I don't own any characters just the story.
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Warning: Verb tense jumps up ahead. Memories are written in present tense and italicized.
For best results, read in the evening or night; it's usually when your emotions are at the highest peak (:
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Bon voyage.
They were always together.
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"Do you remember?" He often asked.
Red never replied.
"I can't even see her face anymore," whispered Green, "What did her voice sound like?"
Silence was the only thing that ever greeted his question.
They both sat still upon the floor of the dark room. Without the sunshine, it was less painful to become absorbed in their already fading memories of autumn, when leaves filled the air. The thin brown sheets twirled and danced on light breezes, carried to far away and exotic places. No wonder she was named after them; she loved to travel, bringing back stranger souvenirs with every visit.
Yet unlike the green leaves which grew back every spring, she wouldn't return home again.
Red allowed a single tear to escape from beneath his left eyelid.
Beside him, Green broke down, sobbing into the bed sheets with shaking shoulders.
If they had never let go of her hand, she wouldn't have died.
She died all alone.
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It all came washing back.
He was sixteen the year she found him in Viridian City.
Leaving Mount Silver behind, he was living with Green when she appeared. Leaf stood in front of him, shaking with tear-filled eyes. She continued to glare before walking up and slapping him hard across the face.
He wasn't surprised; she had always had spunk. The sting on his cheek never left even after she barreled into him and wrapped her arms around his torso so tight that it deprived him of air.
She didn't seem to care that her waterworks were beginning to stain his shirt.
He showed an almost invisible smile and squeezed back.
Burrowing his face into her hair, Red spoke; it was so quiet that one would have had difficulty hearing it but Leaf always had impeccable hearing.
"I missed you too."
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It was august. They were twenty.
The door slammed open for the fifth time that afternoon.
"GREEN OAK!" She thundered.
Green rolled his eyes behind a thick mountain of paperwork. He hated it when women had that mood swing once a month; Leaf always became the bane of his existence around that time.
"What do you want?" He snarled as she stuck her face right in front of his.
"Just because you two are living in the same apartment doesn't mean I can walk in and step on your disgusting condom from last night," Leaf looked absolutely furious, "It got stuck on my foot!"
Green blinked.
She carried on. "And I especially don't want to see Red looking exhausted, not to mention naked, walking out of your bedroom. My virgin pupils were burned beyond repair no matter how hot he looked."
Green realized and flushed before putting his head in between his hands; he groaned. He had warned Red about being so careless.
"This is why you don't go barging into my apartment, Leaf."
She huffed, "It's my home just as much as yours."
Green looked up and didn't argue, instead, he chuckled while nodding.
She was right in that sense.
Wherever there was Red and Green, there would always be a place for Leaf.
He gave her a sultry wink. "How about you yell before entering then? That way Red can put on the boxers I pulled off him last-"
He was silenced by a punch straight to the jaw.
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"Since you guys are both men, you can't reproduce." She announced one day as they all sat down to watch a movie.
Green choked on his popcorn.
Red looked disinterested. He sent her a look that applauded her on stating the obvious before turning back to the screen.
"And because I'm the only female here, you two should be honored to hear that I am willing to give you children."
Red turned to look at her and began to actually listen.
Green started spluttering. "WHAT IN THE WORLD, LEAF? WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?"
Leaf smirked.
"Red likes kids, and preferably, your kids."
Green stiffened before whipping around to look at Red.
Red shrugged. "She's right."
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The phone rang and Red reached out lazily to grab it. He settled it against his ear, listening to the drone.
His eyes widened dangerously.
Green looked up curiously from the morning newspaper at the sight of Red's panic stricken face.
Moments later, Red ended the call abruptly, dropping the phone onto the ground, his fingers trembling. It hit the floor boards with a clatter; the battery flew out. Green raised his eyebrows.
"What's wrong?" He asked, flipping the page. "Who was that?"
Red didn't look at him as he spoke, "Your grandfather."
"Yeah, and what about it?"
"Green, he says Leaf is dead."
It took a while to sink in.
"You can't be serious." He laughed, but when he caught a glimpse of Red's unusually moist eyes, he whipped out his cell phone in a hurry and dialed back home to Pallet Town.
The voice on the other end made his heart stop.
