May Yellow burn~! Viva Championshipping!

Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Chapter 6

“Perhaps we should just stop hiring bodyguards all together. They are evidently worthless.”

Lorelei nodded. “I could simply set up traps.”

Lance smirked, and Agatha matched it. Bruno stifled a yawn. “Where’s Red?”

“Fast asleep. I drugged him with enough Sleep Powder to take out a Steelix.”

Bruno raised his eyebrows. “You’re not planning to push any legislation today, are you?”

“No, none at all. I simply noticed that he was having… difficulties, and perhaps extra sleep would help.”

Bruno did not look completely convinced, but said no more on the subject.

Red woke up, yawning, and found himself in an unfamiliar bed.

Wait a second… this was Lance’s room

What was he doing here?

He started to panic, before he realized that firstly, he was clothed, and secondly… oh yes. Yesterday. Those weird people…

He shivered.

He wasn’t sure what he should be more frightened of, assassination attempts or the Elite Four’s way of dealing with them.

Ah well…

He padded out of bed and headed back to his own room.

“You are cruel, you know.”

“Karen, I thought you liked that about me.”

Will choked as Karen winked at Lance. < Perhaps we should talk privately. >

< Are you unhappy here? >

< No. I am… worried. You control the dark, and so I will follow you, and Will controls psychic, so neither of us… but Sabrina… she was his guardian before. >

< Red’s? Yes, it is most unfortunate. He sought her out to regain his memory. >

< Did she succeed? >

< Would he be acting the way he is now if he remembered? > Lance shot back. < My shields held. They didn’t even chip. Her power is nothing compared to mine… >

< But it seems… that you are choosing to be unhappy. >

Lance shook his head. < I am choosing to extend our time. It is one guardian against the world. >

< And curse the fates that make it so… >

The girl who came the next day was not one he recognized immediately, but she was not talking to him. He watched as she knocked on Lance’s door and was ushered inside, almost furtively.

This caught Red’s interest. Lance had a girlfriend?

Hmm… there were air-conditioning vents between their rooms. Perhaps…

He pried off the cover on his side and prepared to climb in, before realizing that there was only about a foot of space separating their rooms, and he could hear their voices quite clearly.

They were speaking loudly after all.

“So what brings you here this time, Charlotte?”

“You know, same old, same old.”

“Mm. You’re looking well.”

“Yes. That new foundation works wonders for pale skin... You can’t even tell…. But you know I can’t keep it up much longer.” A dry voice responded.

“Yes, I understand…”

“You will have to take my place.”

“You are burning, are you not? Your voice is usually the last to go…”

“Yes, I’m burning, and I do not know… my foresight is too clouded, I’m too weak to scry now, Lance. The future is now too near to see clearly.”

“Then I will put you to sleep.”

“Will you? I did not want to ask…”

“Charlotte, you know that we all do what we must. And I have hurt you badly with my selfish actions…”

“He has hurt us both.”

“I cannot blame him as much as I would like to. Lugia knows he deserves it, and yet...!”

“Of course you cannot. He is your weakness, and…”

“And I will always love him. You do not need to say it again. Here.”

And then there was a string of words in a language Red only vaguely understood, and then a whoosh of hot air as the temperature next door blasted up several hundred degrees, heating up the metal grate.

Red yelped.

For a few minutes, there was no sound. Finally, Lance’s voice spoke again.

“You have done your duty well. Now sleep the sleep of the blessed… for those who are blessed by the legendaries are the most cursed of all…”

What was that all about?

That voice… it was familiar, though he had never heard it before in his life! Lance was familiar too, and… and.

His door opened and he turned to face the Dragon Master. Wait! How had Lance gotten into his room? Did it matter?

“So you were spying on us.” Lance said calmly.

Red nodded. What point was there in denying it? He had already incriminated himself, and the evidence was glaring.

“Why?” He sounded honestly confused.

“I…I was curious.”

“Curiosity killed the cat, Red…”

“But… I need to know if something important is going on… whatever you were talking about sounded really serious!”

“… My private life is none of your concern.”

He flinched. “I…”

Lance stepped up to him, meeting his eyes. “Red… it does not matter to you what my personal feelings are, do you understand?”

“N-No…” Why… Why was Lance so close?

Was he going to…?

But Lance did not kiss him. Instead, he just patted him on the head and left.

Red felt strangely disappointed, but quashed the feeling and turned on his computer. It was time to get his taxes done.

End Chapter

Completed 7/17/06

Yes, I wrote Charlotte in because I like her, damn it. I know she’s a Mary-Sue. So? We all have our follies, and this is mine. Besides, she’s not an uber-Sue, not even close…