A Rose for the Dead

by Korona Karyuudo

Two fated lovers have been eternally torn apart from one another. One of them goes through several hardships in order to realize that their tragedy has only helped to make them stronger.

Hey there everyone! I've been quite busy these couple of weeks due to my preparing for AP exams (which of course I hated) and this is something that I threw together yesterday. You see, 4 years ago yesterday, my father passed away. He was a jolly man and not too old, but he was in and out of hospitals for around 6 months, diagnosed with several different things. I really miss him a lot, and so I originally wrote this for him. Then I realized that what I wrote could also apply to a May and Drew saga/theme. So here we have it. Please enjoy the story and possible R&R?

Peace Out - Torrie =]

PS- Also, please check out A Waltz for the Moon this weekend for the newest chapter!

(Before we Begin...)

Story: A Rose for the Dead

Characters: May & Drew

Dedication: To my father, whom I miss dearly. You will forever be in my heart.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Pokémon. What I do own is this story though! =) But, if I DID own Pokemon, Drew would have appeared at the Wallace Cup in Sinnoh. Also, all of the flashbacks that you see in the story are in no way at all related to my father's passing and/or what I did after that. Those were all story plots I created. The original note I wrote for my father consists only of the (Thoughts) sections of the story below.

Side Note: Sorry for the wierd format. I was having issues with the website and the document uploader. For some reason when I uploaded the document to fanfiction, all my dividers and breaks disappeared. So, I apologize if the format itself seems a bit hard to comprehend. =(

Interpretation Key:

Thinking

Flashbacks

Present

(A Rose for the Dead)

Love pierces my heart like an ice dagger, freezing it over, consuming it; a black hole of a feeling. And thus, it is safe to say, I have fallen into a frozen hell, as a shadowed human icicle. As each day passes, I keep falling further down that despairing hole. The darkness of the abyss consumes everything; my body, sight, and peace of mind. And the chances of someone being able to get me out once I hit rock bottom are about 0 to none.

(Flashback 1)

"No Drew!" May screamed as she saw Drew fall after being hit directly by the Salamence's Hyper Beam. He was trying to protect her from Archie and Maxie, who had tried advancing on her in order to gain leverage on Ash.

Quickly she ran forward to catch him, his body ricocheting through the air from the force of the blast. She didn't make it in time, for he slammed into the wall of the cave so hard that you could hear his bones crunch from the impact. With tears streaming down her face, May approached him, all the while screaming his name out in agony. His eyes fluttered open and stared back into hers, their once electric green color become duller by the second.

Drew parted his lips slightly and began to speak, "May, I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to do more for you... I never had the courage to tell you.. but it might be too late now..I..I wasted too much time..but now i can.. finally let you know," here he took a raspy breath, coughing slightly before continuing, "Those roses were.. never for your Beautifly May... but for you.. May... I love you."

May gasped with each word that left his lips. She was filled with joy knowing that he loved her, but stricken with pain as she watched him suffer. With the last of his strength, Drew managed to present one last rose to his beloved. He took her hands in both of his and pushed the gift towards her, saying, "Finally May.. finally.. this one's for you.."

All of a sudden, his strength gave out and his eyes fluttered closed, never to open again. May, consumed with agony, burst into hysterics.

"Drew! Don't kid with me Drew! You can't leave. Don't leave me here alone. Drew, come back! Open your eyes and look at me god dammit!" May yelled out in pure shambles. She even resorted to shaking Drew's limp body to try and get him to wake up, before finally losing the rest of her strength. Refusing to accept the fact that he was dead, May gathered all of her lost thoughts and thrust her lips on his. She would get that kiss that she had been waiting for, no matter what. But, what she found shocked her to no end. He was already getting cold, only some of his heat lingering. Gently, she caressed his lips with hers, and softly touched his cheek, before finally letting go.

He was gone, and he would never come back to her. May, her crying finally subdued, clutched to the front of his shirt, the rose he gave her tossed aside on the ground next to his body.

"Drew," she whimpered, "You baka. I love you too."

