AUTHOR'S Note: I do NOT own. This is an idea I had a while ago. The only thing I own is the plot and Arianna.

I found this old story that I had been working on when the Pokemon X and Y games came out and I thought that I might try to finish it. Please note that I will use my Pokémon-ships for this story and I made the starting age 16. This is also my first fic, and I won't update regularly, maybe once a month at least. There will be light touches of shounen-ai. If you don't like it, then don't read. This fic will also be PG-13 rated, with mentions of death, abuse, and gore, with a few fluffy scenes thrown in.

Pairings:
Original
Soulsilver
Ironwill
Ferriswheel
Calem x OC, slight Calem x Serena

Summery: Arianna is a Trainer on a jounery in search of a brother she didn't know she had as well as answers to a missing past. Kalos is her final destination as she comes closer to the answers she seeks. But along the way, shadows haunt her and her new friend, Calem, and secrets are uncovered on a three thousand year old tale. A group called Team Flare keeps poping up, and a mysterious man that crosses their paths one to many times. Can she figure out the mystery of her past or will the shadows swallow her whole?

Prologue: Beginnings

Does Fate dictate our actions? Do we control Fate?

In the small town of Pallet, several figures had gathered to watch a young trainer leave to walk out into the world, leaving behind her family and friends. Though this young one was three years younger than the starting age, she was high above even those six years her senior. None was more proud than her older brother. A man of few words and even fewer expressions, Red was a Pokémon Master that was barely out of his twenties. Raven black hair framed his bright crimson eyes under the brim of the red and white hat that he wore from the very beginning. His old outfit of a red and white button up with a black t-shirt underneath was replaced with a red hooded jacket with black sleeves and a steel grey turtle neck. The Master still wore jeans and sneakers, never one to really grow out of them. His counterpart was grinning from ear to ear as he hugged the young girl to death. Blue had really grown in the years since he had known him, spikey chocolate hair was still untamable though. As the years passed by, his once hardened eyes had taken on a much softer glow to them, making them take on a rich, Earth brown color. Gone was his jean jacket of a forest green, replaced with a lab coat and a navy blue V-neck, cargo pants had become wash-wore jeans, though he still kept the boots.

"Promise me that you'll stay in contact," The brunette looked down at the young female that he had helped raised for the past seven years. It felt like he was more of a parent than an adoptive brother, since he was the one who had to take her into town mostly when she outgrew her clothes or needed more books to read in order to keep up her studies. He wondered if his parents were still alive if they would have felt the same way that he was letting his little sister out into the world. "And make sure to make friends."

"I promise, Blue. And you keep an eye out on Red. He'll probably get lonesome without me there," a green-haired girl chuckled at the slight glare she was receiving from said man. That caused the Gym Leader to chuckle as well as he pulled the shorter male into a group hug. Crimson eyes went wide for a split second before he wrapped his arms around some of the few people that he would call family. "I'll miss you guys."

"If you see that stubborn jerk of a redhead, say high for me," A brunette woman joined in on the hug. She was the Kanto League Champion and a close friend of the trio, especially after the incident three years ago. Kotone had grown up to be a fine young woman and an even tougher Trainer. She still wore her hair in pigtails, but forgone the hat, instead a pale pink ribbon held her bangs out of her hazel eyes. Overalls had been traded for a long-sleeve pale blue shirt with a crocheted parka of a dark lavender with a long black skirt that was a little shorter on her left side with knee high boots that zipped up the sides.

"I can't make any promises, but I will try," the teen said once everyone had pulled apart. The three adults couldn't believe that it was happening so soon. Not too long ago, she was a kid, hiding behind Red most of the time. Now she stood before them neither as a child or a woman, but somewhere in the middle. Once she came back, it would be as a full grown adult.

"Know that we couldn't be anymore prouder of you than we are right now." Blue could feel tears welling up in his eyes as he watched his baby girl head out. Something warm grabbed his right, interlocking their fingers with his and squeezing gently. Looking down, he saw that the hand belonged to none other than his best friend and former rival, Red. The gesture wasn't lost on him. "We'll wait, together." The taller nodded as they all watched the young girl get on the back of her Charizard. Blue squeezed back, "Yeah."

Or is it something else? What sets things in motion?

