Story Note: Grantedshipping (Lance/Yellow) - Don't like, don't read. Rated K+. This chapter is lightly inspired from the song Down on My Head by Yellowcard.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

Gone Forever
Act 1, Scene 1: Down on My Head
by. xxBurningxx

She walks through the forest where numerous trees loom over her and grip her in a warm and friendly embrace; she basks in the vegetation's warm gaze, as sunlight streams through little cracks and openings in the upper canopy of leaves. Yellow has never, not even once, found herself uncomfortable nestled in the thriving and lively caress of the forest. Sometimes not even her closest friends understand her emotions, but the trees are always willing to listen to her worries; they make for the greatest company, if anything.

The path that she takes to get to the river is the longest one, as well as the only route that no one but herself is aware of. And yet, the earth along this stretch of land is padded down flat, the grass and dirt permanently embedded deeper in the ground from years of other feet walking over it, and sometimes she wonders how two people managed to carve such an obvious yet secret road.

When she reaches her destination, the sun's rays beam down on her, washing over her skin. Yellow would stand in this position for the rest of her life if she could; if the opportunity were in her grasps, she would stay frozen in everlasting warmth, soaking in the forest's acceptance and beauty. And then reality lurks in the back of her thoughts, as it always does, reminding her that she has a life. That she really does have friends, and that on a second thought, she could never leave them behind even if she tried.

…Dread soaks up her thoughts; she really should be getting back to the city now.

Chuchu runs up to her and takes a seat in her lap, and Yellow can sense the cheery buzz reflecting off her thoughts. Just being in the forest makes the Pokemon happier, and Yellow can't disagree with her, and so she wipes off the previous gloomy atmosphere. Viridian radiates a clean and refreshing aura that can drag her, or anyone else for that matter, from the murkiest of moods.

And then there's the fact that Yellow never goes to wander the forest without the faintest hope that maybe, just maybe, he'll visit her. That perhaps she'd be able to catch a glimpse of his cloak, or a whisper of his voice. It sends a ripple of sadness through her chest when she thinks about how over time, these tiny details seem to run and escape her mind, leaving her to ponder whether or not her memory of him is correct.

Her heart aches even further when her fiancée crosses her mind

Red.

He's probably wondering where she is.

She attempted to love him; she put her greatest effort forth to be a good girlfriend, and yet no matter how hard she tried, she, simply put, could not. She can't remember when it clicked; when she realized that as long as she continued her visits to Viridian Forest, her heart would never be free. And of all the emotions that Yellow felt, it was something close to guilt, with maybe a pinch of pity too.

Guilt because she took having such a caring and kind partner for granted. She can even see it in her head, like a scene taken straight from a cinematic movie; her life with Red could be fantastic, and what they shared could have led to an amazing future. She felt guilty because she was robbing Red of these things, and she pitied him because he got stuck with her in the first place.

The wind whistled, rushing by and ruffling her hair. She perks her ears up, straining to catch a hint of what she so badly wants to hear, but in a moment the gust has passed without a trace of his voice. She sighs in frustration and aimlessly kicks her feet about. For the rest of the day she lazily strolls around without reason, merely enjoying the soft spring weather, her ears remaining alert during each breeze of wind carried out through the trees.

Chuchu watches her sadly with skeptic eyes, just as she does every time Yellow walks here. She is aware that her beloved Pikachu knows what she's up to; what she's been seeking for far too long. And she would offer an explanation, if only she could discover one that existed. And it isn't just her Pokemon that have noticed the difference in her actions.

Sometimes the forest itself murmurs little nothings spoken via nature, as if it knows something is off. It warily greets its visitors, and after the years, Yellow has noted that the tone says something like, "Don't bother; give up."

She can't even define what this is herself. It feels like a secret the forest is keeping from her and she yearns to know what it is; she can't find an answer.

It's been almost seven years since that fateful battle on Cerise Island, and yet she can still remember it as if it were yesterday…He had been so dead-set on killing her…Every now and then she wonders if that really was his true intention. She had seen the pain in his eyes, the eroded leftovers of a beaten down soul.

Her thoughts race in an endless stream.

Yellow wonders if perha—her thoughts are cut off by yet another sudden sweeping gust of wind. It rattles her to her core, and she can't place a finger on why a shiver runs down the length of her spine, leading to an array of goose-bumps forming on her arms.

"Why did you go?"

Yellow jumps, startled, and then spins on her heels. She glances in every direction around her, but to no avail; she's greeted with nothing except for more breezes and the low rushing water of the river. She pushes those aimless noises out and to the bottom of her consciousness. She would recognize that voice anywhere and anytime, even if she hadn't heard it for years. Frozen in her steps, she waits, listens with an intense focus. She's afraid that if she moves even an inch or muscle, she'll lose this rare moment.

Her heart is pounding so loud she can hear it thumping in her ears, and adrenaline rushes through her veins.

"I know you're here…I can…Feel it."
Barely a whisper.

Yellow whips around, pinpointing the source of his voice. Suddenly he's there, right in plain and painfully visible sight, sitting on the rock she had been on only minutes ago. He looks the same as when she last remembered seeing him; same black cloak, red hair…Those same golden eyes…The only thing missing was his signature smirk; now, an expression that features a mixture of confusion and emptiness replaces the old cocky aura.

He's staring at her.

"L-lance?" she stutters, her breath catching in her throat. She takes a step towards him, restraining the urge to run to him eagerly and embrace him.

"You're so close…I don't understand, dammit," he growls, racking his head in frustration. His gaze is lingering right on her, and yet he doesn't seem to notice that she's standing in front of him. Yellow, apparently, hasn't caught on yet.

"Lance! What are you doing here? Lance?" she asks, taking another step closer, and then another.

And yet, he still doesn't respond to her and only stands up with a sigh.

She approaches him and extends her arm out to touch him, and just as her hand is about to reach him, she trips and her feet. The next following moments play in slow motion.

Instead of being greeted with his physical body, she simply slips through him, landing on the rock with a dumbfounded expression. Lance goes rigid at the exact moment she passes through him, and after a moment's hesitation, he looks behind him, directly at her once again, staring directly into her eyes. She doesn't know what's going on, but she stares back right into his eyes, desperation gripping at her entire being.

He looks at the rock almost as if in a trance for a long time. He obviously can't see her, and her mind is in a fixed state of panic but no matter how hard she tries, she can't move. It's a while before he turns around again, and in that moment, something inside of her snaps.

"Lance!" she yelps, jumping up from the rock. He doesn't hear her. "Lance, why can't you see me? What's going on? Lance!"

He keeps walking.

"Lance! Lance!" she screams, terror's cold hand gripping her heart. "LANCE!"

He hesitates; freezes in his tracks. He takes a glance over his shoulder and mumbles something. "…Yellow…"

A painful molecule of hope pinches her soul, but then he shakes his head and walks off.

She watches in silence as he departs, and a dark, numb feeling of emptiness settles over her head. Yellow has not even the slightest clue as to what is going on. And so she leans back without aim, slowly plopping down on the rock that's so close to the river, the nature sounds filling her ears…

…and after a few moments, she can feel tears running down her cheeks.

A/N: Hi~ I've decided that it's time for a Grantedshipping story, and not only that, a multi-chapter story. If you've read my stuff before, you'll know that I fail horrible with multi-chaps...But this one's only gonna be three - four chapters, so hopefully I'll get it done. I already have the next part of the story planned out in my head, but feel free to throw in any ideas.

Also: This may or may not get a happy ending. I'm not sure yet.

Anyways. Reviews are greatly appreciated and provide for inspiration.

Edit: I went through and edited this, since I caught tons of painful little typos. Hopefully it's better now!

Thank you for your time and reading, sincerly,

~Burning