We are… nearing the end… right?

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

WARNINGS: ANGST. Oh, and Red being kind of seme

Chapter 7

“… Is that a daisy?”

Lance looked up from where he was sitting, a torn white petal still clutched in one hand. “Yes.”

“What are you doing?” Red sat down next to him, a sandwich in hand. Ever since that incident, the Elite Four had warmed up to him as much as he expected they could. They were polite, even a bit affectionate, and every Friday Karen tried making a new cookie recipe and they would always go and taste them together.

But at other times, he could have sworn that Lorelei and Agatha replaced Karen and Will.

It was very disturbing.

Did the Elite Four have a rotating schedule? Was that why? One month each? That would explain things.

Yes, that was probably the solution. Red took another bite out of his sandwich. Lance hadn’t replied, so he repeated his question. “So what are you doing?”

“Telling my fortune.” Lance pulled another petal off. “He loves me, he loves me not…”

Honestly, he didn’t care if Lance were gay. Lance was a seriously good battler, though he’d only seen practice battles between the Elite Four – usually a free-for all, and he had joined in several times. It was kind of fun, but dangerous too, since any pokemon could be your ally or enemy…

“He loves me not.” Lance threw the flower stem down.

“… Who is this he you keep mentioning?”

“Why, Red, are you jealous?” He teased.

“No! I was just wondering.” Red studiously ignored the pinkness showing up on his cheeks, and Lance did not comment.

“As long as you’re not planning to sell the story out to the gossip magazines, I suppose that telling you can’t hurt.”

Red pouted for a minute, but listened as Lance began to speak.

Lance’s voice was so soothing…

“We met years ago… it was in the Viridian Forest, I fished him out of a pond he was hiding in and beat off the Beedrills chasing him…. We became friends, and then later on, when he was older, we became more…”

“But what happened? Why did you break up?”

Lance closed his eyes. “He chose another.”

“What?”

“He was too worried about what the public would think… so he married a girl that he rescued in the Viridian Forest…”

“Oh. Is that all?”

“That’s all.”

Red thought the story a bit unfair. “But that doesn’t mean he couldn’t still… I mean, he could still love you, right?”

“Not if he’s married to another person.” Lance shook his head. “Besides, the girl who he married… tried to kill me in a pokemon battle.”

Red gaped.

Lance nodded.

“That’s terrible! What a cruel thing to do!”

“Well, I cannot say I was not cruel too, in the end.”

“What happened?”

“After I realized that he was going to leave me… I decided that if I couldn’t have his love, he couldn’t have mine either.”

“So you decided to hate him too?”

Lance smiled crookedly. “Worse than that.”

“… Worse?” Red swallowed. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”

“What do you think, Red?”

Red thought.

He thought of Lance’s merciless expression facing those masked men, but he also thought of the soft light in his eyes when he groomed and battled with his pokemon.

Now the real question was, was the person he loved worth more or less than his pokémon? If more, he doubted death.

If loved less, on the other hand… he would bet on murder.

There had to be more clues! He could not put a puzzle together if there were pieces missing!

… But wasn’t that what he was doing now? He was trying to put his life back together even with a blank slate?

That was different, wasn’t it?

“I think,” Red said, and felt pain welling up in his chest, “I think you killed him”

“Then you thought right.” Lance’s eyes slid away. “So now you know my secret.”

“But how could you kill the person that you loved? I mean… was it so that the girl wouldn’t get him?”

“The girl got him in the end.”

“Eew! You mean she took his dead body… eew!”

“No, Red! That is not what I mean. I killed him in the ways that mattered.” Lance ticked off his fingers. “I killed his love for me, and I killed the boy I fell in love with. And now, he hates me and all is well in the world.”

… Killed…

…Hate him…

… Who… am I?

It was close, ever so close… Red reached out for the elusive thought with fingers, and grasped it. The butterfly beat its wings futilely against his clenched fists and then its wings shattered.

Fleeting no more.

And the pieces clicked into place.

“No.”

“No what, Red?” Lance drawled.

“It cannot be possible! I’m not… I…”

“How would you know what you were like, if you cannot remember?” Lance asked. “How can you guess, if I shattered your memories?”

“You wouldn’t! Why would you do this to me?”

“Did my story not make sense?”

