Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Rancher. The idea of the guardians and Eternity Mountain belong to me though, if you want to use them, just email me to ask. This fic does contain the yaoi pairing Tiger x Hare, no lemons though.

Between Work and Play

‘Will they be alright?’ Holly glanced to the side to study the dragonwinged boy walking near her. ‘The hare guardian knows where he’s going. With only two, they should be able to slip past any of Moo’s forces along the way,’ Dragon stated, keeping up a steady, but leisurely pace. ‘Trusting a dimwitted hare is nothing but trouble,’ Tiger grumbled, trying hard to forget his newfound memories. But, the bright-eyed bunnyboy was difficult to forget.

~*~

‘Hare,’ the young boy’s voice seemed to echo the forest as they walked along the unseen path. ‘What is it?’ the halfling asked, glancing at his shorter friend. ‘You and Tiger have know each other for a long time, right?’ Genki asked, thinking hard to himself. ‘Yes. We were born within moments of one another and have known each other our whole lives,’ the bunnyboy stated while caressing one of his long ears lightly. ‘Then, why don’t you like each other?’ Genki asked.

‘It’s not that we don’t like each other. I wouldn’t say we hate each other, it’s just that… our personalities make it hard for us to get very close,’ Hare sighed, his thoughts drifting elsewhere, to another time when things seemed simpler.

~Flashback~

‘Hey Tiger, wanna play?’ the two day old youth smiled winningly at the blue haired boy who simply frowned back. ‘There isn’t time to play, we have work to do,’ Tiger grunted, still remaining in his meditative position on the grassy hilltop. ‘Sitting there all day isn’t work, it is just boring. Would it kill you to play once in a while? Geesh, Dragon doesn’t expect us to learn everything in a day. We’ve got lots of time to play, the humans are watching over our charges quite well,’ Hare stated, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding.

‘I don’t trust humans. Our job as guardians is to watch over our charges and protect them, we can’t do that if we’re playing. Now, go away or sit down and work,’ Tiger growled, closing his golden eyes and tilting his head slightly. Hare sighed and finally sat down next to his friend, watching him closely. Tiger was such a grumpomester sometimes, it’s hard to believe they were the same age. Still, he sure was cute.

~*~

‘Hare… Hare!’ Genki’s voice drew the halfing out of his thoughts and back to the present. ‘Oops, sorry about that. Got lost for a moment there,’ Hare laughed, waving away the young human’s confused looks.

‘You were thinking about Tiger, weren’t you?’ Genki asked, keeping the pace alongside his friend. ‘You’re very perceptive. Yes, I was. It’s funny, really. I’m older than him by only a few minutes, and yet he always has this "All work, no play" attitude. It drove me crazy and I always tried to get him to play. After all, in the beginning and for quite some time, it was just the two of us. Dragon was a very busy guardian since his charges had been around for centuries before humans had even been created. Then, humans created monsters. The hares and tigers were the first, followed by many more.

‘What did you two do everyday before other guardian’s were born?’ Genki asked. ‘Well, Tiger would sit on the hillside and meditate. Meditating is one of the ways we watch over our charges. We listen to their thoughts and feelings and watch the world through their eyes. Another way in through the dream pools. All over the mountain are shallow pools of the clearest blue. When a guardian concentrates and looks into one, they can see their charges more vividly and watch over them. We don’t really need any of those things since we’re guardians, but they are nice to have. For instance, I can feel instantly if one of my charges is in danger and assess the situation automatically,’ Hare told the boy.

‘Then, you save them?’ Genki asked. ‘Not always. Guardians must keep the balance, we can’t just run off saving every single one of our charges that gets into trouble. It’s rare that we leave our mountain, that’s just the way it is. Our decisions on whether to get involved or not can change the future for our charges and those around them. If I were to save every young hare that wandered off into the path of a wild monster, they would never learn. Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. Mistakes must be made, consequences, no matter how harsh, have to be dealt with in their own time. If something happens, like a natural disaster, and my charges are in great danger, then I will help. A guardian can send power to their chosen one. Power and the wisdom to use it. We plant ideas in their minds, showing them what to do, then let them do it. In the end, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t and a lot of our charges are wiped out. I don’t expect you to understand, Genki. It may seem harsh to you, but that is the way of the world,' Hare whispered, turning his attention away from the young human who was trying to digest all the sudden information.

‘Hare, why don’t you ever let Tiger know how smart you are?’ Genki asked suddenly. ‘It’s much more fun to keep him guessing. I’m not an idiot like he believes, I just chose not to be so dark all the time. I want to enjoy life, where all he does is his job. Someday… someday, he’s going to understand that life isn’t about working all the time, but about doing what you can with the time you have. I find time to play while still keeping an eye on my charges, that’s why I’m not such a grumpomester, like Tiger,’ Hare giggled, making Genki laugh at the name.

~*~

‘Grumpomester?’ Tiger grumbled to himself when one of his fonder… ehm, not fonder, definitely not fonder, memories hit him. Hare had been acting like his idiotic self again and argued that he didn’t have to work so hard and deserved some time off. When Tiger had turned him away, he’d heard the whispered grumble from the hare guardian before the halfing had sat down beside him. Actually, the hare had been quiet after that, it had been almost… nice.

‘We’re nearly there,’ Dragon’s voice cut through his thoughts. Immediately, the group fell silent as they reached the edge of the forest and looked out at the charred landscape. Damn Moo. He’d turned the beautiful council stadium into a dark fortress that seemed to tower over them. Fire had raged the grass into black pitch, the ground hard and cold beneath their feet.

Soon, soon they would face the demon in his den. It was up to Hare and Genki to get the Phoenix… if they did not, then there would be more bodies to add to Moo’s collection.

…tbc…

Author’s Note: Sorry it took so long to update. I’m running out of ideas on how to continue this. I hope I can finish it soon because I have another Monster Rancher fic started and partially written. Please review!