Gift of the Protector: Blossoming Eloquence

by Edge Feyera

In a single heartbeat, a flower blossoms. The gentle wind wings open her delicate petals; the brilliant sun kisses her radiant life. Living in a sacred grove of paradise, she was just a flower that hadn't bloomed yet. And only one had the power to finally help her blossom.

"Blossoming Eloquence"

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A/N: This is a canon one shot chapter in my story, "Gift of the Protector". This chapter is a flashback from the perspective of my female lead as requested by a dear friend. The full story can be accessed through my profile page. Enjoy!

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Soft quiet trembles of the heart, placid whispers into words, echoing sensations coalesce into breaths, their fleeting meaning obscured by the slickly reverberating density of life's every characteristic.

"…Hey."

Blanketing darkness shrouds the truth, chrysalises the eyes with pure passivity, and drowns the mind in embryonic peace.

"Heya, wake up!"

A soft hum of the wind fades into the obscurity. It too is absorbed into tired sensations. What are they? Gently worn feelings. Pleasant mutable expressions. I feel a soft tingle of warm air against my pressed together lashes. Like tender tickles, it excites me. Perforates through me. Consoles me. Promises me something beyond my sleep.

I hear myself through the tunnel of consciousness softly hum. While far off, the vibration is deep within me, ephemeral and docile. It rouses as much as it mystifies.

"Get up sleepyhead!"

I know that voice. So familiar, so serene. It's like a dream. A memory. Something I was once an integral part of. However, strangely, I am no longer. It is different now. Changed. Altered beyond recognition. Wholesomeness is gone, I cannot recall why.

I want to awaken, but then again I'm embedded within the warm comforts of my mind. Snuggled softly against the melanoid walls, I see they are moving, flowing, dripping with an inky cascade of Lithe. In this sodden world, I want to forget as much as I want to remember. If only…if only we were together. Permanently.

"Come on already!"

That's definitely him. How though? Is it possible? After all this…is he still…?

"You're really going to sleep all day long now aren't you?"

Hearing his voice…I want to wake up now. My eyes are stubborn however, valiantly refusing my pleas. Still slipping in my own dream world, I take the brief time to wonder where it is I will travel today. Will I go someplace new? I ponder whether or not I will be able to have the same adventures I have in my dreams. That would be so nice. Yes. I wish I could share this life with someone, not just anyone though. I don't want to be alone. I can't be…

"Sanaria…"

That's my name, mother gave it to me. She gave me so much. Mother's so pretty, just like the name she gave me. I want to be a beautiful Gardevoir like her one day. She has such grace.

"Sanariaaaaaaaa…! Wake up already!"

He's so persistent. Not unlike me. Maybe that's why we get along. I understand him. At least I think I do.

"Get up! Come on, how much can you sleep?!"

Something gentle nudges me. Now I feel my body closer than ever before. It's all coming back to me slowly like the graceful tide of our motherly seas to the south of Home. How I wish the warm water could just embrace the two of us as we played together…What a dulcet experience that would be.

"Humph! Fine then; if you want to sleep so badly then I'm going to go:…ALL! BY! MY! *huff* SELF! *pant pant* HEAR ME?!"

"Mmm…ahhh!" I can feel my cheeks warming as I yawn. I'm coming down from where I was. My thoughts are becoming more childish. The cashmere haziness of thought is degrading, fading. Reality is merging with foggy memory. I just want to be with…

"Hey! Watch it, that's my arm!" he shouts in disarray.

I grin wildly, pulling my small arms about his and tugging him toward me. With a predicable "Plop!" he falls down next to me. His soft hair teases my shoulder with its matted fineness.

Feeling lightheaded and chilled, I try to adjust myself without releasing him. "That's what you get for trying to wake up a little Ralts!" I playfully scold.

"C'mon, are you kidding me?!" he jokes, pretending to fight my possessive grip with a wriggle.

"Teehee!" I squeak from behind closed lids. I don't even want to open my eyes. Everything is so wonderful as it is right now. I never want to leave this, I feel so cozy. And being next to my friend…

"Sanaria, hey! Stop that! That tickles!" he flinches as I quietly pet his narrow back.

"Well, you should have thought twice before you tried to wake me up from—"

Suddenly, the thought of seeing him as well as feeling him against me surges into my mind, filling it with new sprays of desire. My hands stop in a moment and I take a heavy inhale. My thoughts are tired but happy.

Evocative sensations overtake me while I squint softly and see the colors of emotion flood my perception. They are so shiny and bright. The light makes it look like I'm underwater or maybe inside of a big glass bottle, I can never tell which. As the enchanting reflections and glossiness begin to fade, I see his cheerful face. His mint green hair is just like my own, but perhaps a hue darker. I'm very perceptive to colors after all. There are some strands thicker than others; hardly any of it isn't wavy in some way. It surrounds his head like a bowl, and from between his robust bangs, I can barely make out his brilliant eyes.

"—Seph…"

He bats those pristine eyes once, and then twice, undoubtedly honing in on my own—now awakened—eyes. He has such a smooth face, so much like mine. Its custard color softly blends into the warm region beneath his vivid scarlet eyes. Maybe I'm a little younger than him and maybe he's a little more responsible than me, but I'll never get over just how well he's taken care of himself. He's not like the rest of the boys. And even more than that, he's my friend. My newest, closest, nicest friend.

"Hey!" he grins.

He'll do anything with an innocent smile—even mischievous things! For a little rascal, he sure likes to keep a clean visage. Curiously, I peer down at his torso. And clothes too for that matter! They might even be a shade lighter than my own! How embarrassing for me. I hope he doesn't notice that. Somehow I don't think he would mind though. He does like to be with me after all. Doesn't he? What does that mean? Am I special to him?

It may have been seconds. It might have even been minutes. I couldn't tell time any longer as we continued to stare at each other. Thankfully, he finally spoke, breaking our silence in a boyish tone, mimicking a condescending parent, "Weeeelllllll! *sigh!*….Look who's FINALLY up! It only took all three of the Dodrio heads to start crowing…"

"Heh heh…Yep…I'm up now…*yawn!*" I try to not yawn too loudly, but I'm still very tired and it comes out with a hum mixed into it. He recoils a little and then smirks. I sense his scarlet eyes tracing my face. I wanted to hold onto him like one of my few tessellated pillows. The ones with pink patterned checkered meeting at wide navy stitch marks; they are so puffy and stuffed full that their Pidgey down was yearning to break free every time I hugged them. I'm sure Seph would be a lot warmer than my pillows though. He has a heart, just like me.

"Fancy going back to sleep?" he mocks.

"I was sleepy, SEPHIE!" I squeal playfully. "You're such a rude boy! Most Ralts like to sleep, you should know that!"

Thankfully, he does not back away and takes my tone as I meant for it to be expressed—innocent and impish. I want him to stay near me. Though he won't cuddle or anything like that, he's not afraid of me. And he's not afraid of being with me. That's…well, it's wonderful beyond words.

"You're not an Abra though! You don't have to sleep eighteen hours a day!" he rocks his head and his balled hair follows it bouncily.

"I know that but I like…mmm…like being cozy."

"Cozy?" he asks.

I would be cozy if I hugged him. I know that. "Yes and it's very important for a young Ralts to get her sleep so she can grow up into a healthy Gardevoir!"

"Oh I…well it seems as though you've had more than enough beauty sleep to me!"

"Huh?" I ask. Beauty sleep? Does he think that I'm attractive?

He motions with a nod towards our arms which are gently frolicking in tandem with each other, interlocking our fingers joyfully like braided hair, "Well I thought you would never wake up! What would it have taken to get you out of bed? A big, bad RHYDON?"

I clench one of his tiny fingers with my own delicate ones, causing him to momentarily freeze up. He raises a brow.

"You're a little Rhydon! Making all that hullabaloo—" I snicker at his surprised face. "I'll bet your uproar could even wake up a Snorlax!

"Ta ha! A Rhydon? Me?!" he jokes whilst bending his tapered neck back pretending to roar, "Rawr! RAWR!"

"Hahahaha!" I chuckle uncontrollably. He's so silly.

"RAGH!" he continues to fight smiling, growing more unsuccessful by the second.

"But you aren't so big and bad Sephiteos!" I assure him.

"I'm not grown up yet!"

"Well one day you will be…*yawn*…and then you can make all the ruckus in the world," I say somnolently.

"I know that! But not that much of a racket, I hope! Besides Rhydon are so noisy." He sighs out of his small nose, "They're worse than the Gallade Order of…"

"—the Aegis?" I finish for him with a smile. "That's the very Pokemon order daddy is a part of!"

"Hah…hah ha…yeah…" he murmurs. "They're loud for sure!"

I wink, "You're pretty noisy too, you lil' chatterbox! You'd fit right in." If anyone had access to a Dawn Stone by birthright, it was Sephie.

I immediately sense his apprehension. It was too easy to feel it radiating. I even felt…connected to his anxiety. Though I could not determine its source, its sonorous resonating connects to me. To my heart. He flushes slightly, and the small bedroom instantly became a touch warmer. Looking around, I saw the comforting white fabric billows of my canopy four-posters surrounding my tiny bed had been wrinkled slightly.

