Disclaimer: I in no way, shape or form own pokemon.

Italics = Flashback

The rain was the only thing that could be picked out, besides the tapping of four small paws. It had been at least 4 weeks since the accident, and there had been no signs of recovery. His condition had shown no change, and people were beginning to lose hope. All except one.

The zorua continued on his path through the rain-stricken streets, disregarding the people he darted past. Many yelled and shouted as he passed beneath their feet, almost tripping them over. He didn't care, nothing else mattered as his goal came into sight.

It had been this way everyday for the past few weeks. Wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, rush out of school to his friend, stay as long as he could then finally head home and cry himself to sleep. The zorua had gotten so into this routine, it was perfectly natural for him now. The front door to the grim prison slid open. He was met with a false smile from the attendant, whom had seen him so much now.

"You're here to see him again, aren't you?" The audino gave a sad smile. She knew what the doctors had said. How bleak his chances were, but still this boy held on to whatever dim hope was left. A small nod was her response. "The doctors have just finished his tests, you're free to go in just-"

"Keep quiet and don't do anything stupid, I know." The zorua finished her sentence before walking slowly through the hallways. He hated this place. It smelled clean, looked pristine and welcoming. All to hide the fear of what lies beyond the bleached scent. That families, and children might feel slightly easier that their loved ones lay trapped in this place, stripped of any control.

The hospitals clean appearance hid the grim fact it was probably the last sight for many eyes.

Room 204. Ward B. A soft sigh escaped the boys lips as he pushed the creaky door open. The grim storm outside shook the boy to his core. He had always feared storms. That is, until someone had been there to protect him from them. The zorua slowly padded into the room, nudging the door shut before turning his attention to the bed.

The steady beep of the heart monitor was the only sound, besides the cold, unforgiving patter of the rain. There, upon the bed lie a glaceon. He looked peaceful, almost easily mistaken for sleeping were it not for the multiple machines hooked up to him. They had done a good job cleaning the blood from his fur. But they could not remove the fact he was now comatose.

The zorua's eyes slowly began to tear up once more as he stared at the glaceon. But not out of pity, or sadness.

It was regret. And remorse. And guilt.

"It's all my fault..." The zorua's voice betrayed his mind. His friend was trapped in his own mind, stuck in a coma because the zorua had made one small error. One tiny mistake, and it had cost him so much.

He remembered it all vividly. The image was burned into his head.

"Heh, that was actually quite an interesting movie. Who'd have thought one guy would go to such extremes to save the one he loved. I mean, fighting 16 gigantic monsters... I'unno, I'd not have the courage to do that."

The zorua laughed and flicked his friends nose, earning him a soft yip and whine.

"I bet you'd go WAY further then that if the one you loved was in danger." This seemed to make the glaceon stop and think.

"Huh... I suppose you're right. Sometimes, it's better to act then to regret." The glaceon yawned slightly, and looked to his friend when he noticed. The lights had gone green, and the zorua was halfway across the road. His head snapped to the right, staring at the oncoming traffic.

The zorua never realised what had happened as he felt something warm and soft wrap itself around him. He gave a startled cry, and there were several screams as he heard the screeching of a cars tyres. There was a loud "thunk" and the zorua felt both himself and whatever was on him fly a good distance down the road. Everything was blurred for the boy, but he felt something warm trickling down his head.

More screams, the slamming of a car door, several sets of footsteps. The zorua's mind cleared slowly and he untangled himself from whatever had pounced him to try and find out what had happened. He turned to find out first what had leapt on him.

There, laying on the ground in a slowly widening pool of blood was the ragged form of his friend. The blood seemed to be seeping from a large gash on the back of the glaceon's head as people crowded around the two. There was a woman on her phone, calling for an ambulance as people tried to stem the flow of blood from the glaceon.

Slowly, bit by bit it all began to click into place as the ambulance pulled up at the side of the road and the paramedics rushed towards the crowd.

He had walked out into the road, into the path of an oncoming car. The glaceon, seeing the danger had hurled himself at the boy, shielding the zorua's body with his own.

He still remembers what the doctors said to him when the two were rushed to hospital.

"You're very lucky to have only come out of this with a few broken bones. I'm sad to say though, your friends condition is not looking as good..."

He voiced his worry, scared out of his wits.

"I-is he... Gonna make it...?" There was no response, only a soft frown.

The zorua shook his head, slowly padding his way over to the bedside. He gently lifted the glaceons paw and rested it on his cheek, seeking comfort in the older boys touch.

None was to be found in the unresponsive paw of the glaceon. The steady beep filled the room as rain clattered on the windows. This is how the zorua had spent every day for the past four weeks. And this was how he would spend every day to come until his friend awoke. Or was confirmed to never wake again.

The zorua sincerely hoped it would be the first option.

He sat there for hours, simply holding the glaceon's paw to his own cheek. And as usual, the audino quietly entered the room and stood beside him.

"Visiting hours are over now... Come on, I'll take you home today. The storms only going to get worse." There was no response, the zorua didn't want to move and the audino knew that. She sat down beside him and smiled sadly.

"I wondered where you were getting the desire to keep coming here from... Everyone else stopped a long time ago. They've already given up on him, but not you... You kept coming. And you'll keep on coming, won't you?"

Silence.

"I know why though. Cause I've seen it before so many times, and it always hurts me to watch. It's because you love him, don't you?" The zorua remained silent, and then sniffled slightly. That sniffle erupted into tears as he pounced into the audino's lap, crying heavily.

"I-IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" The younger boy's strength vanished as the nurse broke down his barriers. "I-I loved him... F-for so long, I loved him... He wasn't l-like everyone else! He didn't t-think of me as some baby for having fears! He helped me fight them, he treat me like family! A-and I-I killed him..." The zorua whimpered softly, wiping his eyes. "H-he's gonna die... All because of me, and my stupidity! He's gonna die, and it's all my fault!"

The audino hummed softly, trying to soothe the young boy as she cradled him. "Shhh..." She cooed softly. "There's no guarantee he'll die. He's been strong enough to fight, to hold on to life this long. That impact shattered his spine, he'd be paralysed from the waist down if he did make it. He's in pain, but he's fighting. Fighting to stay alive no matter the odds. He must have a very strong will to come back to someone. To live for someone, right?"

The zorua looked up at the audino, tilting his head slightly. "W-what do you mean...?"

The audino just smiled. "Not everyone would throw themselves in the path of a moving car to protect someone else. Friendships only run so deep. No... To have desired to protect you so much, there has to be something more to it, don't you agree?"

The zorua slowly turned to the boy once more, blinking slightly as he remembered what the glaceon had said just moments before.

"Huh... I suppose you're right. Sometimes, it's better to act then to regret."

With a soft blush, the zorua crept up to the sleeping glaceon and pressed his lips softly the the older boys. He remained this way for a few seconds before pulling back and whispering to the comatose boy. "I love you... I'll wait as long as it takes... I want to see you smile again..."

The zorua didn't notice, but the audino did as she escorted the zorua out of the room. The heart monitor had shown an increase in activity to the kiss. And the glaceon's brainwaves had flared up at the younger boys confession. The audino smiled. He wasn't going to die knowing he had someone who loved him waiting for him. After all, he'd survived four weeks on just his feelings. Now, he knew they were felt by the other side too.