"Leaf's body was found yesterday in Unova."
The world went black.
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They arrived in Pallet Town shortly after.
"She died protecting a young child; she saved someone else's life."
Green stared blankly at the tiles on Leaf's kitchen floors. He had always known that hero complex of hers was going to be trouble.
"The horn went straight through her heart," Leaf's father told them somberly, "it was painless. She died instantly."
Green found himself wondering if she had thought of them as her life had flashed by in mere seconds.
Red looked out the window.
Both remembered how Leaf's body was found ten days later by the river, tattered and broken by the raging Samurott.
Her ditto lay at their feet in disguise of a mat. It tickled the bottoms of their toes.
It seemed to be telling them not to take things too hard.
They didn't listen.
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Green fixed Red's collar.
They both wore black.
Green could already see the dark bags beneath Red's eyes. Peering into them, he could see his own reflection. The Green he found was in sorry shape. He looked away.
Leaf had loved it when they smiled.
He turned back towards the closet to fetch the black ties when Red's hand stopped him. Green watched, confused, as Red walked to the bedside table and opened the drawer. He fumbled through and held up two blue colored ties.
"She's always loved this colour." He murmured and Green was almost going to cry again.
Instead, he stepped forward and leaned down to gently place a kiss on Red's lips.
"You're right."
She would have wanted to see at her own funeral decked out in blue.
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They watched as her casket was lowered into the ground.
Neither cried. Leaf's mother screamed and tried to break free from her husband's grasp; desperate to see her daughter one last time.
All around them, people were starting to sob. It was strangely ironic how her two closest friends couldn't, even when some who barely even knew her were dabbing at their eyes. Leaf would have laughed.
They continued to stand solemnly until the casket hit the bottom.
Then, Green lost it. All around him fell into shocked silence as he yelled, angry tears streaming down his cheeks.
"You liar! You said it would always be the three of us together. YOU TOLD US WE'D LIVE UNTIL A RIPE AGE AND CONTINUE TO BICKER EVEN AS OLD GRANNIES AND GRANDPAS. YOU SAID WE'D MOVE OUT TO THE COUNTRY AND WATCH THE STARS EVERY NIGHT."
He paused to take a breath before continuing in a small voice. It broke.
"You said, you said so many things but you leave us all by ourselves in the end. I want to hear your voice. I don't care how many times you beat me up. Wake up already, you're sleeping aren't you? Leaf, Leaf." And suddenly all he could do was say her name uncontrollably. It spilled from between his trembling lips, as if he never wanted to forget the feel of it on his tongue.
Red pulled him into an embrace, fingers gripping onto his back.
"Don't cry," He said, "she'd punch you."
But Green continued to cry anyway.
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Red dreamed that night.
At first all he heard were sounds. Whispers and hushed voices that swept around him soon escalated to screams. Terrified, he tried to run. It was useless as his hands tried to break down the thick black walls of his cage. Red's surroundings collapsed over and over again until all he could see was Leaf's body. It hung like a rag doll from the bloody horn of the pokémon. She smiled.
And he jolted awake, eyes wide with terror and body drenched in cold sweat.
He whimpered when Green gathered him in strong arms, hugging him close and stroking his hair.
"It's going to be alright." Green told him while wiping away his sweat and tears with his tank top.
Somehow, Red managed to fall asleep cradled in Green's embrace.
He was lulled by Green's voice telling him repeatedly, "I love you."
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They arrived in Unova after a five hour flight.
It didn't seem much different from any other region Green observed but for Red it was a different story, his crimson eyes were alight with interest.
They weren't here for a vacation however but rather to confirm something for themselves.
It didn't take them long to locate Nuvema Town, small and quaint, and the woman who opened the door didn't hesitate to usher them in.
She sat across from them in the living room, eyes wide and sorrowful. "I'm sorry your friend was killed because of my son. If only I hadn't allowed him out of my sight that day, it never would have happened." The atmosphere was awkward and the flowered sofas only seemed to add to the suffocating silence.
Red shook his head and said in a dead voice, "It's not your fault." His eyes continued to watch the woman, flicking over her features as if trying to find something.
They clouded over upon realization; there was nothing to find.
