Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, nor do I own its characters. Those belong to Nintendo or Game Freak or whoever owns them.

A/N: If you couldn't tell yet, Franticshipping is my manga!OTP for Pokemon. Ruby and Sapphire are so cute! My first story was kind of a miss, especially at the end, so I will make up for it with this!

Only Missing Everything

~/~

Ruby was a super-star. Everyone in Hoenn knew his name. If you didn't, you were either a foreigner from a region far far away, a baby unable to comprehend his significance, or a person ignorant of the world around them. He had saved the region from a calamity before even becoming a teenager! Now, as a grown adult, he was the new gymleader of the Petalburg Gym and the founder of one of the world's most successful fashion lines, Loyal Beauty. Challengers and coordinators from every corner of the region came to meet him and get advice. Boys and girls of every age waited in lines as long as Rayquaza to buy his newest clothing lines. The girls especially loved him, and at the age of nineteen he was voted "Hottest Celebrity" in the popular magazine Absol Beat.

Ruby wasn't happy, though. He had everything every trainer and every coordinator could dream of. At the ripe age of twenty-two, he already had fame, popularity, money, and a hoard of screaming fans. The only thing he was missing, his everything, was nowhere near his reach.

Sapphire had left. After they had saved the region, Ruby had pretended to forget her confession. She was extremely angry, and had yelled at him over and over. It was all worth it in his opinion, though. She really did love him, and she would tell him about her confession again as her face turned red and she avoided his gaze. Her loud voice would suddenly turn quiet and her confident, blazing eyes would become bright and shy. He would always tell her he had forgotten just to see that cute side of Sapphire again. She was often loud, violent, impulsive and wild, so seeing a shy, cute, girlish Sapphire was always welcome. He really loved her.

When they were seventeen, she stopped reminding him of her confession. They continued to spend time together like the always did; they fought, they played, and they sat around in their secret base. But Ruby felt that something was different. He noticed that she had stopped asking about the one thing that signified she loved him. Sapphire also stopped randomly poking his face or tugging on his hair. She didn't sit so close anymore and she resisted modeling his dresses more than she usually did. He didn't think much about it at the time, but now he regretted not just confessing his own feelings right there.

On her eighteenth birthday he woke up extra early (8 a.m.) and ran down to her house excitedly. Her birthday was one of his favorite holidays. He loved showering her with gifts and favors, and her birthday was one of the few days Sapphire would allow Ruby to do her hair and make-up. He had the whole day planned for them and he excitedly swung his make-up and gift bags around as he waited for someone to answer his knock to the door. Professor Birch had answered, and Ruby had asked for Sapphire, excitedly explaining his plans for the day.

The professor was confused and told Ruby that Sapphire had left yesterday on a new Pokemon journey, and that she would soon be arriving in Sinnoh. Ruby's heart sank. No, it broke. Sapphire left? He wanted to yell at Professor Birch for not telling him, but then he remembered that two days earlier she had sat especially close to him and had whispered that she was, "going away for a while for some training." That usually meant a week in Victory Road, not a flight to another region. Ruby thanked the professor with a shaking voice and went home.

His mother greeted him. "Aren't you home early? What about your date with Sapphire?" He ignored her, angry that she brought up Sapphire's name. He trudged up the stairs to his room and threw himself on his bed after shutting the door. He buried his face in his perfumed pillows and just stared at the wall. She was gone. There was no yelling, no hitting, no crying, no warning, no hug, no good bye, no confession. He looked over at the gift bag on the floor and his eyes began to sting. She had shyly told him a few weeks ago that charm bracelets were "kinda cute, not that I want one…" and he had thought that a pair of bracelets for them to share would be a wonderful gift. Both bracelets had simple silver chains, and a single charm. One had a ruby key and the other had a sapphire lock. Engraved on the back of each charm was "R+S" in beautiful, curly letters. He knew she would love it.

But she was gone now. She had left, and he had finally realized that he had pushed her too far away. He really did love her, more than any other boy would, he was sure. He regretted ignoring all the hints she had dropped. He couldn't stand the thought of being apart from his other half for more than a week, so how could he stand a whole year (their first journey took a year) or more without her? The sting in his eyes had increased and soon tears started leaking. His breathing came in shallowly as he thought about her. He had pushed away his everything.

~/~

It was her twenty-second birthday, and everyone and anyone knew it. Every September 20th since Loyal Beauty had opened when Ruby was nineteen, he held a special event in his store. This day was no different. The usual white, tiled store was covered in blue confetti, streamers, and balloons. Flowers in vases were placed every here and there. The high prices were cut in half, at least, on every item. These alone were enough to drive fans crazy, but what really reeled in the shoppers were the clothes that only came out on this day: blue dresses and blue jackets.