Seph follows my gaze, and his eyes trace the outlines of my bed like a detective. "Yeah…I guess so…" he shrugs anxiously.

"What's the matter?" I ask.

Quickly he looks over at my small teak night table. There's a bright pink bow resting on the edge of it. A few etches and divots perforate the material since I've worn it for a while. He then feigns a smile, "I—I don't worry about it Sana!"

"Tell me!" I order cheekily.

He pulls on his floppy yet flexible garment softly in distress. "I said don't worry about it!"

I chide gently, "Aw…but…"

His mild face continues to stare at my dainty bow. He then growls cutely. Then he looks up at the rods connecting the mahogany four-posters high above us. Their tippy-tops are carved into ornate curves resembling frozen sea waves. I think daddy might have sculpted them a long time ago. Daddy was always so patient, always taking time to do things right. Mother liked that about him a lot.

Before he left, I remember him serenely shaving pieces of long, pitchy slivers from a wind-shattered pine by the fireside—with mother in his arms. I snuck up on them as they sat peacefully with one another, and watched daddy listlessly toss the shaved bark from the pine snags into the hot bed of coals. They burned quickly to ashes, producing flickering auburn flames in the stone fireplace. The warmth from the fire was nearly as radiant as their shared love for each other. Mother and daddy sat as a couple, holding each other tightly as they enjoy the quietness and watch the moon shine down through the skylight above. I wish I could hug Seph and watch the fire; mother seemed just so happy with daddy—I could feel it. I think Seph and I would make a good daddy and mother together. I wonder if he feels that way too. I'm afraid and excited to find out all at the same time!

"Hmm…" he mutters. Does he have any idea about my fantasies? Does he have his own?

"You gotta tell me since you're in my room!" I poke at his chest, "That's the rule mister; and you are under my rules!"

"No!" his hand impishly squirms in my grasp. I like when he does that. The little things like this made all the difference sometimes. I just wished he would be more open to me about his life. I feel like no one tells me anything!

I twirl my fingers around and around, "You can tell me Sephie, I won't say anything to your—"

"—Sana, it isn't important I told you!" He cuts me off before I could mention his parents. At least he had parents that still were here for him to see.

My parents are both very far away. Jeana veh Eseale, my guardian, always tells me that I'll see them again someday. Jeana is such a silly Gardevoir sometimes; of course, I'll see mother and daddy again. Why would they want to stay away from me? I love them.

I told Seph all about my parents, but he doesn't ever tell me anything about his. He knows my daddy's name is Everettium thas Relius, and that he traveled to the Frontier a few months ago with his friends. I forget exactly why, but it is probably because daddy is very involved in the military. I think he once said something about a 'campaign', but I don't know what that strange word means. I would ask Seph but I don't want to sound like I'm silly. Or ignorant. Maybe I can ask Jeana though. She's a Gardevoir that knows a whole lot despite being young. I think she's only eighteen years old! I'm only seven and Seph is eight. Ralts typically become Kirlia by age twelve and Kirlia can grow up completely anywhere between seventeen to twenty-five.

A lot of weird Pokemon live in the Frontier. They are pretty scary according to the ghost stories daddy would tell me. Lots of them have rangy fur and vicious fangs. They're quick, cunning, dangerous, and travel in packs. I've never even seen a Frontier Pokemon in my life, so I have to imagine an awful lot! Mother never liked it when daddy told me the stories, especially around bedtime. She would always say, "Everett, if you tell Sanaria scary stories right before bedtime, then she'll never get to sleep!" I wasn't scared though! Why should I be? Daddy always outsmarts the Frontier Pokemon and fights them off together with his Pokemon friends in the stories. "Justice prevails!" he always jokes at the end of the tale. I believe him. He'll always win as long as his friends are at his side.

The Frontier Pokemon are supposed to leave us alone, but recently they've been more hostile; they may not be nice, but at least they aren't like people: who live completely outside of nature.

I always found that to be strange actually. People are the most similar to us, but also very different in a select few ways. Mother always said people are dangerous and I should stay away from them. They're shrewd, destructive, and selfish according to her. When I ask her "why?" she tells me that's what her mother told her. I wonder how true that is though. It seems rather ridiculous. People have emotions; that is what makes them unpredictable like us. They also have some powers of their own, like ours, and daddy can certainly be a vicious warrior when he is in the Frontier. Finally, I feel like selfishness is part of love. After all, mother and daddy are selfish for each other; they would never be with anyone else. Because of all this, we must be a lot alike. We're similar in so many ways because of our connection to emotions. One of my teachers told me that we are related through a long chain of evolution. I believe that. Sometimes I wonder if they are able to feel like I can. I'm sure I'll never meet a person though. It's not like they're too uncommon, I've heard there are a lot of people in the world, but we don't live close to any of their settlements. I would be more likely to meet a rare Pokemon from the Frontier!

