky”, Pearl said, “She's just in a bit of a shock, she'll be fine.”

Dino started to sense that Natsumi was rejecting him, and he started to get upset.

“Oh, gurl”, Dino said, almost getting weepy, “I-I thought ya liked me... B-But... I guess I was wrong...”

Natsumi didn't say anything, as they were still in an uncomfortable embrace.

“Please, gurl”, Dino said, trying to hold back tears, “D-Don't... B-Break my...”

Wocky, Alfonse, and Ricardo looked at each other in fear.

“Oh, no”, they all said at the same time, “Here it comes...”

Then Dino started to wail loudly, still with his arms around Natsumi, getting tears on her kimono.

Everybody looked at this scene sadly.

“Wocky”, Pearl said, “This is a disaster!”

“Jus' great”, Wocky responded, “I had a feelin' this would happen...”

When Natsumi heard Dino's sobs, she started to feel horrible for hurting his feelings like that.

She started to think about what Pearl told her about him being lonely.

“... I did something bad”, she thought, “... I hurt someone...”

She then took her hands away from her face, revealing that she had tears in her eyes as well, and put her arms around his neck shyly.

Everyone gasped when she did this.

Dino didn't seem to realize she'd done this, until he heard her little voice say, “... I'm sorry... Don't cry...”

He hiccuped and said, “... N-Nat...? S-So... Y-Ya ain't scared o' me afta all?”

“... No”, Natsumi said, “... I was just... Startled... You're bigger than I thought... So I reacted that way out of shock...”

“I'm sorry, too”, Dino said, wiping his face of his tears, “I didn't mean to charge at ya like dat... I-I was jus' so happy to see ya, I kinda got too antsy.”

By now Natsumi had stopped trembling and Dino's tears stopped, but still hiccuped a little.

They looked into each other's eyes, then Dino started to lift Natsumi off the ground as gently as he could, carrying her.

Natsumi flinched as she held onto him, making sure he wouldn't drop her.

Everyone in the crowd breathed a sigh of relief at this scene.

“... Dino?” Nat asked timidly.

“Yeah, Nat?” Dino responded.

“... S-Since I'm so small... W-Will you... Will you be my... B-Bodyguard... So when I go to the city... Bad people won't hurt me anymore...?”

Dino nuzzled her and said, “'Course, I will, Nat! You's don't know how long I've wanted a gurl to protect!”

Natsumi smiled at him shyly and said, “... Thank you...”

Dino then kissed her on the forehead and said, “Ya welcome, lil' gurl!”

Natsumi blushed and looked down.

“Awwwwww!” The little girls said.

“Finally”, Ricardo said, “Dino's got himself a lil' dame.”

“Wow”, Maya said, “That got off to a pretty rough start, but now it's seeming to work out.”

Pearl hugged Wocky and said, “Isn't that sweet? It reminds me of when we had our first kiss at People Park.”

“Yeah”, Wocky said, “But I didn't blubber like a baby.”

Pearl giggled.

Alfonse and Ricardo paid no attention as they were still scoping out a potential girl.

Alfonse suddenly felt someone tap his shoulder, and he turned around to see a girl standing there giggling uncontrollably.

She looked to be the same age as him with brown hair that was in a bun held up by pins, and stood two inches shorter than him.

“You're cute!” She said with a blush on her face and still giggling, “What's your name? Your outfit is so cute!”

Alfonse blushed and put his hand behind his head.

“I'm Alfonse!” He said cheerfully.

“Aaah, Alfie, that's such a cute name!” The girl said with her hands on her cheeks, “I'm Yoshiko!”

“Can I call ya Yoshi?”

“Sure!”

“Wanna walk wid me 'round dis place?”

“OK!”

Alfonse then took Yoshiko's hand as they walked off towards the garden nearby.

He stuck his tongue out at Ricardo as he walked by him.

Ricardo was now the only one left without a companion.

He continued to look around until he saw a girl staring at him across the way.

She also had brown hair, and had a ponytail with pins and beads in it.

She looked to be one of the oldest apprentices and had a serious look about her.

Ricardo walked up to her and said, “I saw ya lookin' at me, so I decided to come over an' say hi.”

“I see you caught on”, the girl said in an almost sophisticated tone, “My name is Masami. Yours?”

“Ricardo.”

“Hmm... Ricardo, huh? The Spanish variation of Richard, I see...”

