Hey~
This is the sister fic to Did She Still? (Ruby's POV.) Doesn't matter which you read first, though...
Did He Really?
He was the calm, serene ocean waters. But he could also quickly become the raging torrent of a hurricane.
She burned with the dangerous, fiery passion of a wildfire, but at the same time, with the warming, protective embrace of flickering flames.
Did he really?
Did he really not remember?
Did he really not remember everything they had said?
Did he really not remember everything they had done?
Did he really not remember how they had felt?
Did he really not remember what they had promised?
Did he really?
These were the questions that she asked herself every day. These were the nagging thoughts that attacked her mind every time she saw him.
But no matter how many days passed, and how many times she asked, she could never answer them.
Four years ago the answer would have been obvious to her. She would not have even hesitated. It would be a loud, bold, confident, "Of course he does."
But now, she wasn't so sure.
Maybe the answer could be found in the questions themselves.
Maybe it all came down to that one word, "had."
Maybe it was because it was in past tense.
She was scared to find out.
It had been four years since the incident with Team Magma, Team Aqua, and the Weather Trio.
Four years since they had fought side by side and protected the world from chaos.
Four years since they had confessed their true feelings.
Four years since they had said "I like you," to each other.
And throughout all those four years, her normally tough, barricaded heart ached.
She had asked him countless times about whether he really remembered or not.
And countless times, he responded with the same words, the same lies.
But... were they lies? Could it be possible he had been telling the truth all these years?
It couldn't be... right?
She would narrow her eyes in suspicion, doubt clouding her mind.
She would then ask him about whether he was telling the truth or not.
Again, he would give her an exasperated sigh, throw up his hands, and claim she was delusional.
How many times had she asked?
How many more times would she ask?
She was tired of hearing it so many times.
She was tired of the sharp stabs of pain that she felt inside when he said it so matter-of-factly.
She was tired of raising up hope when he turned to face her, only to have it crash back down moments later when she saw the pity and remorse in his eyes.
Why did she love him?
What was it about him that made her heart go crazy, her hands go clammy, and her breathing speed up at just being near him?
She could never have fathomed that she would fall for such a... prissy boy. One who would jump for joy at the thought of a new fashion trend and turn up his nose at the thought of getting dirty.
Why was she attracted to him?
They couldn't be more different.
She loved battles; he adored contests.
She was wild; he was refined.
She found nothing wrong with wearing an outfit made of leaves; he found everything wrong with fur combed the wrong way.
How could they ever get along?
But they did. Yes, they fought. And yes, they yelled at each other. But at the end of the day, it was like nothing had ever happened.
When she found him to be the boy of her past, and when he confessed... well, calling her 'happy' would have been a huge understatement.
So when he claimed to forget, it crushed her.
Why did she love someone who caused her so much pain?
But he… he was unfazed.
He went through life as though nothing had ever happened.
As though they had never even shared a past.
And because she didn't want to lose to him, she acted like she was fine too. She put on her best smile, and made herself laugh and tease and do everything she didn't want to do when he was around— when all she wanted to do was curl up in a tree somewhere and stay put.
Because in her heart, she cried.
No matter how much she wanted it to be a lie, she couldn't deny her feelings for him.
Even after all this time, she still loved him.
Sometimes she thought that it would be better for herself to just forget about him. She wanted to be able to live in peace again. To not be attacked by a barrage of emotions at the mere thought of him. That way, she could hold on to her sanity, or what little was left.
But that would require erasing those lingering memories that she held so dear.
But maybe then, she would be able to move on. Maybe then, her smiles and laughs could become real again. Maybe then, she wouldn't be tortured by her heart.
But every time she tried, every time she even thought about trying, she always felt a sharp pain in her chest. It would not let her forget.
At first, she would try to fight it, to beat it down and overcome it. After all, she had earned eight badges in eighty days. She had even had a hand in restoring the balance of nature against two madmen with legendaries behind them. How hard could winning against herself be?
The answer? Extremely hard.
She could not win. She could not forget.
Eventually, she stopped trying.
At the same time, there was a part of her that would not let go of the small, shriveled up hope that he did remember. It was a part of her that still dared to dream. She wanted so badly for him to walk through her door, with those piercing, ruby red eyes of his, and say, "I love you, you barbarian."
Every day, that hope died a little more.
Every day, she stared at her reflection in the mirror, and carefully and delicately covered up the swollen eyes, the frazzled hair, and the tear-stained cheeks.
Every day, she scolded herself and hated herself, because this wasn't her. This wasn't how she was supposed to be.
She was supposed to be tough and independent.
She was supposed to be fiery and headstrong.
She was supposed to be determined and brave.
She was supposed to be Sapphire Birch.
She was not supposed to be torn apart by some boy.
But she was.
And there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop it.
...
First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who favorited and reviewed my previous stories. It makes me happy :)
Anyways, another little one-shot for you guys.
To be honest, this wasn't how I planned to write it at all. I had a completely different idea and plot set up. But when I was actually typing it, it turned into this. Well, I hope you guys like this version anyway. (I hope you guys don't mind too much that Sapph's a teeny bit OOC)
Go read Ruby's version if you like! (Did She Still?)
Disclaimer: I do not own PokeSpe. I also do not own the picture, but I really like it. However, if the artist does not want me to use this picture, just tell me and I will take it down.
9/26 edit: Made it longer to be on par with Ruby's version.