The Frontier is a mysterious land in the distant north. I don't know how anyone can live there. It's so dark, so cold. It used to be a beautiful place long ago; after all, it's the only place where Dawn Stones come from. Over the years, it has become a barren desert: home to lots of brutal Pokemon, many of them resistant to emotions and Psychic abilities. Yet the brave Psi Alliance has commissioned the Order of the Aegis to travel there time and time again to repel the dark forces there. And it makes sense, daddy doesn't seem to be phased by the Dark Pokemon there. He's part Fighting type! Usually daddy's trips to the Frontier don't last more than a fortnight though. Moreover, this last trip has taken him especially long, three months. I miss daddy a lot. I hope he's okay. Ever since daddy went on his journey, I have not seen much of mother. I don't know why. Mother is very sick, and Jeana says that she'll be better with rest. I can't talk to her because she needs to be sleeping. I hope she gets up someday. Even I can't sleep that long! I don't know, maybe if I was really tired I could though.

Seph continues to look warily around at my lightly furnished room. His eyes dart about like tiny stars, eager to unveil deep secrets with their light exposed from between the canopy of his soft bangs.

Anyway, I'm sure mother and daddy will like my new best friend Seph. I can't wait to introduce them to him! I just know that it will be a lot of fun. Sadly, I haven't been able to meet with Seph's parents yet. Seems like everyone's parents have gone away. I pray it doesn't last much longer, and they all come back. And then perhaps one day we'll have a big dinner party together. We can have confections, tea, and stew. All warm delicacies! Even Jeana can come if she's not busy being nervous!

Sephie's parents are kind of strange, if not distant. They're both involved in some sort of 'sovereignty' that Jeana seems to always bring up at suppertime. Just thinking about Jeana makes me giggle. Jeana is the biggest worrywart of a Gardevoir I know—she'll always be fidgeting or playing with her pretty gown and muttering! Oh the muttering! It must be a nervous habit of hers. She'll occasionally catch herself when she does that, and she winds up flushing like that time when Ivenston veh Altaire—her boyfriend—paid her a surprise visit. Jeana says she doesn't like him, but I know better. When I tease her, she always stammers and tells me to, "go off to bed!". So I know that she's definitely real embarrassed about it! I think Ivenston is nice, he always brings me sugar candy, and he seems to really, really like Jeana a whole lot! Maybe even a bit too much since last time they had an argument about how late he could visit. He was talking about "conscription" the other day and that made Jeana cry. I don't know why.

They're like children sometimes; no different than Seph or me! Jeana isn't ever cranky when "Ivenie"—as I call him—is around. In fact she's extra nice, but when he leaves then she snaps at me if I talk about Ivenston or call him "Ivenie". She doesn't understand that I do that a lot. Like I'll call Sephiteos "Sephie" since he likes to go by "Seph". Names are kind of inane, but Jeana's reactions are a whole different story! It's hysterical! She'll become flustered over the tiniest things, and sent straight into a tizzy. Whenever that happens, Jeana shakes her hips with her arms on them in tiny fists, causing her pretty gown to billow slightly. I would say that it was gorgeous if she didn't have such a grumpy face all the while! But old Miss Grumpy always goes away whenever Ivenston is around. Or when I trick her into thinking he is going to visit. She'll get super angry at that! That's just Jeana's nature I suppose. Her heart takes her up and down fast. She's got a good heart though.

Jeana likes to think that she's my big sister, but I know better. I think it is silly sometimes. We're not sisters, but I can pretend to be if she wants. Anyway, she says Sephie's parents are very important to Home! But the funny thing is that Seph doesn't like to talk about his mother and father too much. Maybe he doesn't know them well enough. Who knows? He always says that they are doing something, but I don't even know what it is they actually do. I get the feeling even Seph doesn't know. I tried asking him before and he even had few funny words for what they like to do: 'official-dumb' and 'boring-aucracy'. It wasn't very descriptive, but from judging his tone I can't imagine how dull whatever it is they do must be! I'm glad that Seph isn't as unexciting as his parents sound. Even if he was though, I'd still want to be with him. I like being together with him.

I smile at my best friend's nervous expression. In response, he turns his head on a wide angle.