Green wasn't even listening to their quiet exchange. His emerald eyes were trained onto a little boy hiding behind the door, clearly interested but too scared to meet Pikachu. The darkness outside the living room made it difficult for Green to see his face but none the less, he was curious. He gestured towards Pikachu, hoping it would take the hint and try to befriend the child. The yellow mouse managed a yawn on Red's shoulder. Arrogant rat, Green grimaced before reaching under his jacket to pluck Eevee's pokéball from his belt.
Red shifted to face him, eyebrows lowered with impatience, "What are you doing?" He murmured as if Green was being incredibly rude and mind you, he was.
Green pointedly ignored him and Eevee mewled on the carpet, eagerly awaiting the mysterious child.
He could almost hear Red's eyes widen in shock along with his own as the kid ran into the middle of the room to pet a smug Eevee. Now that he was bathed in light, they could both see.
The boy resembled Leaf.
Brown hair, big eyes and a bright smile. Green could suddenly remember the details of her face again. It crashed back onto him so suddenly and that feeling that filled his chest, warm and overwhelming, what was it? Red reached out to brush the tears dripping from the gym leader's chin.
He managed a smile at his lover before slowly turning to gently ask the confused woman, "What is his name?" He couldn't stop it now, the excitement mixed in with copious amounts of hope pumping through his body. He had to know; it was all or nothing.
"Touya," The boy answered for himself, eyes focused on Green. "I'm Touya."
Red paused, digesting the information. He reached out for Green's hand and gave it a squeeze. This was it; either their wishes would be fulfilled or sent to crash and burn. He then spoke in something that sounded more like his actual voice than monotone; a rare occurrence. "Touya," he hesitated, "do you have a favourite color?"
The child twirled around, emitting a laugh. "Can't you already tell? I'm wearing it; I love the color blue!"
Green choked and it was as if the world began to spin on its axis once more.
Red sat rooted while Green stood up to kneel beside the young boy. "That's a pretty cool colour, kid but you can't be awesome without a dream. Do you have one? "
The boy beamed. "Yeah! I want to be a Pokémon master!"
Neither man missed the familiar flame of burning passion behind the child's eyes.
Green broke out into a heartfelt laugh. It felt strange to hear it again after such a long time. "You'll be a great Pokémon master, the absolute best." He reassured the kid, "Let's make a deal, shall we?" He stuck out his pinky, linking it with Touya's. "We'll always be there if you need to be guided and one day, when you become a Pokémon master, we'll tell you a story about someone who reminds us of you."
They both left Nuvema Town with light hearts.
Hand in hand, Green turned to Red and smiled.
"He was the child she said she'd give us. When he's old enough, we'll be able to train him."
Red hummed in agreement.
"He'll be her legacy, no, our legacy."
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Six years later, the phone rang early in the morning.
Green felt Red's warmth leave his arms as the former champion sat up to answer the phone.
"..."
"Red! It's Touya!"
Red hummed.
Green grabbed the phone. "Look here kid, it's five a.m. What have I said about phoning so damn early?"
"Actually," the voice on the other end snickered, "you love it when I call."
Green twitched. "Why you little -"
"I'm phoning to invite you to my ceremony, I just defeated the elite four."
Green stopped short.
All Touya heard next was the unmistakable proud mewls from Eevee and the crackling of electricity from an excited Pikachu. The line went dead. Touya chuckled.
"See you in a bit."
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The picture frame that hung near the entrance of their apartment displayed an angry Green, a bored Red and an obviously too happy Leaf.
They hung it up one day after flipping through old albums.
Because after all, it had always been Red, Green and Blue.
They were never, ever apart.
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Fin
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Touya: hero of Pokémon Black (&white)
EDIT: 2012/01/20; I had to correct a lot of things, changed everything to past tense and elongated some sections. It's mostly still the same.
I thought for once I'd attempt to write a tear jerker. Did it work?
It's always Green or Red dying so this time, I thought Leaf wanted a turn (it's horrible logic). There is quite a lot of confusion concerning the memories to present event jumps and rereading it will possibly solve any confusions. I tend to write things that only make sense to me D:
Thanks a bunch to my friend who edited my grammar and punctuation for this piece. In the end, she still could not convince me to write the memories in present tense. I want to create an illusion of it actually happening.
Thanks for reading (: