Hi there! I'm new to this so please try to tell me things that I did not that well in this story. This is my first fanfic so don't be too harsh on me. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or Pokémon, nor the song. The song is from the anime Love Live!

Gold was good at hiding emotions.

No one truly has seen through the mask of happiness that he seems to carry wherever he goes. He would never show his true face to his friends, not when they needed someone to constantly keep them motivated. No, that was Gold's role in this puzzle of life, and no one should suffer for his sake.

It began when his father left him.

It was a nice summer day, a day where nothing seems to be able to go wrong. Gold was 5, still learning about everything around him, and happy with his family supporting him when he needed it. So, when the arguments began a few weeks before, he was confused. Why are Mama and Papa fighting again? Is something wrong? He thought. He left his room and headed to the living room only to see his father leaving, and his mother sobbing.

He ran to his mother's side, hoping she would cheer up, but seeing him only made her sadder. She screamed at him, telling him to return to his room. He was shocked. His mother, the one who seemed to care for him 24/7, just yelled at him. He teared up, and ran to his room, slamming the door behind him.

That was the last time Gold cried.

He knew that he had to be strong, for his mother. He knew that being the young and innocent Gold won't work anymore, and that he needed to be mature to support her. He constantly puts on a mask of happiness to cheer his mother up, bringing her attention far away from that man. After years of doing so, it stuck with him.

So, when Crys entered his life, he knew things were going to get bad.

"Gold, why won't you just leave me alone! Why do you always annoy me?! Don't you have anything else to do?! This is important work, something you will never understand! SO JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Gold knew that Crys hated when he annoyed her, but she didn't know each of her remarks slightly hurt him. He never saw her get this mad, and he knew that he did something wrong.

"Super Serious Gal, I'm-"

"GOLD! WHAT DID I JUST SAY?! LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON'T WANT YOU ANYWHERE NEAR ME!"

"Alright then."

He left, knowing that she hated him. She didn't want him close to her. She was busy.

Okay then, he won't go anywhere close.

Nowhere close at all.

Crys knew something was wrong after a week.

Gold stopped visiting, and she knew something was very wrong. Usually he would just get over it and try again the next day, maybe with some days off. He would never be gone for this long.

So, she went to find him.

Crys will never admit it, but she loved Gold. Everything about his personality to his looks, she loved it all. She just is afraid that Gold loves someone else, and that he won't accept her love. After all, he goes around flirting with almost every girl. So, she tries to push him away every time they meet.

This time, she went too far.

She went to Gold's house, only for his mother to say he hasn't been home. She asked around, only to turn up with negative results. She flew to Goldenrod City on Xatee, hoping to find Gold in the Game Corner, gambling his money away.

No luck.

After a week of searching, she began to lose hope. After all, it was her fault he left, so he probably didn't want to see her. She went to the last place she hasn't looked yet in Johto.

Mt. Silver.

Gold was alone, sitting in the cold at the peak of Mt. Silver. Explotaro was beside him, wanting to warm his partner up. Gold looked down the mountain, seeing the region he lovingly called home. The place where she probably was still working, not caring about the fact that he was gone. He sighed, sitting there with Explotaro beside him, and continued doing so, as he did for the past week.

He felt the cold slowly crawling up his back, the feeling of dread and despair closing in on him. He knew that he won't live much longer, and that Giratina will come to claim his soul in a short while. He was fine with that. He knew Crys hated him, his mother didn't want him near her, reminding her of the man she lost. He had nothing else.

Crys was closing in on the peak. If he wasn't here, then she knew that he wanted to be alone, far away from her or anyone else.

She walked up to find a boy sitting down, his skin deathly pale, staring blankly into the distance. His clothes were caked with a layer of white, with a billiard cue mostly covered on his right. On his left sat a Typhlosion, looking at his trainer with concerned eyes. Crystal's eyes lit up. She stared at him in shock, in the darkness of the cave she emerged from. The boy was singing a sad tune.

"Aa mujou…
Kono sekai wa kanashimi ni michiteru
Sore demo ii
Deaeta koto ga yorokobi nano… sou deshou?"

"Gold!" She yelled worriedly once she recovered, only to get tackled away by a growling Explotaro.

His eyes barely moved as he saw a figure running towards him at full speed. He then saw Explotaro knock the figure away. He sighed and whispered softly.

"Why are you here? Don't you have other things to do?" He said while waving Explotaro over towards him. The Volcano Pokémon rushed back to the side of Gold, while glaring at Crystal.

She got up and stared at him. "Where have you been?! Didn't you know I was worried for you?!" She said, tearing up a little. Then he said the one word which broke her heart.

"Why?"

Gold was confused. She looked for him? She told him to leave, so he left. So why was she worried?

"Why? Why?! Because you are my best friend! You might annoy me sometimes, but you are one of the people I live in this world for! You make me happy, even when no one else could! Because I – I love you…" Crystal said, weeping as she looked away from Gold.

Gold was shocked. Crystal loves him? But then why would she be so mean to him? He was confused and scared. Why is everything so confusing for him? But one thing was clear for him.

"I love you too."

Crystal was shocked by the words that left her mouth. Why did she just say that? She looks away, blushing madly. There was no way Gold would ever love her.

"I love you too." Those words froze her. She turned around to see Gold, weeping and staring at her, eyes full of tears.

She hugged him, and it was as if time froze. The cold that surrounded Gold dissipated into the warmth of Crystal, and Gold cried out loudly. Releasing all the emotions he kept bottled up through those years, all in the arms of Crystal.

Crystal has never seen Gold cry, for as long as she had known him. And she never wanted to see him cry ever again.

Gold looked Crystal in the eye, afraid of moving, that this will all end if they part away. He then did the one thing he has never done in his life.

He kissed her.

The masquerade he tried to keep up was shattered, turning into a lovely dance of emotions with the one he loved. The kiss lasted for a while, before they parted. "This isn't a dream, is it?" Gold asked, a heartfelt smile on his face.

"I'm pretty sure it's not. And by the way, you never told me why you came up here." Crystal replied.

"I thought you hated me. You never seemed to like me around you. I always try to tease you to cheer you up, since you always seemed so down whenever I was near you, but you clearly didn't like it. So, I stopped. I left, because no one else seems to want me here. I'm glad I'm wrong." Gold said, looking at her in the face.

"Well, wanna get down from here? And by the way, you sing really well. You should do that more often." Crystal said, turning towards the cave while linking her hand with Gold.

"Maybe for you, I'll sing some songs that I know." Gold said, making their way down the mountain together.