He has no idea what I'm thinking of! Our sense of emotion is what gives us Psychic power, but since we are both just children, it is almost impossible to tap into that power outside of battle. Ralts can sometimes read minds, but it is very rare. You have to be tightly connected to the other in order to do it. How can I explain it? I suppose it is like mother always described it: a bridge over a deep creek with fast moving dangerous water. It is sort of like the bridge connecting the peninsula Home is on to the rest of the Hoenn mainland. But what it goes over isn't nearly as important as what it does. A bridge is the kind of thing that lets our feelings go either way. If the shared feelings do it enough, then the bridge becomes just as much yours as it does the other's. Once you build a bridge, you can always see the other side, and once your feelings traverse it enough, you can be just as unsure as to whether you are on your side or not. You can forget where you end and the other begins. Instead you're just one.

That must be so interesting! But Seph and I are a little more than friends. And we're both really young. The bridges I'm talking about take time, effort, and empathy to build. Plus, only grown-ups can do it without risking falling into Feedback Falls every other thought. Grown-ups aren't immune to the Feedback Falls, in fact theirs are supposed to be much worse, but more evitable thanks to a series of defenses found in affection.

Feedback Falls are very dangerous, especially for Gardevoir. Thankfully, I've never been in one. Still, it is a risk I would have to take to earn my adulthood and, more importantly, my 'thas'. Until that fateful day, I'm not able to do much besides feel what others feel. But sometimes those feelings well up inside and make me feel like I'm going to burst. Mother always told me that to dance is the best way to express your feelings. The grace, timing, and fitness is very much needed—a lot of Gardevoir dance, Nightingales even do it in combat. But most important about dancing is the feeling of another. Feeling—that is everything to me. Without it, I wouldn't be me. Seph is the same way. We might not be able to bridge our hearts, but we can feel each other's moods occasionally. In a way, it is protective. For all he knows I could be thinking about the weather outside.

"Is it a pretty day?" I fleetingly ask.

"Uh…umm…" he scratches his head with a free hand, brushing his shard's cliff-like face. "It was sunny when I walked over here. Um…Yeah…"

"Wonderful! I love the sunny weather; it is so warm and soft when it kisses you!" I say louder than expected. I cover my mouth in embarrassment.

"Oh—ha ha, yeah!" he says.

Was I too enthusiastic? I can't help myself at times. I become ebullient when my feelings pitch.

"Mmm!" I hum while pulling my garments so that they don't restrict my body as much. Coiling my two legs under the bed sheets makes for an even more entangled mess for me to get out of. At least it's cozy.

"The weather is so pretty outside; the autumn air is crisp! It is my favorite time of the year, the Harvest Festival, all the pretty leaves…so many marvelous colors…" he trails off.

"Really?" I ask, watching his thoughts twirl through his vague eyes. The colors of his irises were pretty. I liked seeing the russet tones shimmer on the hills overlooking the Frontier in the afternoon sunlight, and his eyes always reminded me of those inflamed sunsets.

"Yes, it is the best isn't it? You can just feel the freshness."

I could certainly feel it. I personally liked autumn's Harvest Festival, but my favorite season is spring by far. Autumn is right before winter, and that is when all the pretty flowers go to bed. The lose all their delightful colors, and then become naked. It is just so sad! I know they'll be back, but I don't like to watch them die in the fall. Nothing should have to die just to be reborn. Especially pretty things. That isn't fair for the flowers or for me!

I open my mouth as if to say something, but then I quickly stop myself. I don't want to tell Seph about the flowers dying since he might feel bad. He might not understand and think I'm being mean. Or selfish. I don't want that to happen.

His concern is oozing off him. "Hum? Is there something you wanted to say Sanaria?"

"N—nothing…" I breathe out slowly.

"Hmm…" he half nods and stares beyond me.

"Sephie?" I look at his eyes as they glass slightly. Rays of light draw his gaze outside of my small window.

"Yeah?" he croons, whilst nonchalantly blinking his dry eyes. Their brilliant warm hues bleed into each other in the most sublime of ways. He's contemplating. It's dreamy to see him do that. I like to imagine he's thinking about me; or us.

I ask, "Whatcha thinking about?"

He nods and feels his tense temple, "I was just thinking about our adventure! Remember the one we were supposed to go on together?"

"OH!" I exclaim. That was what I was so excited about! I had been foolish and almost forgotten, but my mind sure didn't. My heart must have remembered, that's why I had such fun dreams last night. I was thinking about how he promised me to go on an adventure! And better yet, it would be an adventure together. I didn't even care where we went. I'm sure Seph knew everything about adventures. As long as it wasn't the Frontier, only grown-ups went there. Even then, it was mostly Gallade according to daddy since their physical blade arms were the premier way of countering the Frontier Pokemon's ruthless demeanors and Dark type attributes. There was little else the Psi Alliance could rely upon to confront the Frontier Pokemon. Gardevoir were not as equipped. Whereas Gallade have their sword-like blades, Gardevoir are more physically vulnerable. Then again, for a Kirlia to grow up into a Gallade, he has to sacrifice a great deal. It's a physical and emotional struggle even to evolve that way. Especially with the rarity of Dawn Stones and the strict code of the Order of the Aegis. I used to think it was all rather unfair, but mother explained to me. She said that there's no need for worry about our different challenges. So long as there are "protectors protecting each other" you can overcome the individual barriers with mutual love. I think that's what "thas" literally means. "Protector". Or rather: "protector protecting". The terminology is confusing since it is based on an even more archaic phrase from our distant ancestors.

He sees me pondering and asks, "Did you forget, Sana?"

"I—" I shake my head, unsure of how to answer. Part of me did, but another part didn't. I decide to not even reply saying instead, "Are we really going to go and adventure today?! And…um, together?! I can't wait!"

Seph beams at my eagerness, "Heh heh yeah! That's why I was trying so hard to wake you up, Drowzee-head!"

"Oh…"

I look around at the plain unfurnished chamber I called my room. There were a few shelves built into the hollowed out tree base. On these narrow cider benches, there are a few keepsakes here and there from recent nature walks. I used to go on them all by myself, but a while ago I ran into Seph while on my own. He was happy to meet me since he seemed upset at the time. I think he was running away. We talked about adventures and he told me a little about himself. Then we walked off into the Eastern Gardens, beyond the hills. Those gardens are so pretty; they are maintained by a few of the older Gardevoir. Late in the afternoon, you can even see the magenta mirabilis jalapas, or "pretty-by-nights" begin to bloom right when the sun kisses the western lilac tree canopy. When they unfurl their petals, like spinning Kirlia dresses, you can almost taste the sugary-sweet blossoms.

The flowers of the garden have wide petals and their colors vary from white, yellow, orange and purple to pink. If all types are planted and grow, the garden looks like a splash of colors from the color palette of a painter. Sometimes, seemingly magically, the flowers can even change in colors. It is awe-inspiring. The flowers themselves are elegant, delicate and have such an excellent fragrance that just reminds me of Home.

Last week, we went past the Eastern Gardens of Home since the Gardevoir can get angry at you for trampling through the orchard. I thought we could stay a little longer, but Seph insisted that we keep going. It must have been his adventuring spirit—the same spirit persuading me to spend more and more time with him. Together we walked further along and as fate would have it, what we discovered was even prettier beyond the maintained garden!

I still remember exactly how I felt. The way the wind in the trees called my name, and how the grass' hushed whispers beckoned me and Seph to explore the mysterious lands beyond the maintained garden. First, we found a group of leafy fern shoots. They were all so symmetrical and bushy. I felt like if I fell into a pile of them it would be like falling onto a mattress. Or at least much more comfortable than the dried leaves Seph and I just fell into. It seemed relatively insignificant; I wasn't sure how much further I could go. Tiredness was taking over me. And suddenly out of the greenery we found it. A fantasy, a fairy tale: it was a rose garden bursting with fresh blossoms. Sweet and fresh, it was filled with living diamonds and rubies.

The roses had been gowned in petalish grace and lovely beyond telling; the largest one lifted a friendly face to shine as brightly as the sun in splendor. The envy for all the flowers is the rose; its fragrance will consume your every obsession. The rose must be a gift, a precious gift. I'm convinced that the roses are a gift from Heaven above to show us love. Just looking at their gentle blossoms makes me wish that every morning I could awaken to see its blushing petals glisten in the morning sun. Mother always said that love was a fresh rose. I wasn't sure what she meant by that until I saw a rose. Daddy used to pick them for her, but I never saw them in the ground. Mother was right. If love were a rose, it would shine so bright. Brighter than the sunshine over Mother Sea!

But love has prickly thorns! I saw them right as I was about to grab one of them. I think it was actually Seph who warned me. Figures, I was much too enthralled in their beauty to see the danger. We couldn't pick up the roses because they were too spiky, so Seph said to take some of the nearby fern leaves instead to remind us of the journey. It was not nearly as beautiful, it was only a simple fern, there are hundreds, if not thousands of them outside my home. Still I kept it, not because of what it was, but because of what it meant.

