Sapphire sat there, quietly fidgeting with one of the many pokédolls that had filled the secret base over the years. Looking around from her place on the couch, she found herself once again wondering just how she had come to allow the crimson eyed boy of her affections to decorate the place in such a manner. Normally, whenever Ruby tried to dress her up in one of his latest creations, usually in the form of a frilly or sparkly dress, or tried to redecorate her room at home, she hated it. Yet somehow, with all the stylish decor spread throughout the area, Sapphire felt it made the base look and feel more at home than it ever had before Ruby came, literally, falling back into her life all those years ago.
Six years ago… Sapphire would never forget that day. How she had spotted the frazzled young boy frantically running away from a wild pack of Mightyena, only to go flying off a cliff because of those ridiculous high tech shoes he'd been wearing. She could remember the sensation of adrenaline rushing through her veins as she swung to his rescue on the vines, knowing she had only one chance to catch the boy, as if it were only yesterday. "What if I'd have been too late, and unable to catch him..? Surely the fall alone would have.." Sapphire quickly shook her head, inwardly scowling at the thought. She never wanted to think of what may have happened to Ruby had she not reached him in time. Just the thought alone was enough to grasp her heart in an iron vice like grip, and cause her stomach to sink. Looking to the other side of the cave, Sapphire watched as Ruby gently brushed through the sleek and shiny fur of his own Mightyena, Nana, completely unaware of the inner musings of his companion.
He always got this way before a contest. While Sapphire still couldn't understand the boys obsession with contests when she had seen first hand how skilled and strong of a battler he was, she couldn't help but admire his determination, passion, and the spirit he had for these shows. She knew that, on some level, when Ruby was on stage presenting his pokémon to the crowds, he felt much the same way that she herself did while in the heat of a match, and it showed on his face and in his eyes. He always came so alive, and looked so free when participating in a contest, and though she would never admit it out loud to anyone but Ruby himself, she loved seeing him like that.
As she continued to watch as Ruby attentively groomed Nana's fur, Sapphire once again found herself thinking of that day, and how she had gone from saving the boy from harm to being attacked by him in this very cave. "I can't really go blamin' him for that, though" Sapphire thought with a smirk, "He was already scared from the Mightyena chasin' him. I can only imagine what I must've looked like covered in all them leaves after somethin' like that. I probably would've reacted the same way were I in that position." Suddenly she remembered how Ruby had tended to the wound she'd sustained to her back when she had shielded him from the Mightyena's sharp claws, and couldn't help but blush at the memory. Though she had been frazzled and embarrassed when she first woke up to discover that he had done such a thing while she was unconscious, not to mention taking her measurements, she had been eternally grateful to the young boy. She knew that, had Ruby not done what he had for her, she could have been in some serious trouble as the wound had been quite deep, and she still had the faint scars to prove it.
"Scars…" Sapphire couldn't help but allow her eyes to wander and linger at the signature hat on his head, or more so what she knew lay underneath, hidden from the world. She couldn't help the shudder that ran through her at the memory. "It's all because of me he has those scars.." Hugging the Torchic doll close to her, she could only watch as the memories of that day replay through her mind once again as they often did, feeling the guilt settle in. There had been quite a few what if's dealing with that particular incident which had been plaguing her mind quite frequently the past few weeks.
Soon enough, Ruby had finished attending to Nana, sending her off to lay down and relax. Knowing she had been watching him as always, Ruby looked over at Sapphire with a warm smile. He knew she found it fascinating to watch whenever he pampered his pokémon, although he wouldn't dare question her as to why. His smile fell, however, when Sapphire neither returned his smile, nor looked away with a flush of her cheeks as she normally would. He couldn't help the worry that began to fill him at this sight. The wild flower he knew so well and loved was rarely ever so quiet.
Indeed, Ruby knew his wild girl well, and he knew that whenever she simply just sat there staring into space, something big was on her mind, troubling the girl. He knew it couldn't have been the same old song and dance they had done for years regarding what transpired between them at Mirage Island. He had sat her down a year a half ago to properly address the issue with her, finally confessing that he had remembered everything since about a month after the final battle with Groudon and Kyogre. Of course she had been upset with him at first, but after she calmed down and he explained things from his point of view, she had understood why he did what he did. Of course she was still a bit upset with him for lying to her all these years, but she understood nonetheless. They had been together ever since, and had been extremely happy. This revelation only resulted in worrying the teenager further, as he wracked his brain trying to figure out what could be troubling his wild gem. There had been no real arguments between the pair in months, aside from their trademark banter, but that was never anything very serious. Deciding the best course of action was to just ask her what was wrong, Ruby set down Nana's hair brush and made his way over to his girlfriend.
Gently kneeling in front of the brunette, Ruby waiting for her to take notice of his presence. She seemed to be too deep in thought to realize Ruby had moved from his spot at the grooming station and was now right in front of her, so after five minutes of waiting, Ruby gently removed the Torchic doll from her grasp, setting it to the side and taking hold of her hands in his own. He knew from experience that when Sapphire was this deep in thought, it was best to gently prod her attention away from what was on her mind rather than trying to shake her out of it. "Sapphire, are you alright?" Ruby asked the girl in front of him, giving her hands a soft squeeze.
