AN: I used some quotes from the manga, so I hope you don't mind.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
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A Haughtyshipping One-shot
Author: wubbzy
Count: 1981
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Eight
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Every lie brought them closer to the truth
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"Little Miss! Please hear us out! We're not your bodyguards! When we first started our journey, it was a mutual misunderstanding. Little Miss, please believe us! We will protect little miss until we reach our destination! We swore from the bottom of our hearts! Dia and I, we'll sincerely protect you."
"But, the most shocking thing of all is… that truth. You two knew about it, but kept it from me. You two who I placed my trust in, were really just liars."
She cried that day. She ran away with tears, feeling nothing but betrayal from the people who were supposed to protect her. They deceived her, and she was lost without any real answers. Pearl told her that the pain he received was the punishment for the hurt he caused. He never felt his heart ache so much than when he saw tears trickle down her usually confident face. And he didn't like seeing her as vulnerable and defenseless as she was then. The worst part about it was he hadn't known how to make it better, knowing he and Dia were the cause of this turmoil.
"I called you two liars, but on the other hand, I am a liar too."
He felt far too guilty to even comprehend what she was talking about. No, Little Miss wasn't a liar. He and Dia were. Her lies were nothing but white ones or utterly absurd. His lie to Platina were far worse than any lie she told him.
He hated the fact that he could make her cry so much.
"At Jubilife Hotel I laughed but said I did not. That was a lie."
He had turned quickly in suspicion, wanting to catch her in the act. He already knew she had been giggling, but she didn't budge when he called her on it, insisting that she hadn't.
"You laughed, didn't you?"
"No I did not." Her face held absolutely no humor whatsoever and was in all seriousness.
It was kind of freaky how she could do that.
Pearl thought of the memory, wondering what it mattered anymore. It was not as if he hadn't already known, so it shouldn't have counted.
It only made him feel worse.
"In the Oreburn mines, I practiced mining but said I did not. That was a lie too."
Platinum had been defiant then, and decided she was going to experience things on her own. Afterwards, she was surprised when they finally found her. Pearl grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.
"What do you think you're doing? It's dangerous going in there!" He scolded her as if he was her father. Although she disliked this treatment, she couldn't help but notice the melancholy frown when he mentioned how she could have gotten herself killed. She had dismissed the thought, knowing her bodyguards took their job seriously in protecting her.
She smiled, feeling that the look in his eyes told her no harm would ever be done to her.
Her bodyguards would protect her no matter what.
"During the Contest at Hearthome, I had no backbone, and said that I wanted to quit because someone was prejudice against me. That was a white lie."
Even if she didn't, he couldn't help but notice her features. She didn't hold any real signs of nervousness when she got there, she just whined a lot in his opinion. She seemed serious and confident.
It would have been a shame to see her quit, when in battles she didn't give up at all. That was how he knew her (besides being haughty towards him), so he was kind of ticked off when she said she would quit.
He had turned his head towards her when she was heading towards the stage, her beautiful gown flourished. Pearl stared in awe.
She was gorgeous.
"At Mr. Backlot's pokemon mansion, I went in to check if it's a hotel, but said I did not. That was surely a lie."
She felt the worst knowing she had done something without their permission, but she wouldn't dare tell either of her bodyguards. And she knew it was only for her safety, which was why she felt so much like a coward for not telling him the truth earlier.
She would have had to see the hurt look in his eyes if she did.
She had come to realize she disliked to see either of her bodyguards in pain.
"At the old chateau when I heard that joke about how you shouldn't eat the Gateau in the chateau, I laughed but said I did not. That was a lie."
He came to realize it was a bit humorous how she would deny something so obvious.
Even though he knew it was a blatant lie, he thought it was rather funny of her to still try to hide it from him. She could never hide her laugh from his ears.
He didn't tell her that though. Instead he held a bit of a scowl, dismissing it completely.
"In Veilstone City, when I lost my pokedex, I knew that I lost it at the game corner, but I hid that from you. That was unmistakably a lie."
Now, after thinking about it, he couldn't help but think of how all he cared about then was the safety of Little Miss. He was so scared when he realized someone took her. Then, he didn't care if she hadn't told him she lost her pokedex, but only cared if she was alright. Her bodyguards, her real bodyguards could do nothing to protect her anymore.
That was why he and Dia made the oath to protect her.
He realized he should have told her the truth then. Yet, he was scared. He was scared she'd leave them. He didn't want one of his friends to leave him.
They were all having way too much fun together.
"On the cycling road, I couldn't ride a bike but said I could. That was clearly a lie."
