The tower was tall, but that was not what deterred him. He was going to die one way or another, and the thought scared him. He would have to fight a being of legends – of mythical strength and mysterious power. What chance did he hope to have? What could he do?

He felt a nudge on his side. He turned to look into the eyes of his partner – the one who had kept by his side with such vigilance… She gave a weak smile, her body shivering in anticipation. He returned the gesture and together, they climbed the tower.

For her. For his friend. For his partner. He would save the world.

And end his existence.

~ * ~

He limped slowly down the stairs, every step adding a lead weight on his shoulders. Exhaustion gnawed on his mind, and he fought hard not to succumb. How much longer until he would pass away into oblivion? His partner suddenly stepped in front of him, her eyes echoing her concern. They both stopped walking. It was then she noticed that there was a faint glow about him.

"What's wrong?" she asked hesitantly. "Do you need an Oran berry or-"

"What's happening to me can't be fixed by medicine," he whispered. "The future I once lived is gone, and with it…" He stopped, struggling to find the strength to continue.

Alarmed, she began shaking her head slowly, eyes wide. "Don't finish that sentence. Not now. Not until we come home."

"I'm sorry," he said. Wisps of light – wisps of him began to float upwards. His vision was graying, his hearing dulled. Not much longer.

She took a shuddering breath and stared at him with the most defiance he had seen – even more than when they had fought the Master of Time. "You promised." A tear slid down her cheek. "You promised we would go back to the guild. You promised we would be the greatest explorers ever… You promised-"

"That we will always be partners through time and darkness," he finished. He was losing feeling everywhere, barely able to hold a coherent thought together, but he needed to say this. "That hasn't changed. So long as you remember me, remember our adventures together, our shed tears and sweat… I…" His focus was lost and he seemed to be floating upwards. But he wasn't done. He held on for a few more seconds. "I will exist."

"But you can't leave!" She lunged forward to grab hold of him, but the decay had advanced too far. She stumbled through him and fell to the ground, sobbing. "Not after all of this. Not after all we've been through…"

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "Please remember me."

With those final words, there was a warm glow… and then he was no more.

~ * ~

Through time and darkness…

They were saviors. They had saved Him, the world, and much more. The debt is to be repaid.

Time was only an illusion after all, and He knew much about illusions…

~ * ~

(A/N): Wrote this while listening to Primal Dialga remixes. It really put me in the mood and this is what sprung up. I know this has been done to death, but I wanted to give it a try. This is practice for me in the emotional aspect of writing with a teensy bit of romance implied. I left my characters' species anonymous for a specific reason. Whenever I read these kind of fics, it's hard for me to connect to that one emotional moment if the characters aren't the same. So I left them vague, for you to enjoy reading without being bothered by the species. They are whatever you want them to be.

As a side note, I'm accepting challenges to write one-shots centered around PMD2. More on my profile – DO NOT ASK ME IN YOUR REVIEW. But a review might improve your chances of getting an idea out. :P