“Uh... Yeah, I guess. Ya name mean anything?”

“It's made up of the Japanese characters meaning 'become' and 'beautiful'.”

“It's kinda fittin'... Ya are beautiful, y'know.”

“You're a real charmer, aren't you?”

“So... How old are ya? I'm twenty one.”

“Twenty two.”

“Woah, ya probly da oldest dame here!”

“Not really... Mystic Maya is six years my senior, I believe.”

“I like you, Masami... Ya real classy like... I like dat.”

“Same to you.”

Ricardo then took Masami's hand and walked off with her.

“Well”, Pearl said, “It looks like all your friends have special someones now.”

“Yep”, Wocky said, “So now they won't be makin' fun of me bein' with you anymore.”

Then Pearl took Wocky's hand and walked toward the dining hall for lunch.

**

Everybody was eating lunch, talking to each other about Wocky's friends.

“I neva thought I'd play matchmaka while I was here”, Wocky said.

“I know”, Pearl said, “I just hope these new relationships work out.”

Wocky looked over to Dino and Natsumi's table.

He seemed to be fawning away while she just sat there and listened.

“I think she's finally startin' to get comfortable with him”, Wocky said, “He's doin' what he usually does when he flirts with gurls, and she don't seem to mind at all.”

Pearl also looked their way and said, “She's looking at him, that's a good sign.”

“She ain't talkin' to him much though.”

“She's still shy, Wocky. Remember when I first met you?”

Wocky thought back to four months ago when he first saw Pearl at his family's bakery.

“Yeah, you was real shy back then...”

Pearl pulled Wocky close and whispered, “Not anymore...”

Wocky blushed as she kissed him.

When she pulled away he said, “Y-Yeah...”

They then turned to Alfonse and Yoshiko.

They seemed to be laughing about something.

“They really seem to like each other”, Pearl said, “Yoshiko looks happy with him.”

Wocky laughed and said, “Haha, she looks perfect for him! She's jus' like him!”

And finally, they looked over to Ricardo and Masami having a calm conversation.

“They both look so serious”, Pearl said, “What a perfect match for her.”

“Yeah”, Wocky said, “Rick's the oldest of us, so I guess that's why.”

Maya came over to their table and said, “Wow, look at all these couples! I think you matched your friends up nicely!”

“I guess so”, Wocky said, “So now all us guys got gurls now.”

“I hope they'll end up like us”, Pearl said, “But I can't really say for sure.”

Eventually they were done eating and got up from the table.

“Let's go back to the village square”, Pearl said as she took Wocky's hand, walking out of the dining hall.

**

About two hours later, Wocky and Pearl were sitting on their usual bench.

Pearl had her arms wrapped around Wocky, laying her head on his shoulder.

“You know, Wocky”, She said, “There's only three days left until you have to go home.”

“Yeah”, He responded, “And I'll go on a long time without seein' ya again...”

They both sighed and fell silent.

“Will ya eva come back to the city?” Wocky asked a few moments later.

“I don't know”, Pearl said, “Mystic Maya still hasn't told me when she'll let me go back.”

“That sucks.”

“I know... I might be stuck here for a very long time.”

They sat there for a while until they saw Dino and Natsumi walked by, holding each other's hands.

“That's so cute”, Pearl said, “I think he's perfect for her. I think she's starting to feel more comfortable and safe with him.”

“Thank gawd”, Wocky said, “Now I'll neva have to hear him blubber ova a gurl rejectin' him again.”

They then saw them sit down on a bench nearby.

Dino got up and pulled some flowers from a flowerbed nearby, and gave them to Natsumi.

She looked at them with a surprised expression on her face, then looked up at him and smiled timidly.

“Yeah, Dino!” Wocky shouted across to him.

Dino gave him a peace sign and smiled.

Pearl giggled and said, “You made him so happy, Wocky.”

She then kissed him.

“Aww”, Wocky said, “I was jus' helpin' a poor guy out.”

“Yo, Wocky!”

Alfonse appeared with Yoshiko by his side.

“Yo, man, thanks! Yoshi's real cute, man! She jus' came right up to me!”

Yoshiko giggled and said, “Because you're so cute, Alfie! I couldn't resist your starry jacket and kitty shirt!”

Alfonse blushed and said, “Haha, thanks!”

“Now I have a special someone too, just like you, Pearl!”