There May and Drew lay, two fated lovebirds now eternally torn apart. From under his body a pool of blood formed, in which they had bathed, unknowingly, together. And the rose, tossed aside by the distraught May, was now covered in the crimson drops of his blood, turning its petals an even darker shade of red. This rose bound them together, yet also signified her sins.

(Thoughts Continued)

But those chances changed. Slowly but surely I rebuilt myself, gluing back all the pieces that were once shattered. My heart still remains fragile and yet I keep strong. Now I find myself laughing, smiling, and appreciating life once again. No one to thank for this but me, myself, I, and the occasional friend. But now, one thing changes. I no longer trust so freely, guarding my precious feelings like a pirate would their hoard.

Everyday I put on facades; shutting out all those who try to get too close. I put up false pretenses in order to protect myself, but sometimes those occasional few get through, the rest not noticing a thing. The real me is locked away and the one everyone sees is nothing but a doppelganger. I'm merely a simple porcelain doll; so pretty you want to play with yet so delicate that you could break any second.

(Flashback 2)

"She's been like that ever since HE died protecting her. I mean come on Dawn, you know that she's faking it. A smile like that can't be natural. Still, we aren't allowed to confront her," Misty said to Dawn.

It had been not 2 months ago that May was released from the hospital after being treated for the trauma of losing Drew. At first she refused to speak to anyone, but she gradually opened up again due to the coaxing she received from her friends and family. Because of that situation, she wasn't even allowed to be at his funeral, let alone have his name be mentioned in her presence. Yet, in the course of 2 months, it seemed like she had gotten her merry self back together again and thus she had begun to re-enter contests. Although this was the front she put out to the public, those close to her saw right through. They didn't say anything about her fake smiles and empty laughs for fear of having her state of mind crumble once again.

But, this time, May took things too far. Just last week Ash, who had been checking up on her because of Misty's request, found her huddled in the corner of her closet chanting some strange incantation over and over again, to the extent where he had to slap her in order to gain her attention.

Dawn suddenly replied, "Misty, you know as well as I do that she's trying to be strong, which is good for her, but she's starting to lose it again. I can't stand it! I'm going over to her right now to set her straight."

"Wait Dawn! Don't be rash-" Dawn slammed down the exit button on the video phone and ended her conversation with Misty. She quickly ran around her house to find a pair of shoes and a coat to wear and made her way out the door.

Her feet slammed down on the pavement with each step, the sound barely heard above the hum of cars and passersby. Running down the sidewalk, she finally made it to the hotel that May was staying at. It was unfortunate that the elevators were down for maintenance, so she ran all the way up to May's room. Dawn, having the spare key card, didn't bother to knock, taking it upon herself to enter May's room.

"May!" Dawn called out, but was left with no answer, "May? Where are you!"

Dawn, in a frenzy to find May, travelled through each of the rooms, finally ending up in the kitchen. What she saw made her body tremble and her blood boil.

There, standing above the kitchen sink, was May. Her eyes were glazed over, and in her left hand, poised precariously above her right wrist, was a knife, gleaming in the fluorescent lighting. Dawn ran forward and yanked the knife out of her hand, shocking May back into existence. With a feral growl turned her way, May looked wild and untamed in Dawn's eyes. This had gone on long enough.

"Give it back Dawn!" May screamed out, "Give it here! I need the pain. It's my way of paying Drew back for saving me. I.. I hurt him! I KILLED HIM DAWN! I SHOULD JUST DIE!"

Dawn, enveloped by outrage, yelled right back at her, "You think this is funny May? Drew would NEVER want you to hurt yourself. He risked his LIFE to save you, and here you are trying to hurt that second chance he gave you? Stop it May! It's ok to cry. STOP TRYING TO BE SO STRONG WHEN YOU AREN'T!"

May's eyes widened in surprise once Dawn's words hit her, and boy, did they hit hard. She lost hold of her footing, stumbling into Dawn's embrace. Her sobbing became crying, which also became gasping, and eventually quieted down.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Drew. I didn't mean it. Drew.." May whispered, before succumbing into the darkness known as sleep.

