Wind blew snow up from a barren valley, spraying Naira's face with a chill that went to the bone,

The day was coming to an end, the sun splaying its last rays over the snow-scape of half buried conifer trees and shrubs. The snow itself glittered like miniscule diamonds.

Naira loved the winter, the snow, and its ability to transform any landscape into a wonderland of beauty, but on this particular evening she was ridden with gloom and a nerve-racking realization…

Kione was driving her crazy.

Her heart thudded inside of her white furred chest like a Donophan trying to get out of a cage. She could run to the farthest ends of Sinnoh, but never escape these feelings that swirled about in her head like a whirlpool of the sweetest liquids. They made her dizzy and weak, but a thirst for more was what always remained. She could not, for the life of her, get him off of her mind.

Kione, the optimistic, bubbly Weavile was her best friend and had accompanied her on all of her outlandish adventures. They were a great duo, two peas in a pod. Not a moment was boring or at a loss for laughter.

When she had first met Kione, he was a bitty Sneasel that just came up to her chest fluff. She thought he was cute in a puny kind of way, but soon learned that his personality shined brighter then his looks ever would. He was a blast to be around, and that was all that mattered.

Until…

Kione evolved.

At first, Naira thought it was great. His new form seemed to fit his personality more so then his old one. Most importantly, she was happy that he was now happy with himself.

She had always loved his green eyes and bluish gray fur, but the changes that really got to her were subtle. His impressive Weavile head fan and neck tuft were a burnt yellow, but ever so slowly, a green tint worked its way onto the tips of his yellow feathers. They lit his eyes on fire, and the effect was breathtaking. Naira tried to ignored her buddies new looks and resumed acting like she always did around him.

When they both returned to the Frost Village, their clan of other snow dwelling pokemon, they were bushed and needed a rest from adventure. They both agreed to take a hiatus from traveling and settle in with their native people.

That was when it happened.

Naira went about her business, greeting her fellow Absol relatives and other pokemon friends. She even managed to make her own den at the base of an old conifer tree.

She did as she planned and settled in, enjoying the rest from frequent travel and finally being able to ponder the meaning of life next to a crackling fire.

All was well, and Naira could feel her mind beginning to shape into maturity. She was always miffed about her physical appearance, though: her odd burgundy markings between her claws hadn't grown away yet, and that weird gold tint on the tips of her claws, tail, and head spike still remained. She still looked like a curve-less child, in her opinion.

She noticed that she was becoming more and more aware of her appearance and of other pokemons as well.

One day she was making her way across the village in search of some kindling for her den's fire when she heard a bit of snickering in a patch of spruce trees a bit to her left. She immediately recognized that snicker: it was Kione! Her best buddy! Her heart leapt with joy. It had been a while since she had last seen him, and she thought it would be great to catch up with him.

Abandoning her search for kindling, she leapt into the thicket of spruces. She suddenly felt sneaky, and decided to drop into a stalking crouch to try and scare the crap out of him. She followed his faint voice to a clearing in the thicket and was about to pounce when she noticed a second, more feminine voice giggle and chortle.

Her giddiness left her instantly, and a morbid curiosity was left in its place. This shouldn't bother her, no not at all. It was natural for male pokemon to have other female friends…of course it was. She knew she should just turn around and stop meddling in her friends business, but her curiosity overpowered her common sense.

Who was he with, and why way out here…?

She lurked in the spruces that surrounded the small clearing until she could see through the needles and branches, but stay hidden.

Her assumption was correct: it was Kione, but this…this creature was different. More mature. His voice was deeper, but still had that hint of a child floating around in it. His eyes were as beautiful as ever. But his body…oh, the sight of it made her cheeks grow red and her mind swim.

Unlike that lanky Weavile she had known before, this one was well muscled. His arms were well toned and sinewy, and his abdominal muscles and chest seemed to shine like the snow he sat in.

She swallowed hastily, wondering why such feelings were flooding her mind. She just couldn't stop staring…he eyes gobbled the sight of him up, almost greedily.

Sitting next to Kione was a stunning Froslass. She had a sweet, melodious voice and curves that accentuated her feminine appeal. Naira's eyes flicked from the Froslass to were its hand was positioned- atop of Kione's.

At that instant, Naira turned from beat red to green. She could feel a poisonous jealousy seething in her chest. A growl almost escaped from her throat. A logical little voice in her mind kept screaming 'Kione is your friend, and you should be happy for his finding in a mate…or something around those lines. Why are you so jealous? Kione is your FRIEND…and it would never work…'

At that last thought, her pupils contracted and a cold sweat passed over her. Her tail drooped and her heartbeat slowed. Reality had finally hit her. She knew she had feelings for Kione, more then she first thought she ever would have. Plus, she was awfully jealous…and, worst of all…she knew he didn't, and never would have any kind of feelings towards her besides friendship. She was well aware of how she looked, and how Kione now looked. He was way out of her league. Not to mention that he was a biped and she was stuck on all four paws. Her village had strict rules about relationships with different pokemon species- 'As long as your mate can stand on the same legs, you are forsaken to love.' That meant, plain and simple: your mate had to at least look similar, or be of the same type. She knew that her and Kione shared a type, Dark, but the vast differences in looks would never fly.

The only thing she could be for Kione was a friend.

Tears welled in her eyes as she sullenly watched the two chatter, obviously interested in each other and oblivious to the heartbroken watcher.

Kione…oh, how she admired his compassionate personality, his beautiful eyes, and his vibrant looks. She had never seen a Weavile as colorful as him, or known one as nice.

With one last wistful glance towards the couple, she turned and slowly padded back through the spruces, all the while wondering why her heart was aching so badly and why the tears wouldn't stop falling.