“No! It makes perfect sense! That’s what’s so wrong about it! I cannot accept this! I cannot!”

“You must.” Lance said quietly.

“But… why… why would you… make me forget?”

“That is a foolish question. I did it to make you happy. You could not love us both but you chose to marry her. So, I forced you to forget me.”

“Even still, the timelines don’t match! What have you done, Lance?”

“Ah, that is true. The threads of time were always volatile around you, especially since you fall under Serebii’s care… she thought to create you a world where you would be happier, but ultimately...”

“I was happier with you, even though I did not know it.” Red muttered, mostly to himself. “Even with you as my enemy…”

“So it seems…” Lance stepped forwards, blue light flickering into existence on his fingers. “It is a pity.”

“Y-You’re going to erase my memory again, are you not?”

Lance nodded.

“No! I… I can’t let you do this!”

“Why not, Red? I’ll do a better job this time. You’ll only forget me. Nothing else. And those glimpses of lost time could be so easily attributed to sleep or training.”

“But then I won’t be who I really am.”

“Don’t you love Yellow?”

Red shook his head vehemently. Lance looked shocked.

“But I thought…”

“Lance, I woke up in bed with a pregnant woman and a bloody daughter and no idea of how either of them got there! If that’s what you’re going to put me through again I’d rather die!”

“… Funny that you say that.”

“Why? It’s true.”

“Do you desire death, then? I can grant that easily… But first…”

Red panicked. He released Vee and motioned her forwards. Psychic slammed into the Dragon Master, but he simply smirked.

“… Not a bad attack, but… not powerful enough either. Hakuryuu! Mirror Coat!”

Red paled as a Dragonair exploded out of the ground and reflected the damage back onto Espeon, who fainted.

“Restrain him, dear. Please?”

Dragonair nodded and tightened her coils around Red’s body. Red closed his eyes.

What could he do?

What could he say?

I love you would be too cliché…

Lance walked closer, his boots crunching the drying grass underneath his feet. “It will not hurt, Red.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” To his horror, Red felt tears running down his cheeks. “I... I don’t want to lose you…”

“But you left me. And I’m cursed to love you until I die… but at the very least, I can ensure your happiness. Please don’t struggle.”

“I’m sorry! I could apologize until my tongue bled dry but… you won’t believe me, will you? I’ve broken your faith… and your heart…”

“I have no heart now.” The Dragon Master murmured. “But you are still young. I will not curse you with my fate.”

“It’s not a curse! I want to stay with you, damn it! What do I have to do to prove it? Carve it out in blood on my arm or something?”

Something shimmered in golden orbs. “Swear.”

“What?”

“Swear by all you hold sacred that you will not willingly leave me again.”

Red blinked. “That’s all?”

“I will know if you break that oath. That is all. This is your second chance, Red, and it is the only chance I am giving you, Lugia help me. I’m such a fool!”

“No.” Red placed a comforting hand on Lance’s arm, feeling Dragonair’s coils loosen slightly, enough for him to pull free. “It is my fault. You are right. I broke you, and you could have broken me while I was… disabled, but you were honest, and you still have honor. I will bear the burden of my crimes this time.”

“Lugia help me….” Lance breathed, as Red bent in closer and kissed him. He sighed, feeling his body sag tiredly.

It was so hard, being strong when he was nothing but a shell… and Red knew it too, didn’t he now?

“I will take care of you from now on.” Red promised, gathering the shaking Dragon Master in his arms. “I swear by all I hold sacred that I will never leave you again… Shh…”

“I…I am not weak.” Lance choked out. “I can’t be…”

“You are not. You broke yourself to keep me whole.” Red gulped. “And I repaid you with nothing but hate. But I will not fall again. Trust me. Please?”

A sigh was the only answer he received as Lance leaned his head against his shoulder, and Red nodded.

Never again would he leave because he was afraid of society’s thoughts. Not when this was the result.

Merciful Mew, I’m a terrible person. But I will learn from my mistakes, and I will not make you suffer for them any longer.

Gomen nasai…

End Chapter

Completed 7/17/06

END FIC! YATTA!

*Glances at clock – it reads 3 A.M. EEK! Better get to bed! *

Poor Lance! But hey, the ending is kind of happy! ^^

Dude, this is one of my better fics. It makes me go all shivery re-reading it. *Grins*