Everyone wanted one. Getting a blue jacket or dress from Loyal Beauty was like getting a Master Ball. The blue dresses were the most beautiful of all of Ruby's dresses, and the jackets had a unique style that everyone loved. Ruby only sold them on this day, and not very many were made. When asked why by the press, he replied with a nostalgic smile, "Blue is my girlfriend's color, and September 20 is her birthday."

Ruby himself usually didn't work at his store, but the 20th was a special occasion. He believed that if he made a big enough fuss about her birthday, Sapphire would catch wind of it and come back to yell at him. She had always done that before. She didn't call him so often anymore (only on holidays and his birthday), and she never answered his calls unless it was her birthday. Birthdays were really special.

"Um… Ruby, Sir, there's already a long line outside. It's almost gone around the block now. Should we open a few minutes early?" an employee asked.

Ruby put the away the few post cards she had sent him and put on his best camera smile. "Yes, let's begin!"

~/~

Ruby would always forget how hard it was to work at a cash register, and then he would work on her birthday and remember why. A few weeks later, he would forget, and the cycle would continue. There were so many people, and each one wanted to talk to him while he was busy attending to other things. He would be working the cash register when a group of fangirl friends would come up to him and beg him for pictures and autographs. He would be organizing shelves when a competitor would congratulate him on his big reel in of customers and then talk about the other fashion brands. Ruby would be replacing the balloons when challengers would ask when he would be at the gym again.

As the day wore in, Ruby wanted to talk to people less and less. He loved his fans, but he could only take so many, "Marry me!"s, "Battle me!"s, and "Blah blah blah!"s. He continued to force himself to smile and chat as he served customers. By this point in the day, he didn't even look at the customers anymore. He just scanned their items, gave them their change, and sent them on their way.

"I'll take this, please," another customer said as she placed a red scarf with a cute little Torchic print on the table.

Ruby quickly scanned the item and placed it in the Loyal Beauty shopping bag. "That'll be $6.41, ma'am," he said.

The girl placed ten dollars on the table. Ruby quickly got her change and placed it into her hand after giving her the bag. He smiled and said for at least the five hundredth time that day, "Thank you for shopping at Loyal Beauty! Please come again!"

She laughed, and Ruby found that it sounded it like Sapphire's. "Thanks, Prissy Boy," the girl said as she walked out.

Ruby's head snapped up at the nickname. Only one person called him that. His eyes scanned the flood of people in his store for the girl that just paid. He saw a girl with the same hairstyle Sapphire usually had exit the store and his heart started to race. Could that be her!? The thought of seeing her again, being able to be with her again completely took over his mind. They hadn't seen each other in eight years, and the thought of losing her again when she was so close drove him crazy. He ran out from behind the counter and began pushing his way out of the store.

Every second counted. Each second he spent shoving people aside was a second with her that he lost and another second of her possibly leaving him again. People in the store yelped in surprise as the usually cool and calm Ruby frantically pushed them aside as if they didn't matter. He finally made it out of the store and looked around. The cold air whacked him in the face, and his cheeks slowly turned red as he looked around the street. He saw the girl strolling down the street, her boots clicking on the sidewalk as she went.

It was her and he knew it. That hair, that height, that build, that walk, that everything. It was all so very Sapphire. He ran down the sidewalk at full speed until he was close enough to reach out at her. He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, his eyes growing wide at the sight before him. It really was her.

"Ruby, what are you doing!?" she yelled at him. This was so unreal to him. It had been four years since they had seen each other, and she was actually standing here, yelling at him. He had only one way to respond this, and it seemed the most natural for both of them.

He yelled back.

"What do you mean, 'What are you doing?'? You're here! Why are you here, Sapph?" he yelled at her. He was angry, confused, and oh so happy that she was back.

"Oh, sorry for being here! What, I can't come home once in a while?" she protested. Ruby noticed how much the both of them had changed in those four years. He now towered above her, and she had to look up at him to speak. Her blue eyes still sparkled with defiance and confidence, but they were now framed in a teeny bit of eye liner. Her pink lips called to him like sirens, and he noticed that he couldn't tease her about being a woman with no shape. She was also wearing the clothes that he had made for her, and she matched them perfectly.

"Not that! What about your trip? Why didn't you tell me you were coming back? I could've gotten you from the airport!" he yelled at her. "It's 'cuz you never tell me things that I yelled at you over the phone that night!"

"Oh, so it's my fault? Don't be ridiculous, Ruby! I told you I was leaving!" she yelled, her cheeks reddening.

"'Going away for a while for some training' didn't mean leaving the freaking region and you know it! What the heck happened to training in Victory Road!?" he asked. People in the street were staring by now. Here was Hoenn's up and rising super star screaming at Hoenn's champion on a street corner, when neither had been seen together in a long time. The two were loud and disturbing the peaceful fall atmosphere, but no one could draw their eyes away.

"I needed a new challenge!" she yelled haughtily. "Victory Road was too easy for me!"