Registering the sudden contact, Sapphire shook her head and looked down to see Ruby looking up at her with concern in his deep red orbs that she loved so much. She could tell he took notice something was bothering her. Maybe they knew each other too well, or maybe it was simply because he was attentive and took notice to details; either way he always seemed able to tell with her. Once again Sapphire's eyes wandered to his forehead. Without a second thought, she slowly pushed Ruby's hat up and gently ran her thumb across the now exposed scars "I'm so sorry, Ruby…"
Ruby didn't need to be his normal attentive self to hear the underlying sadness and regret in Sapphire's voice as she spoke those four seemingly simple words, which in truth held so much meaning for the girl sitting before him. Understanding exactly why Sapphire was sad, he pulled his hat off completely and sat beside Sapphire on the couch. He couldn't help but notice of just how much things had changed between them physically. They had long since outgrown their small statures and matured; Ruby was now a good 5 inches taller than Sapphire, whereas she had been slightly taller than him for the longest time, nor was he the scrawny boy he had once been. He thanked Arceus many times that he had filled out nicely throughout puberty, gaining muscle he had always lacked as a young lad, and had luckily avoided the nasty acne stage all together. As for Sapphire, he had always found her to be beautiful, but as they grew older she continuously became more and more stunning with each passing day. She herself had filled out in her own way, gaining curves she lacked when they were kids. As much as he had teased her then about how "make up could do wonders for ones appearance", he was grateful she had never taken an interest in painting her face with a multitude of colours, or covering her skin with foundation to hide flaws she didn't have. She once had asked him why he never complained or never pushed her to use the stuff as he had when they were younger, to which he simply replied that you need not mess with perfection. He smiled as the memory of her bright blush at his comment filled his mind.
He could do without all the ungentlemanly looks she received while they were out, of course. His Sapphire wasn't a slab of meat for these barbaric men to drool over. She was so much more than that, and not a single one of them deserved her or her time.
Turning his attention back to the matter at hand, he softly grabbed Sapphire's chin and moved her downturned head so that she was looking at him rather than at her shoes. Ruby cupped her cheek in his hand and looked deep into her shining blue eyes. "Sapphire, we've discussed this before. What happened that day is not your fault, alright? No one could have known that Salamence had been lurking around the area. I know you blame yourself for what happened, but there was nothing either of us could have done. We were too small to out run it, and you had no pokémon of your own back then. I knew the risks before I attacked, but I'd be damned if I wasn't going to keep you from harm in any way that I could. I'd have never forgiven myself if you had gotten hurt when I had been able to prevent it."
Sapphire knew that Ruby meant every word he had said, and deep down she knew it was all true, but she still couldn't help but wonder how things could have turned out differently had she been stronger and not in need of protection. Sighing, she gently leaned into Ruby's hand, closing her eyes. "Ruby, do you ever wonder how things may have been different if you hadn't been hurt, or if the Salamence had never attacked in the first place..?" The boy in question smiled and kissed her forehead "Of course I do, Sapphire. I've run many scenarios in my head over the years of how things may have turned out different, but you know what? If I were given the chance to go back in time, and change what happened that day, I wouldn't take it. Sure I ended up with a nasty scar, but I wouldn't change a thing about what happened, because then we wouldn't be who we are today."
Ruby reached over and grabbed a picture frame off the table. He loved this frame very much, as the three pictures it held showed them at each stage in their lives together. On the left it showed them as little kids; Ruby with the bandage on his nose with dirt on his clothes, and Sapphire wearing a giant fluffy dress. The right showed them as they were after the fight with the weather trio; The hardheaded wild child who loved to battle, who had no problem running around in outfits made of nothing but leafs or grass, and the stubborn beyond belief coordinator who despised even the tiniest speck of dirt. The middle was his favourite, though. It showed them how they were now, with Sapphire not so opposed to her feminine side as she once had been, and Ruby not so uptight any longer or fearing battles. "You wouldn't be the strong, resilient, beautiful wild flower I care for and love so much, and I wouldn't be the gentleman that you deserve. I'm proud of who we've both become. It's as if now, we're a mix of both who were were as kids, and the stubborn teenagers we were when we found each other again. You have that gentle streak in you that I loved when we were children, but at the same time you are one of the strongest people I have ever met. I'm still that contest loving "sissy" who used to get in under your skin, who loves to enjoy the finer things in life, but at the same time I'm still that young boy who could battle with the best of them. The only difference is that I'm now able to control that strength better than when were were kids." Ruby handed the frame to Sapphire to emphasize his point. "At the end of the day, I'm thankful that the Salamence attacked and I received the scars. It's because of it that we've each become the best of both versions of ourselves, and I wouldn't trade that for anything."
Sapphire could feel the tears in her eyes that threatened to fall, but she couldn't bring herself to care at the moment. "I'd never thought of it like that before.. I guess you're right. I mean, everything happens for a reason, right..?" She looked up from the pictures to Ruby with a bright smile on her face. Ruby gently brushed the tears from her eyes with his thumb - he hated seeing his beautiful gem cry, but this time he knew they were happy tears. "Exactly, and I'd say that this; who we are and what we have now, is more than worth what happened. So no more sadness or guilt over the subject, alright?" The laugh that emitted from Sapphire as she nodded was more than enough to send the coordinators heart soaring. "Perfect! Now we should head off to Lilycove in the next few hours. We'll need plenty of beauty rest for the contests tomorrow, and of course I'll need you there to cheer me on my lucky little gem."
Sapphire just laughed and rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. She wasn't sure if she would ever completely forgive herself for being unable to help Ruby that day the Salamence had attacked, but thanks to Ruby's view on things, and knowing he doesn't blame her for what happened, she doubted it would be much of an issue from here on out.