Three years later…

The pitter-patter of rain matched the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the room as the only occupant stared out the nearest window to his bed. There was no light to see by, but one could make out the grey shadows of things strewn across the floor. Broken frames that had several cracks in the center. Paper and a number of writing utensils littered the area around the desk. Clothes were thrown everywhere with numerous textbooks and journals on top of them. The only clean place was on the bed but that was because its inhabitant had yet to move from the position he had landed in after a fit of anger and grief, on his stomach with his face towards the window.

Honey brown eyes, puffy and blood shot, watched as the rain poured down. The weather outside matched how he was feeling on the inside.

"Calem, your friends are here," his mother stood outside his door. He knew she wouldn't open the door, not after what happened when he threw the first fit and destroyed a glass he was holding. The boy didn't know where all the rage was coming from, it was never like that before…

"Go away," his reply was muffled by the door but he knew that she heard, because the sound of shuffling feet could be heard as she made her way back down to tell the others the same thing she had been telling them since it all happened.

"Sorry, kids. He still won't come out," Grace gave the three children sad smile as she delivered the same line since a month ago. Their faces fell, more on the young orange haired boy, Trevor. Those three looked up to her son as a sort of big brother when they first moved in, their neighbor's daughter acting like the big sister, as both became assistants to the professor.

"It's okay, Miss Grace. We understand." Shauna was the one who was the closest to the older girl, those two were thick as thieves. Strawberry blond and crystalline blue meshed with coco brown and olive green, healthy peach against sun kissed bronze, those two were different as they could come yet the best of friends, sisters in everything but blood. Trevor and the other boy, Tierno, looked up to her son just as much Shauna did Serena, Trevor more so. "We miss her to. But my mother said that Serena would want us to be happy."

"Would you kids like some hot chocolate? I just got a new blend from my nephew in Johto. I haven't tried it yet, but now seems like a good time." Three heads nodded as they followed her into the kitchen like little duckletts after their mother.

As Grace was fixing the warm beverage for the children, back in her son's room, he was fast asleep. Dreaming of a much happier time.

Calem was laying underneath the shade of a large oak tree as a small summer breeze floated by, making the vivid green leaves rustle. He was dressed in his favorite blue jacket, cargo pants the same color as the bark on the tree and red hiking boots. His red cap was on top of his black messenger bag. A soft smile touched his lips as he folded his hands behind his head.

"Sleeping the day away again, Cal?" A familiar female voice asked from above him. Opening honey-brown eyes, the raven looked up at the speaker. Crystalline blue, the color of the ocean when the sun shone directly on the calm surface looked back at him. Blonde hair fell loosely on to her shoulder as the girl leaned over him. In her favorite dress with a red skirt and back no-sleeve top, Serena looked prettier each day he saw her. Well, she once did.

"Go away, Serena. "

"No. You've spent too much time already mopping about," the blonde reached down to grab him by the elbow, pulling him into a sitting position. Her face was scrunched up from her efforts to make him sit up. "Life doesn't end because I left. No, it continues on." With one final tug, she had him up on his own two feet. Though they were about the same height, the raven seemed to tower over her by several inches. It went to show that much had changed since he had last seen his friend. As if to prove a point, she began pushing the boy out from the shade of the tree and into the bright afternoon sun. "Go, she's waiting for you. They all are."

Bright sunlight filtered in from the uncovered window. The rain had long since let up, allowing the last light of the afternoon sun be seen before night fell on the town. The last remnants of the dream came back to him as he pushed himself up to open his window. A yellow glow engulfed the town as the deep crimson of the setting sun created a vast array of red and oranges in the sky. Pastel pinks and purples painted the clouds. Flying Pokémon littered the sky in small flocks, making their way home for the night. Off in the distance, a rainbow was fading out, but it was still there, framing the sunset with what little strength it had left.

Leaning out, he could smell the faint scent of the lingering rain as a cool light wind ruffled his messy hair. Movement down below caught his eye. Shauna was talking with his mother while Trevor and Tierno smiled at the former racer. "They're waiting for me, uh?" Resting his head on folded arms, Calem watched as the four looked up to see him looking down on them. Several faces lit up, mostly from Tierno and Shauna, while Trevor waved at him. His mother, Grace, had tears in her eyes as she placed a hand over her mouth in surprise. "Guess I can't keep them waiting anymore."

It all comes back to Six Degrees of Separation.

Chapter End

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