"I could've battled with you, Wild Girl! What, was I too weak, too?" he yelled at her.

"I never said that, idiot, but it that's what you want to think, I'm not stopping you!" she yelled.

"What the heck's that supposed to mean?" he yelled at her.

"You didn't even have the balls to reject me!" she screamed. Her face was red from the yelling and she suddenly looked upset and sad. Her hands were clenched into fists and she was trembling a bit.

Ruby's eyes grew wide. Reject? Why in Arceus's name would he reject Sapphire? Had he misunderstood something? "What the heck are you talking about!? Why would you come to that stupid conclusion!?" If Sapphire thought he didn't love her, than there was no hope for humanity. Arceus could just make it explode and start over again. Because, really, what was the point if Sapphire thought he wasn't crazy about her? For Jirachi's sake, she had just been in his store that he had freaking. Dec-o-rat-ed. Just. For. Her.

Sapphire just growled at him and turned around to walk away. "I'm done talking to you!" she yelled over her shoulder. Ruby wouldn't have any of that, though. Letting her walk away thinking whatever she was thinking would be the biggest mistake of his life. He had already let her done it once, and he would never do it again. He threw her over his shoulder like a sack of cloth and walked back in the direction of his store. What he was about to say he couldn't just yell on a street corner. He had to be completely alone with her, just for a little bit. "What the heck are you doing!? Put me down! Kidnapper!" she yelled at him as she pounded his back and flailed around. He hadn't remembered her or her punches being this light.

He waltzed into his store like carrying a screaming woman was the most natural thing in the world. All the shoppers and employees were dumbfounded. Ruby just walked past all the staring people as Sapphire continued to yell. "We'll be borrowing the store room," he told the cashier, who was still holding the change he had yet to give to the customer who was also staring.

"Y-yes!" the cashier said, trying to avoid staring too long.

Ruby opened the door to the store room and brought Sapphire to the very back. "Ruby, put me down! Damn it, are you even listening to me!? You stupid barbarian, let me go!" she screeched. He found his secret resting spot and tossed her on the bean bag there. "Ow! Jeez. I don't remember you being able to lift anything that weighed more than your make-up bag, Prissy Boy. Although I guess I can't call you that anymore," she told him as she glared up at him defiantly. She arranged herself on the bean bag and sat down properly. "Wait, is this Snorlax beanie from our secret base? This rug, too! You stole this from our base!" she yelled.

"And look at you! The Wild Girl is actually sitting like a lady!" Ruby retorted, ignoring her accusation (although it was completely right). He couldn't help it. He did plan on confessing to her now, but fighting with her was so natural, so familiar, and it reminded him she was here. Her voice was a hundred times louder in person than on the phone.

"Whatever! I'm leaving! I have stuff to do!" she said as she began getting up.

Ruby plopped down on top of her and said, "Nope!" They both fell onto the bean bag, him on top of her. He rolled off of her so that they were lying next to each other. He had one arm under his head and he placed the other around her waist. She blushed and stared at him. They laid there together like that for a few minutes, just indulging in the other's presence. They stared at each other quietly, remembering the past, enjoying the present, and wondering about the future.

"I missed you," he whispered, all the sorrow and loneliness he had felt these past years in those three words.

"Me, too," she whispered back. Her voice was beautiful and he could feel her breath on his face. Her blue eyes were like the sky, bright and mysterious. Her brown hair formed a veil around her face that only brought her eyes out even more.

"I was really lonely without you," he whispered again.

He didn't know if he was imagining it, but he thought she scooted just a bit closer. "Me, too," she said again. She allowed her eyes to slide close and he quietly continued to watch her. She was peaceful, beautiful, and here. He didn't want her leaving again. He had lost her when they were six years old, and again when they were eighteen. If he didn't tell her now, he was sure she would leave again.

"Sapph?" he asked quietly. If she was asleep, he wouldn't wake her.

"What, Ruby?" she asked without opening her eyes.

She was his everything, and she needed to know. "I love you, Sapphire." Her eyes shot open, but she couldn't get a single word out before he kissed her. They had kissed once or twice before, but this was something totally different. His feelings overwhelmed her, and as her eyes slid shut she found herself drowning in his love and hope. The kiss was soft and sweet, like the ones at the end of princess movies, and it left a warm feeling when the parted. "You're my everything."

She smiled, and then asked, "Do you really not remember my confession?"

He laughed then admitted, "I lied." Her eyes narrowed and he knew that she was going to give him an earful, and he was definitely going to yell back. He didn't mind, though. He had almost lost the girl that mattered the most to him, but now she was back.

~/~

A/N: I don't know how this turned out… Leave a review and let me know? Oh, I also chose the name Loyal Beauty for the fashion brand because you know how Mimi loved Ruby even though he didn't love her? Yeah. But then he did love her, so… Okay.