I saved the trinket Seph and I found, much to the displeasure of my guardian. Jeana would always tell me, "Now, now, a good Gardevoir doesn't become attached to things…only others." But she doesn't understand. At least I don't think she does. You see, I don't love the trivial gauzy leaf, I love what it reminds me of. When I hold it, I go back to that secret rosebush patch. It takes me there. I see it. I feel it. All the rosy colors were so warm on that day. Seph even told me that the flowers reminded him of my cheeks. That made me flush even more!

"Seph, do you think we can find more of the pretty flowers?"

He bows his head, "Of course! We're going to find flowers and so much more when we go sailing!"

"SAILING?! Haha!" I laugh. What was he even talking about?

"Yup, on the Mother Sea!"

"The big bath tub?" I whimsically giggle.

He nods vigorously, "The very one south of Home!"

I smile; Home is where we all live. Even though we each have an individual home, collectively it is Home. That's the name of it. Mother says humans have lots of homes, but none of them is exactly like Home; they have things called "cities" to the east of Home. "Petalburg" is one of them; I only remember that one's name because it reminds me of a flower's petals. I'm sure that with a name like that, it is a pretty home for the humans.

"We can't swim though silly!" I chastise. "We can float, but that's about it!"

"Of course we can! I have a plan after all," he wildly beams.

"You do?" I ask as I reposition my tiny body to sit up next to his. He doesn't back away and stays close to me. I think he likes me. I really hope he does.

"Yeah, we have to go on an interesting adventure!" He chuckles, "Heh heh, I promise it will be fun."

I think about Jeana for a strange reason. I don't really know why. She's always around the house and taking care of me. She might become worried about me leaving home without telling her. But she's not my mother. And besides, Jeana trusts Seph. Or at least his parents. That much I know. So I'm sure it probably won't really matter to her.

"Oh…okay, was Jeana downstairs when you came in?" I lightly ask his cheerful face.

Seph gives me a dark smile. "I didn't come in through the downstairs!"

"Huh? What?"

The boy Ralts rolls his large eyes from underneath his thick bangs. Then he points at the window. "I got in through there Sanaria! Do you always sleep with your window open? That's dangerous!"

Gasping, I peer at the small frameless window, hewn into the rustic wood itself. There is a neglected sliding piece of teak that would close the window. And instead of that barrier, I could see the bright blue autumn sky from the foot of my elevated bed. Jeana had told me at least a hundred times not to keep the window open. She said wild Pokemon could come in. Though there was one Pokemon I didn't really mind visiting me. Luckily, he was my only guest today!

"You snuck in through the window? That window?! How? Were you able to do the Teleport?" My fascination leaps beyond words.

Shaking his head, he went on to say mildly, "Teleport?! No haha…I can't Teleport so I had to climb. It wasn't that hard, your house is made out of lumber and has plenty of nooks for leveraging my hands and feet. Plus *huff* it wasn't too high up!"

"Oh." At least he was mortal in some way. I like to see that he was being humble. He could have fooled me! Even though Teleporting was next to impossible to do on your own, I'm sure Seph could do it. Typically the larger you became the harder it is to do. It has something to do with being bigger, but I don't know the details. All I know is that it's unfortunate since most of our kind don't find someone they can Teleport with until they are beyond early evolutions and in adult stages, by then it is risky. Ralts and Kirlia have tinier bodies and can do it "easier" but the feat is by no means easy.

Seph springs up unexpectedly and rolls off the narrow bed. He then stands up tall, much like a little general would. He has posture and demeanor all the same. But he was never cold. He always had a warm air about him. A sensitivity not just towards others, but for others. And I wanted to be his other.

"We're going to have such a fun day!" says Seph while he clenches both his fists and shakes them up and down.

"Oh?" I ask his rather animated action.

"It's going to be so much fun that we'll never want to do anything else!"

"Well not when you tell me that…! Hehe," I could not contain the giggles.

"Come on Sanaria! You already slept past noon! If we don't hurry then it'll get dark!"

"Mmm! Ahhh…*Yawn* okay…" Stretching, I pull my bed sheets off. I had crumpled them up quite a bit during my sleep! And what a mess it was. Jeana would scold me for sure if I didn't fold the sheets. After all, my mother has woven them especially for me. They were laced and nearly as white as my tiny gown.

Rolling from the bed, I join Seph on my floor. The floor's narrow wooden planks were a little damp, but not cold. I stare at his bright clear eyes. He's not much taller than me, but I'm a tall girl Ralts, like my mother. Typically, guys were taller than us girls until we evolved into Kirlia. Then it would go back to being this way when we grew up into adults. Grown up boys were always taller than girls it seemed like, whether they were Gallade or not.