Pearl and Wocky smiled at each other.

Moments later Dino and Natsumi came over.

“Hey Wocky, hey Al”, Dino said, “Ya with ya gurls too?”

“Yeah”, Wocky said, “So... How does it feel to have a gurl now?”

“It's great, man!” Dino said, “Nat's so cute! She listens real good when I talk to 'er, and she actually like flowers!”

Natsumi sniffed the flowers and said, “... They're lovely...”

Dino smiled at her and said, “Thanks, lil' gurl.”

“... You're welcome...”

Wocky looked around for Ricardo.

“Rick, where are ya?!” He shouted.

Ricardo randomly appeared holding Masami's hand.

“Got a good one, Wocky”, Ricardo said, “She's really classy, man.”

“Likewise”, Minami said.

“Me, classy?” Ricardo said blushing, “Naw...”

“Hey, she's perfect for ya, man. Has a serious streak jus' like ya.”

“I guess.”

They then all sat together and began to talk.

**

“Are you sure you can't stay for dinner?” Maya asked at dinnertime in the dining hall.

“Naw”, Dino said, “I got work in the mornin'. Gotta be back in time to get there.”

“My mom wants me back”, Alfonse said.

“I have work too”, Ricardo said.

Before they walked out, they each went up to their girls and said goodbye to them.

Dino picked Natsumi up and nuzzled her.

“Bye, lil' gurl. Send me some lettas, aiite?”

“... I already sent you one...”

“Good! Den keep on sendin' 'em!”

“... OK...”

Then he kissed her cheek and put her down.

“See ya, Yoshi”, Alfonse said as he hugged Yoshiko, “I'll send ya one of my kitty shirts for ya.”

“OK, Bye!” Yoshiko said.

Ricardo hugged Masami and said, “Bye. I'll send ya dose chocolates I was tellin' ya 'bout.”

“Alright, then. Goodbye, Ricardo.”

“Bye, Wocky”, all three guys said as they walked out of the dining hall, “We'll see ya at home.”

Wocky and Pearl went up to the three girls and started talking to them.

“So”, Wocky asked, “Whadda ya think of my homies?”

“Alfie's so cute, Wocky! His coat looks like yours, but cuter! And he's so funny!”

“Ricardo is very... Smooth. I like that.”

“... Dino's... Sweet...”

Pearl smiled and said, “That's wonderful! Maybe someday...”

She then looked at Wocky and said, “... You'll end up as close to your guys as I am to mine.”

She then kissed Wocky.

He blushed like mad and twirled his hair saying, “Heheheheh...”

“I hope so too!” Yoshiko said.

Soon the three girls left the table.

Pearl sighed and leaned into Wocky.

“Wocky”, Pearl said, “I'm going to miss you when you go back home.”

“Me too, gurl”, Wocky said, putting his arm around her, “I'll be callin' ya everyday.”

A few moments later they got up and walked out of the dining hall, having finished eating.

**

At bedtime, Wocky and Pearl had just put on their pajamas and cut the lights off, and were now climbing in their cots.

Pearl cuddled close to Wocky and said, “I'm going to miss this.”

“Me too”, Wocky said, “It feels right, bein' with you. Out of every gurl I've eva been with, you're the best one.”

“Oh, Wocky...”

“I hope, someday, we'll be together again.”

“Same here.”

They held each other for a long time, just staring into each other's eyes.

Suddenly Wocky's thoughts came in.

“I can't stand bein' away from Pearl”, he thought, “She's the gurl of my life, man... I wish she'd come back to the city... But I don't think we'll see each other much anymore after I leave.”

Wocky then kissed Pearl and said, “It'll be so lonely without ya, gurl. In three days, we'll be apart again, and I'll count the days till I see you again.”

Pearl started to fall asleep in his arms.

“Wocky... Little Fox Prince... I... I'll see you again, someday... I promise...”

Wocky then laid down, still holding her sleeping body.

“G'night... M-My...”

Wocky started to feel tears coming on.

“... Lil' Angel...”

He then had a stream of tears come from his eyes as he started to fall asleep.

Review kindly plz thank you.

Haha all Wocky's friends have girls now! XD

I hope things go well for them.

And oh no Wocky goes home in 3 days! :(

The ending of this chapter almost made me cry T_T

Next chapter- We go to 3 days later, when Wocky goes home... *sniff*