Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon

Edited Sept. 15, 2012

It Isn't Supposed To Work.

Franticshipping

Ruby had contests.

Sapphire had battles.

In a twisted way Ruby supposed that was how their lives were designed to be. Faced by the same incident, at the same exact time, had altered their characters into people their younger versions wouldn't even recognize. Couldn't recognize. And Ruby couldn't come to be disappointed in the change he'd made to comfort the girl who once looked at him in such terror. Though that back fired, because as it turns out, she hates this version of him far more then she ever hated him when he was younger. Hence the twisted part.

But Ruby never had a problem with either of what Sapphire is or what she use to be. When she was younger she was the friend he'd do anything to protect. Now, she is the rival he'd still do anything to protect, even if she thought she were capable of doing it on her own. So where does that leave me? She hated him, he loved her. Love. As if it really meant anything. She didn't want anything to do with him, did she?

"I could change again . . ." Ruby smirked at the foolish thought. No, he couldn't. He liked Sapphire and didn't mind doing things for her but at the end of the day he wasn't going to change everything about who he was and what he valued to please a girl that would never be satisfied with him. No, he would stick to what he could do for her with who he was, because deep down, there was no pleasing the Wild Girl, not with where he stood or where he could go. And that was the tragic truth. . . at least to him.

.:.:::.:.

Sapphire was fed up. She was sick of trying to show Ruby that she was good enough at everything that he seemed to be worried had traumatized her as a kid. She was sick of trying to make him see that it wasn't his fault, what happened to her. She was especially annoyed that he wouldn't be everything she knew he was because he wouldn't battle in public or acknowledge the fact that one confession simply wasn't enough for both of them to accept that they were completely different individuals who, when all was said and done, still turned out just as good – if not better – then they were as kids. But the thing that was biting at her, eating away at everything she did, was the fact that he was so dense, he couldn't figure out that she given up on her I-hate-your-weakness thing and really didn't care about him being a good coordinator or – though she thought it secretly – complete waste of talent anymore. All she really cared about was that he was so absorbed in the past that he couldn't understand that she'd forgiven him, and she'd never hated him.

All these thoughts landed Sapphire outside the contest hall. Staring at it's vast color, and odd sense of 'beauty' (whoever the hell thought this was such a thing) and bringing her to one last thought:

Ruby's denseness hindered him from being anything other than what he was now. And Sapphire's stubbornness denied her a permanent change, but if there was anyway to show Ruby that she didn't care who the hell he was, she was still going to be his friend, it was to do the one thing she promised herself so long ago she would not do . . .

Her grimace was feral.

.:.:::.:.

Ruby suspected nothing as he walked into the contest hall. He was oblivious when he signed Zuzu up for the tough contest, and relaxed as he walked onto the stage, ready to earn himself a ribbon.

This all changed fairly quickly with the yelling of Sapphire. Oh, he knew that voice so well. What he didn't know was why he was hearing it now, in the contest hall.

"I didn't sign up for the Cute contest!" He heard. He blinked. He looking around. Was he really so engrossed with her that he thoughts of her provoked such realistic sounds? That those sounds would occur here of all place? He stopped his scan when his eyes landed on the next stage over. Yes, maybe he was that engrossed, but he was hearing this not because he was delusional, but because she was there. Right there.

"Sapphire?" He questioned, and then he saw her jump at the judge and his eyes widened considerably. "Gah! Sapphire!" She stopped, mid attack, and turned to face him, looking as wild as she always did. Laughable, if it weren't for the fact that her glare was now on him. She looked back at the judge, smirked as if his life had just been spared, and walked to the edge of the stage, leaping over, she jumped onto the stage Ruby occupied. His thoughts were an odd mess.

No, Sapphire despised contests. Hated coordinators. Hated him. Why was she here? Screaming about signing up and not signing up. He gave her a very confused glance, and he was aware that his brain was fizzling, and possibly smoke was spilling out of his ears, but he couldn't be bothered to be well, bothered.

"Hey pansy-boy." She gave him a toothy grin.

"Barbarian." He replied coolly, her grin fell and she glared. "What are you doing in a contest hall?" He asked suspiciously, because that had to be it. She had to be up to something. Sapphire looked away as if she just now noticed what space she occupied. Shuddering slightly she turned back to him.

"You say anything about what I tell you and I'll set your ass on fire while you sleep." His slightly frightened nod of assurance was enough and she smiled. "I'm here . . . because I'm trying to figure out why you like it so much."

"Like what?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"Like this-" her arm swept across the area. "I mean, you gave a whack at battling when we were small and so it only seemed right for me to try contests, but the lady out in the hall signed me up for a cute contests and I wanted to do be in the tough one." She stuck out her tongue at the thought of being 'Cute.' Ruby couldn't understand it. She hated contests.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked. She looked away this time and didn't turn back when she spoke again.

"It was a sure fire way to show you that I don't care that you're a coordinator or that you're wasting a good skill." She turned and smiled her wild smile again before adding: "You're still a wimp." Ruby's confusion was visible as he watched her. This wild girl he loved even when she was a little vulnerable girl and grew fond of when she became who she was today . . . Was telling him he was okay the way he was, too? "Look, don't hurt your brain thinking about it" Sapphire stated. "Just know that even things that aren't suppose to work out, work out fine sometimes . . . Including whatever the hell this is between us." They stared at each other for a moment, and when it seemed Sapphire had had enough of that she jumped off the stage then and looked around one final time. "I'm never doing this again." She muttered, just loud enough for Ruby to hear her.

And Ruby was left to watch her disappear, as she so often did, swept up in a wave of confusion that apparently led him to the conclusion that they could still be something other than enemies even after she became some barbaric girl and he became, as she so gracefully called it, a "prissy."

Unfortunately, that discovery led to his losing the ribbon. Apparently you actually have to participate in a contest to win it.

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