Dawn sighed. This eye opening experience was only the first step to May's full recovery.

(Thoughts Continued)

And with each person that manages to break through my masks and too the inner me, a part of my wall gets cracked or crumbles. Everyone says things about me that they don't know to be true; no one confronts me head on, yet they all spread rumors. Scientists say that the human race is superior, but in reality, it is terrifying.

(Flashback 3)

"It has been confirmed that the Hoenn League Champion Brendan Birch, son of the renowned Professor Birch of the Hoenn Branch, has proposed to long time best friend and Top Coordinator May Maple, daughter of Petalburg City's gym leader Norman Maple. He was seen 2 days ago getting down on one knee and offering her a beautiful ring that may have cost a fortune. May's response has yet to be confirmed, but please stay tuned with us to be updated about their wedding plans. On another note, it seems that May has forgotten about her long time rival Drew Hayden, whose death startled the hearts of several family, friends, and fans around the world. What a shame it is! This is Gaby and her trusted cameraman Ty! See you next time!"

Annoyed, May threw the television remote across the room after turning it off. What they said there had been just a rumor. Sure, he got on one knee and gave her a ring, but he didn't propose. Actually, the ring was one that Drew had given Brendan to hold onto for him until it was May's 18th birthday, which happened to be just 2 days ago. Now people all over the world know about what really could be classified as an accident.

"I'm really sorry about that May. You know I didn't mean to cause you trouble. It's just that I had to give it to you then, before I left for the next region and forgot." May heard Brendan say from the other line of the Pokenavi.

"Don't worry about it Brendan, I know that you didn't mean any harm. I'll fix up this mess somehow. Until then, talk to you later," she replied before pressing the end call button and sliding her phone onto the table.

This event really turned out to be unfortunate. All who were close to her knew that she only had room for Drew in her heart and would not be able to move on no matter how much she tried. What happened that day had good intentions, but caused her a deal of trouble.

"Well, only one way to fix this," May grumbled before once again picking up the phone and dialing a number. After wringing 3 times, the person on the other end picked up.

"Hello, Goldenrod City Television Station. How may I help you?" the receptionist told May.

Taking a deep breath, May began to speak, "Hello there. My name is May Maple and I'd like to schedule an interview for Friday with Gabby and Ty.... Hold?.. Sure, no problem; I'll wait.. -"

(Thoughts Continued)

Sometimes I wish I could just die, so that I can meet you up in heaven. But, I know you would not want that. So, I live on, for your sake, for the sake of those who couldn't, for my sake. I still cherish that rose you left me as a sign, it's pressed in a book so that it won't shrivel and die, just as I have seen you do. Your ring never leaves my finger, the closest thing I have that connects me to you. Through all the turmoil, I've grown. And I realized in time, that what has happened has only made me stronger. I can face the world head on and have a chance of actually winning. It's all thanks to you, my Guardian Angel.

(Present Happenings)

Today was a very chilly day to be visiting the grave yard. A young woman crouched over one of the headstones, her hand running over the writing that had already started to wear away. It was the anniversary of her beloved's death, and she was here to pay her respects. He had died quite the while ago.

Gently, the woman placed a single crimson rose under the grave's headstone. The wind suddenly picked up, whipping her flowing auburn colored hair back and forth. It seemed that the spirit of whoever inhibited the grave was showing their gratitude. As she raised her head to look at the sky, her sparkling, sapphire colored eyes became visible.

The young woman rose to her feet and turned away from the grave. With the cold wind still blowing away, she faintly felt a warm wisp of air brush against her cheek, almost as if a hand were cupping it and to which the woman leaned into.

After gathering her wits together, she walked away from her beloved's resting place with only one glance backwards. With each step she took, her feet felt like lead, and a single tear fell from her eyes, glistening like crystal in the sun.

(Thoughts Conclusion)

O5O4O6
The day I lost you.

Rest in Peace.
We will reunite someday, so please wait until then.

I love you so very much.
You will never be forgotten, and will always stay in my heart.

Drew.