Chapter 1

Pearl loved Dia.

But Dia loved another. The sweet-eyed, dark-haired heiress who had stolen Dia from him five years ago. Platinum Berlitz, the only who could draw out that tender smile on his face. The smile Pearl loved.

Ever since the two of them started dating, Pearls' world had turned bleak. Life no longer had a spark for him. The double act comedies and his zeal to be a comedian left dead and forgotten. His heart grew heavy and burdened. Waching Dia plant those loving kisses on Platinum's lips, gently stroking her hair as she fell asleep on his lap, was unbearable. Because ever since the day she appeared, Dia had ceased to be his.

Perhaps Dia had never been his.

Dia didn't desire men. Pearl knew that. Dia had always been straight; straight as a stick. The little crush he'd had on Platinum had always been all too apparent, even in the eyes of a casual onlooker. So, naturally, Pearl had been aware of it all along.

He still remembered that fateful day five years ago, when his best friend had approached him and confessed his love for Platinum. Shattered his heart into a thousand fragments. Broken beyond repair.

"Pearl...I think I'm in love with Missy," Dia confessed, his cheeks blushing ever so slightly. "I've never felt anything for any one like this before. I don't know what to do."

It had been a swelteringly hot day, and both boys had long tossed their mufflers away on the floor as they sat together on Dia's kitchen countertop. The black-haired boy had been trying to teach his friend to bake, but with little success. Both sat topless on the countertop, caked with flour and sweat, but they were fine with exposed skin. Or at least one was. The other was a little more flustered at seeing his friend's bare chest.

Pearl had fought back a sudden lump that had risen in his throat. The smile on his face was forced.

"Well buddy, I say you go for it. If she's really the one for you, you shouldn't let her get away, huh?" Pearl responded cheerfully, clapping his friend on the back.

It would have taken a careful observer to notice the slight quiver in his voice, the carefully hidden terror in his eyes. The way his fingers had clenched tightly as the rest of him was thrown into turmoil.

Dia smiled that slow, sweet smile of his, utterly oblivious to his friend's feelings. "You really think so?"

Pearl took a quick look into the eyes of his beloved. Even in that brief, fleeting moment, he knew that he was going to lose everything he'd ever cared about. Dia's scent, his touch, his laughter, his cute little smile...would all soon be reserved for another. Never to be his again.

Pearl loved Dia. He probably always would.

And that's why he had to let him go.

"Of course I do," Pearl replied, giving his best friend a big, reassuring smile. He hoped that Dia wouldn't notice the tears brimming in the corners of his eyes. "And you know what, I'm gonna help you win her heart. You and me working together, we'll get her for sure."

You and me.

Diamond and Pearl.

And Platinum.

After Dia's admission of love, the two had spent much time together devising numerous plans to win Platinum over. Gone were the days of double act practices and baking lessons. Pearl now spent most of his time pouring over teenage magazines, relationship forums and internet gurus with Dia, hunting down effective methods for Dia to get closer to their long-haired friend. Double acts were replaced with pickup line practices and baking lessons replaced with making chocolates for Platinum. Each day chipped away a little of Pearl's soul.

And eventually, it broke completely.

.

.

Pearl sat in his living room together with Dia and Platinum. It was a Friday night, which always meant movie night to them. This time, it was Platinum's turn to sponsor their snacks. No one had been surprised when she arrived with with exotic ingredients flown in from France and a five-star chef who could make virtually anything. Pearl wondered briefly if money had been what drew Dia to Platinum, but quickly dismissed the notion. Dia wasn't materialistic.

Pearl tried to get comfortable in his armchair as he nibbled away at his pancreas stew(apparently that's what the chef was famous for). As the movie unfolded and the all-too-cliché romance plotline became painfully predictable, he was vaguely aware of the two cuddled up in the pink loveseat behind him. Just vaguely, though. Cheesy or not, the movie was currently the only thing keeping his mind off them.

The scene in the movie turned tense. In it, the star-crossed lovers were professing their undying love for one another to skeptics who told them they'd be a disaster together. That they were from dfferent backgrounds and heritage and they'd be far better suited with other people. To his side, Pearl was aware of the two lovebirds shooting little knowing smiles to each other and whispering in each other's ear.

Pearl figured they could be considered star-crossed lovers, too. After all, none of Platinum's relations had approved of her dating a common boy when she was a lady of quality. Dia's family had been against him dating a rich heiress for fear that he'd turn materialistic and lose his roots. But throughout it all, they had defied the odds and had been together all these years: still totally, madly and perfectly in love.

Pearl was going to be sick.

"Guys, you finish the movie. I'm bored...I'm just gonna take a walk outside, okay?" He announced, getting up from his armchair.

"Okay. Come back when you're done, alight?" replied Dia absently without taking his eyes of the screen. One hand gently caressed Platina's shoulder as the two snuggled against each other, so obviously tied up in their little lover's world. Pearl gave a heavy sigh.

Five years ago, Dia would have guessed immediately that something was wrong.

It was freezing outside. Winter was soon approaching, and the air was frosty. The first traces of snow was lying in little heaps on the sidewalk, and more gathered everyday. Pearl shivered. It should have occured to him to bring a coat with him into the chilly weather, but his thoughts were preccupied. And he dreaded going back to retrieve one, breaking his friends' little lover complex. Oh well. A little cold wouldn't kill him, anyway.

Pearl trudged on, stuffing his hands into his pockets for extra warmth. Maybe cold was just what he needed to snap him out of his bad mood. He didn't like feeling jealous of Platinum, one of his closest friends, for having something he couldn't have. The three of them had been through a lot together, and they'd always braved it out as a trio. Gym battles. Contests. Confronting team galactic. Defeating Dialga and Palkia.

And yet...

"It isn't fair," Pearl muttered to himself. "I knew Dia longer. We've always been together, ever since we were toddlers. Then a girl shows up and suddenly Dia isn't the guy I knew before."

It was selfish, but sometimes Pearl wished that they had never met Platinum.