I Hope You're Happy

(A/N: Here's a little key for Japanese names:

Will/Itsuki

Koga/Kyou

Bruno/Shiba

Karen/Karin

Lance/Wataru

Just in case you don't know. :3 Take a guess as to what song I used….XD)

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He sat on the edge of his bed, not making a sound. The third elite paced before him, gazing over at the boy on the bed every so often.

"You can't do this…" Shiba sighed. "Itsuki…"

Itsuki just lay down and huffed. "Yes I can. You can't say whether or not I can leave."

"Listen to me. You're one of the only decent people I've met. Karin starts bitching about the littlest things, Wataru's a jerk, and Kyou's got the mentality of a teacher…."

"And?"

"Something isn't the same about you…you've never complained before…"

"Of course I didn't. Ya think Wataru would have liked that at all? I want to be my own person now….someone who won't be brought down by someone who sets limits on us and pretty much says 'whatever I say is so'…I can't do it…"

"I don't particularly like it either, Itsuki, but you need to stay here…you're having illusions of grandeur…."

"Didn't know you knew words that big."

"I'm not as much of a musclehead as everyone thinks I am."

"People can be cruel, Shiba-san. That's one of the reasons I want to get out of here…"

Itsuki smiled, then stood up and grabbed Shiba's relatively large hands. The muscular man was a little startled, simply blinking and waiting for an explanation to this sudden outburst.

"Come with me. Think of what we could do…together! We could get away from Wataru, Karin, Kyou…."

"You don't need me around, Itsuki. You're smart enough to be on your own….but…"

"We could be the greatest team of trainers there's ever been…good enough to have been elite, good enough to have known when it was too much to take…!"

Shiba shook his head. "I couldn't."

"Come on! With you, we'd have the physical strength and I would provide the mental power…we can finally accomplish everything we've ever dreamed of!"

"Everything I've dreamed of is here. I've been here for 4 years, Itsuki… I can't just leave the Plateau, it's been my home… you shouldn't leave either…"

"Whyever not? What am I accomplishing by letting Wataru choose nearly everything I do? Why should I remain his puppet for the rest of my life?!"

"Well, you're respected by many for being Elite…"

"I don't care! I don't care how much I'm respected by them just for being elite, I want to be respected as a person! I need to have my own guidelines, my own life!"

"…you're certainly independent." Shiba laughed.

"I just can't do this anymore Shiba, that's all. I can't…"

Itsuki grabbed a suitcase and stuffed as many clothes, trinkets and other such items as he could into it. Shiba watched in sadness as Itsuki closed it up and stood with it.

"I hope you're happy with what you're choosing to do, Itsuki…" Shiba said, eyeing the suitcase.

"I am. And I hope you are too….are you sure you don't want to come with me?"

"I want more than anything to become the Champion….I have to stay."

Itsuki smiled, a tear rolling down his cheek. "Then I wish you luck. I hope you don't come to regret staying here…but if you do find it's too stressful, you can find me in the west, in Johto… I'll probably be in Ecruteak…if not, ask around."

"Itsuki…what will Wataru say?! What if he finds you?! You know he'll look for you too!"

"I don't care what he does to me after I leave. Tell him I'm my own person now, and that I don't need a…a….tyrant like him to control me. Tell him no one will ever bring me down. No Champion who is or was will ever tell me who I am to be again…."

With that he left, stopping only to look back at Shiba.

"You don't think I'm being too harsh about this, do you?"

"Not really, considering who this is we're dealing with here."

"Am I that dramatic?" Itsuki laughed.

Shiba nodded. "Often. Most dramatic person I've ever met."

Itsuki just laughed in response. "Glad to know I left a divot in your mind."

" Itsuki….?"

"Mmyes?"

"If become the champion….then will you come back…?"

"Hmm….I'd like that, Shiba. Maybe I will. But until then, I'm gone. There is no such thing as Itsuki."

He closed the door behind him, and Shiba was left to wonder what life at the Plateau would be like without him.

"I hope you're happy…" he mumbled, then left Itsuki's room to pay a certain dragon master a visit.

………………….

"Ah! Shiba! I was just looking for you! I need you to-"

Shiba grabbed Wataru by the collar and picked him up, pushing him against the wall.

"Shiba!" he protested, trying to wriggle free of the fighting elite's grasp.

"I don't need to do anything for you. Do you have any idea what your orders have done?!"

"Well, it's made you all more obedient." Wataru snorted. "At least Kyou, Itsuki and Karin are."

"Itsuki, huh? Explain why he just LEFT, then."

"WHAT?!"

Wataru stormed over to Itsuki's room and threw open the door. As Shiba had said, Itsuki was nowhere to be found. He stood in the center of the room, and noticed a small droplet on the floor from where Itsuki's tear had fallen.

"You're being a dictator, Wataru. And I'm going to put that to an end."

He pushed Wataru to the floor, and all the Champion saw was a fist headed for his face.

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The former psychic elite opened up the letter he'd just received.

"Dear Itsuki-

It happened. It finally happened. I'm the champion now…

I beat out Karin for the title. My dream has finally come true….has yours?

You can come back like you said you might…Wataru won't bother any of us anymore…not us, not the other two, not anyone. And especially not six feet under with his jaw pretty much IN his brain.

Come back…

Love,

Shiba"

Itsuki smiled, then turned to his Xatu.

"Come on. Xatu." He said with a smile. "We're going home to see Shiba."

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