Okay, yes, so it's been brought to my attention that the original version that I published had a few things wrong with it flow-wise, so I decided to add some things to make the flow smoother! Hopefully this winds up better, I had two of my friends read it over for me. Let me know what you think!
The first time he said it was the first time she said it.
It was at the top of the ferris wheel in Nimbasa City, looking out the window. It had nearly been a year since everything with Team Plasma had happened. Hilda tore her gaze away from the sight, focusing instead on the man in front of her.
"I love you, N," she said suddenly, a faint smile on her face. And she did; she loved his selflessness, his caring, calculating demeanor, just about everything about him.
He looked up at her, his calculating eyes studying her like they had when the two first met. "You don't love me," he stated, as though the thought of someone loving him were impossible. And he may have believed it; he had thought that Ghetsis had loved him, only to be verbally struck down by him. That must have hurt a lot.
Still, there was no reason for him to believe that she didn't love him. They got together at least four times a week, when neither was busy, and she was always reminding him that they were friends, just so he wouldn't forget that he had her. No matter what he said, she had to make him believe that she loved him. He was all about the truth, right? Well, this was the truth. She would make him see, one way or another. It was only a matter of time.
She rested her chin in her hand, looking back out the window. Maybe this conversation could wait for another day; the ride was almost over.
X-X-X
The next time she said it was more of an accident.
The two of them had been watching a movie together in her room. It was late, almost midnight, when it finished. Normally Hilda would still be raring to go, but after a rigorous day of training with her pokémon, she was exhausted.
She yawned loudly, cuddling the mound of blankets around her on her bed. "Tired?" N asked from the edge of her bed, somewhat amused. Her response came in the form of another yawn and a nod. "Go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow." Always so understanding, wasn't he?
Hilda, of course, was happy to comply. "Love you," she murmured, sleep beginning to set in. Her eyelids drooped, and she let out another large yawn.
He stood, exiting her room. "No, you don't," he said quietly. He stole a glance at her- so cute, so innocent looking under those blankets. Not one you would have thought would be put through the ordeal of vanquishing an evil team. That thought reminded him, of course. He knew her feelings must be superficial. There was no way someone as amazing as her could love someone like him.
He lightly closed her bedroom door, softly stepping down the stairs to say goodbye to Hilda's mom and brother before going home for the night.
X-X-X
"Ow!" Hilda winced as N cleaned the scrapes on her knees. Small, yes, but they still stung horribly. He looked up briefly from his bent.
"You're fine," he said passively. "Just don't try jumping from tree to tree again. You're not a mankey." He was right, of course, but she had seen her friend Iris do it before, and it didn't seem as hard as it actually was. She probably should count herself as lucky that she didn't break any bones.
He finished quickly, placing band-aids on the cuts. She bent over, careful not to fall off the kitchen counter she was perched on, and kissed the top of his head. "I love you." Always taking care of her, always putting up with her antics. She should try to bake him something sometime to thank him. Then again, she was hopeless at baking, so maybe not baking him something was thanks enough.
N stood, helping her off the counter. "No, you don't," he said, ignoring the angry glare he received from her. She was adamant about this "love" thing, wasn't she? Stubborn was probably the more appropriate word. Still, there surely was no truth in her words.
"Do too," he heard her mutter under her breath as they headed back outside to enjoy the sunshine- and hopefully not sustain any more minor injuries.
X-X-X
N was crying, the first time she had seen him do so in the two years she had known him. He was on the floor in the middle of Giant Chasm, his arms wrapped around his knees and his head tucked between them. It hurt her to see him like this. Maybe saying something would help. "It's going to be alright, N," Hilda soothed. "They'll find him, take him into custody-"
"Because that worked so well last time." He looked up at her, his eyes red and puffy. "He tried to kill them, Hilda." Using Kyurem and N's Zekrom, nonetheless. How he had gotten his hands on either was a mystery to her, but at least he hadn't succeeded in freezing them.
"And you were there to stop him," she reminded him gently. "You saved them, and they defeated Ghetsis." A noble act, just as he was a hero with Zekrom like she was with Reshiram.
"Please, don't say his name. Nate and Rosa may have defeated him, but he still escaped." Tears started flowing again. "Why did he do this? He was never like this before." It hurt him so much. He could deal with being struck by his words, but actually having to save others from his murderous rage? It was a miracle that he wasn't crying more, actually. Seeing Ghetsis, his old dad, like that knocked all the breath out of him.
She started rubbing circles on his back, hoping to make him feel a little better. "Just don't think about it," she advised. "Cry if you need to. But remember that I'm here, and I love you." She will always be there for him, through thick and thin. Even if she didn't love him like she did, she would still be there as a friend.
A small, sad smile crept onto his face. That was a start, wasn't it? He wiped his eyes with the backs of his hands. Thinking of Ghetsis only reminded him of what he knew to be true. "No, you don't," he whispered.
X-X-X
Hilda poured him a cup of coffee, black like he liked it. She was baffled by his taste for the bitterness, but maybe that's what made him who he was. A little bitter, taking a little getting used to. Those were some of the traits she like the best in him, along with his kindness, of course. She slid it over to him, adding hazelnut creamer to her own cup, her favorite. "What are our plans for today?"
