Chapter 1

She stared at the star-filled sky with a slight sense of agony. It had been 3 whole years, 3 years since they parted ways, 3 whole years since she saw him. And she wondered why she cared. She was over him, and was now with a new travel partner, one that understood her silence, and did not question it.

She glanced at the purple haired boy next to her. His eyes were closed, but he was obviously thinking about training techniques. A smile tugged at her lips. Paul Shinji was an emotionless bastard to everyone except her. She had known him the longest. She had taken the time and effort to become his best friend.

And after the whole….incident, he had been the one to pick her up and pick up the pieces of her heart. Paul Shinji had come into her life again, to save her from a life of pain. And she was forever indebted to him for that. He would say she saved him long ago, and he was repaying a favour, but it didn't matter. She knew she'd always hurt, but being with Paul, who understood her need to lapse into silence.

The only thing he didn't like was her sudden disappearances so she could cry. He insisted that if it was her, he didn't mind crying. In his eyes it was a weakness, she knew that. But for her, he set that aside. He knew she needed his shoulder to cry on, and she needed him for support… just like he needed her to keep him from becoming his father. They were a support system. And they knew it.

Paul opened his eyes. "You ok?" he said,quietly. She smiled softly.

"I will be…"

"You've been saying that for 3 years."

"I know. But I feel better when you're there…or when Ash is there."

Paul sighed. She knew he didn't like Ash, they were rivals and all. But he understood her connection with him. Her need to have someone who MADE her talk, who MADE her let it out. She needed that too. Paul was what she needed on a regular basis. Good doses of Paul, where she was allowed to mope, allowed to cry, allowed to hold it all in. But that wasn't too healthy. It made her feel better, yes, but she needed to release that. Ash helped her do that. Ash helped her feel like it was ok to whine, while Paul helped her feel like it was ok to still feel the pain, despite the amount of time she had had to heal.

"I suppose you want to meet them," he said, looking at the stars now. I nodded, knowing he saw my response.

"I'll see what I can do," he muttered, his hand moving so he could pull her into a side hug, even though they were lying down on the grass. She cuddled into him, feeling his warmth. Ash, Brock and Paul were real. Actually REAL. He was not. She should never forget that. The 'us' she thought was there, those many years ago, was merely a game for him. She was just another girl. Another girl in his line of fans. But that wasn't true. She had never been a fan. She had always though she was a friend.

How wrong she had been. So naïve, so innocent. She took his rude behavior, thinking that it was merely a façade, hiding the soft centre he had. She took the pain with a pinch of salt. She adored him. He was the person who made her feel like a normal person. She told him everything, but she never realized how he truly felt. He hated her. She could never forget that. Ever.

But Paul…and Ash…even Brock, these men in her life were her only strands to sanity. The only things keeping her going. The only people ensuring she achieved her dream. If not for them, she would have given up on her dream to be the best pokemon researcher long ago. But they encouraged it, where he merely said that she was no competition for him. They held out their hands, waiting for her to catch up to them, no matter what the cost. They were the glue that held her together.

She sighed into Paul's sweater. They were her source of strength. Their belief in her made her believe she could do it. Without them, she truly was nothing.

"Sleep." She chuckled. Paul definitely had a way with words. It was what had brought them together.

"Paul?"

"Yeah?" he mumbled, sleepily.

"Thanks for being there. Love you."

"Love you too, Tempe," he muttered, and she drifted into dream land, while the man holding her stared up at the stars once again.

He would get that boy, if it was the last thing he did. The man who hurt his Temperance like he did, made her the silent, broken girl she was today. He would punish him, make him suffer. Because the moment he found him, Gary Oak was as good as dead.

-x-x-x-x-x

Ok, so I wanted to portray a different side of Paul. Come on, he can't always be cold and indifferent. So my Paul is sweet, caring and loving…. He's basically a closet sap. Smirk. How was it? Paul's protectiveness was cute, ne? And just wait when you see Ash and Brock. They're awesome!

Gary won't appear for some time, so pls be patient with me.

Toodles!