Platinum's grip stayed on the two bars as she heard his voice from behind her. She had gotten annoyed at Pearl for his cockiness. He acted as if he knew everything, when he clearly did not.
"I know how to ride a bike," she told him with a tinge of frustration in her voice.
"If you keep on falling then you don't," Pearl said, smirking a bit.
He'd usually say some sarcastic remark, getting her angry; she couldn't have seen it then. When she thought about it now, she realized he was always helping her succeed, whether it was helping her train or help her get on that bike once more.
She couldn't recall when he started being so helpful.
All he knew was how fast his heart was beating at the sight of her almost falling towards her doom on that bicycle. He was so scared she was going to get hurt, he couldn't stand it, knowing he had to do anything to save her.
All he could remember was the feeling of relief rush through his being when she smiled and said she was fine.
He liked the fact he could still see her smiling face.
"I wish to still have your company in my journey."
His heart swelled, realizing it meant she forgave them. It meant she still wanted to be with them.
Although it wasn't a lie, it wasn't the whole truth either. She truly just wanted them to be there with her, since she knew no other way besides being surrounded by warmth and those two with her. She felt nothing but safety and security when with them.
"It embarrasses me to tell you the truth now. During these 25 days, I lied to you two far too many times. Sorry, I won't lie again. I will show my true feelings from now on.
To my two knights,
Platina Berlitz."
Platina's hands clenched as she hugged herself and looked out to the tranquil waters of Lake Verity. She couldn't smile just yet. She was mourning the fact that in a matter of days, they'd all have to separate. She didn't want to leave them again.
"So I heard you're going to the Battle Frontier." She was brought back out of her stupor by the confident voice in back of her. She gasped a bit, not expecting anyone up so early in the morning.
"Pearl," she thought. She gulped, nodding. He smiled.
"Well, Dia and I are being assigned a mission," he announced, making her smile in return.
"Yeah, we're going our separate ways again," she said. He nodded in response but didn't want to really relent to the actual possibility of their paths separating once again. "I said I wasn't going to lie anymore, so I'll just say it: I'm going to miss you." She seemed more embarrassed than anything. Never had she admitted to anyone but her father or Sebastian that she'd miss them. Never had she shared these feelings with anyone else. He was a bit taken back hearing her words. "I really had fun." After a moment to actually process what she said, he finally made her words an ear shot away as he brushed it off with a bit of a scowl and crossing his arms in a childish manner.
"Don't tell me you're going to start going all mushy on me now," he said, continuing to look away at her mildly amused expression. She stifled giggles because of how animated he was acting.
"Of course Pearl. Like I said, I'm just trying to remain honest," Platina explained, tugging at her skirt in nervousness. It never was necessary to explain to anyone her feelings. However, since they were her friends, she felt compelled to. Although she probably should have guessed by now that she didn't have to be honest about everything. In fact, most friends would usually not like to hear things they didn't need to know, but this, she felt she should tell him. This was something she felt he needed to hear from her, because she wanted to remind him how much he impacted her life. She could never imagine how things would have turned out if it really did go the way it was supposed to when they first met.
Eight times Platinum lied to Pearl, but she had never lied ever since then. Pearl however, couldn't stop lying, at least when it came to the matters of the heart.
"Don't say stuff like that now, Little Miss," he told her with a solemn face and a bit of a whimper at the end. "You're going to make me start thinking about it too." He really didn't want to think of them having to say their goodbye.
He had been fighting the urge to acknowledge that they truly were going to separate. How he wanted them to stay together forever, and urge her to stay with him. He was going to miss her sassiness and ignorance, yet intelligence that surprised him when it came to her battling and that bit of haughtiness she had with him that he had gotten accustomed to during the time they spent.
With Pearl, it was always the same problem. He just wasn't sure when he should present his emotions, always wanting to be seen as the strong and confident boy that could make anyone laugh with his humor. He never really liked showing sentient feelings, especially when it came to Platina.
It was never the right time and something things were just more important, yet…
"Pearl, please don't act so somber. I promise I'll return to you safely," Platina reassured. He was hiding behind pursed lips, but they twitched, almost bringing his expression into a satisfied smile. Platina noticed, feeling as if she knew Pearl all too well.
He wasn't going to admit to anything anytime soon.
Like always, she'd probably find out eventually anyways.
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A/N: I hope you enjoyed. Long time since I wrote a haughtyshipping fic. Please leave a review telling me what you think (I hope this will encourage people to write more Haughtyshipping fics, because I've been wanting to read more of these two together)!