N shrugged, taking a cautious sip of the hot beverage. "How about we go to Pinwheel Forest?" he suggested. They would take the time each day they were together to do something, meaningful or not. She wondered if today was a meaningful day, or just a regular day between two good friends.
"Any particular reason why?" She finished stirring her cup, tossing the stirrer into the trash. His reasons never ceased to amaze her. They just plainly displayed his caring side.
"I was thinking that it would be nice to pay a visit to the pokémon there." And there it was.
She passed by him, placing a hand on his shoulder and stepping onto her tiptoes in order to kiss his cheek. Hilda wished she was a bit taller, so she wouldn't have to go on her tiptoes any time she wanted to kiss him. "God, I love you," she said with a grin, sipping her coffee. Mm, delicious.
He took another sip as well. "No, you don't," he said into his cup, almost quiet enough where she wouldn't hear it. She still did, however, though this time she opted to ignore it by playing with her hair. N would admit, he was attracted to her, but he didn't know how to love. He didn't want to hurt her in the process of learning, either. Besides, it wasn't possible for her to love him.
X-X-X
"Come on, or we'll be late!" N was a good few yards behind her, strolling at his own pace as per usual. Who wouldn't want to go slow around here? The scenery was gorgeous, the pokémon all looked at peace. Absolutely beautiful.
"We don't need to be there for another half an hour," he reminded her once he caught up. He couldn't understand her sometimes, as much as he tried these past few years. Then again, he was sure that there were some times where she couldn't understand him. "And besides, you can challenge Cheren anytime."
Hilda huffed, crossing her arms. She had been wanting to challenge her friend to an official gym battle for ages now, but she had been biding her time for this moment. "Okay, but I can't challenge him anytime if I want to be his gym's one hundredth challenger!" She pointed out. He knew this already; she had been talking about it the entire way there. "I want to be there early, anyway."
He rolled his eyes playfully behind her as she kept walking. He followed behind again, bringing up an important point. "That won't be of much use if you keep walking in the wrong direction." He pointed to the gate that they had passed already. "Aspertia City is that way." She would have known this had she paid attention to the signs instead of being so driven to actually battle Cheren.
"I knew that," she grumbled, stalking towards the gate. She was cute when she was mad, he had to admit. Then, to show that she wasn't really angry, she called, "Love you!"
N followed her, a wistful smile appearing. She'd been saying this so often, yet he still knew it wasn't true. It was only a matter of time until she saw it, too. "No, you don't." He would still go with her to her battle anyways, though. Watching her be all pumped up during a battle was something he didn't want to miss.
X-X-X
"Please, hold on a little longer!" N pleaded. "Cheren, Bianca, and Hilbert will be back soon, and Nate, Rosa, and Hugh said they'd bring help."
Hilda stared at him, smiling though her eyes were filled with pain. "It's alright, N. I should've seen him coming."
The scene flashed through N's mind. They were in Chargestone Cave all together, helping Bianca with some research on the glowing, floating stones. They had split up for only a minute when they heard Hilda scream. When they arrived, they saw Ghetsis, eye wild and crazy, standing next to the Shadow Triad. The head member, much to their horror, was holding a bloody knife. Rosa and Bianca restrained him using their Serperior's Vine Whip, missing the Shadow Triad once again. Bianca, Cheren, and Hilbert [reluctantly] took him to Mistralton City so he could be arrested. All cities were on high lookout for Ghetsis, after all. Hilbert, being protective of his sister, made N promise to take care of her, to which he complied. Hugh, Rosa, and Nate followed soon after once they saw the deep stab wound in Hilda's side, running to get help.
"It's not okay. Just, please. . . hold on. Keep breathing," he said. He wouldn't let her die. He couldn't watch her die at the hands of Ghetsis. "Don't talk, don't move. Save your energy." He touched a hand gently to her cheek, as if afraid she would break. She certainly looked frail, too fragile for having been jumping around only minutes earlier. This was all one big nightmare. He would surely wake up from this in a moment.
She drew a ragged breath. There was too much blood, on the ground, on her shirt, on him. This was no nightmare. Nightmares weren't this real. "I c-can't," she whispered, a scared expression forming. She didn't want to go, didn't want to leave him. Her lips barely moved as she spoke. "I c-can't hold on. . ."
"Please. Please! They'll be back soon. We'll get you help." N was getting desperate now. She was too young, too lively to go, especially by his hand. If only he had caught Ghetsis before. . .
Hilda basically read his mind. "Not your fault," she said. She didn't blame him. Nobody could have seen this coming. Another shallow breath. "Love. . .you. . ."
Her beautiful brown eyes dulled.
He was in shock. He didn't scream or cry at first. All he could do was say, "I love you, too."
There, in the middle of Chargestone Cave, the electric blue lights dancing around them, N cried. He cried for her, for the loss of a friend, and for the love he never thought he had.
I didn't add any extra scenes, no, but I hope you enjoyed the extra details I added to the existing scenes.
IN OTHER NEWS! There is a poll on my profile that I would like more than one person to vote on [as opposed to the last poll I had. . .]. So please, for my sanity, check it out and vote!