Grabbing my hand, he politely points over at the window. Butterfree line my stomach as he tightens his hold. The tingling in my stomach had to be from him. He was my first real friend. I want to be strong enough to be with him. I don't want him to run away. I don't want to give him a reason to leave me. If that meant pretending to not be scared then so be it!

"How can we sneak by Jeana? She's a really observant Gardevoir! She even caught a Pikachu nestled in the pantry the other day!" I say with a smile. "Jeana chased after the tiny mouse Pokemon with a broomstick until it left our home. I bet it was just hungry. Food is hard to find for some creatures."

"Heh ha, poor Pikachu!"

"I was so worried about it! Good thing it didn't try and shock Jeana, otherwise she might have seriously hurt it!"

"We don't need to go downstairs to leave," Seph suggests.

"But then how? You can't jump outside the window!"

"No, but we can use your bed's four-poster curtains as a rope!"

"R—Really?" This is all becoming rather exciting. Daunting, but stimulating. My heart rate elevates symmetrically along with his.

"Yeah of course it'll work, follow me!"

I like his daringness; it makes the sides of my head tingle.

He prances over to the window edge and peers outside. It's not more than a flight and a half of stairs, but for us little children that's a big drop. Maybe not lethal, but certainly painful! Plus, if Jeana found out I would be in big trouble. And if Jeana could catch a sneaky Pikachu, then certainly she'd hear us if we fell from my window.

"Seph! Wait. I can't!"

"Sana, let's do it together!"

"Huh?" What is he talking about? Do what together? Try to Teleport? Is that even possible? Could it be?

"You can hold onto my shoulders while I take this—" the Ralts yanks on one of my bed canopy's pieces of voile cloth. Those were definitely not made by my mother based upon how easily he tugged it off the rod. The semi-transparent white cloth is so thin you could breathe through it. It came down and he deftly spun it, wrapping it into a snake.

I cannot help it, instinctually I hold onto him before he even manages to position his rear fully on the window's edge.

"Sanaria…"

"What?!"

"Umm I…." he wiggles a little in my clutch.

"Oh! I'll let go."

"No you don't have to, just here, get up on the windowsill with me."

"Okay." He gives me a sharp pull that I feel in my shoulder ball and before I knew it, I was sitting right against him on the ledge.

He spins the coiled cloth over and around the window knob, making a tight knot. In the distance, there's an open window. That house belongs to Geoffrey and Tulia. They probably weren't even home. This was so dangerous!

I look over at Seph warily. In response, he pats my head. He must be practically feeling my fear right now. How could he be so brave?

"Now on the count of three. Just hold on tight and whatever you do don't let go."

"Okay, Seph—" I was happy to oblige, but as he began to count down my whole body shook. I look down. The ground below us was just so far away. I'm so scared, so dizzy. Each second seems to go by too quickly.

"One…"

My stomach lurches.

"Two…"

My mind begins to spin along with the rest of the world.

"…THREE!"

I close my eyes in utter fear, preparing for the plunge.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

It was like flying. Holding on desperately to Seph, I felt so out of control. My feet searched for the ground but could not find any. They wiggled frantically, and I tightened my arms around Seph vowing to never let go.

The racing speed we were traveling at soon caught up with my mind.

Curiously, I open one of my eyes and saw that Seph was equally as exhilarated. But then he began to slip just as our decent lulled.

"AHHHH!"

He loses his hold on the piece of cloth and before long, we're falling again! I squeeze tightly, praying this was not the end of our adventure together.

There's a distant "Thump!"

I open my eyes to see that I'm still right next to Seph. Continuing to clutch at his body, I look about and see that we are in a soft pile of freshly raked leaves.

"Gasp!" I jolt, rustling the leaves.

Seph pinches me and begins to laugh.

"What was that for, you almost got us killed! I trusted you!"

"Hehehe!" He points at the leaves below us and devilishly grins, "And this is another reason why I love the fall!"

"You like to fall?! What are you talking about?" Had he lost his mind? Maybe he hit his head or something and was crazy now.

"No, I like the season! Haha, fall saved us from falling! Get it, falling in the fall?"

"…" I could not resist. It was corny, but so innocent and organic. "Hahahahaha!" I begin to laugh impulsively.

"Hahahaha!"

Our hug breaks and Seph helps to pull me out of the leaves. The way their grainy veins stick in my hair made me feel dirty. Then again, I had just woken up.

"Wow…" I mumble, "…is this for real?"

"Of course it is!"

"We didn't die right?" I ask.

"No silly!" he says and pokes me. "Feel that? That means you're not dead!"

"Oh…haha…okay!"

"Come on, I'll bet when 'Miss Jeana veh Eseale' finds out you're off adventuring she'll be jealous!"

"Haha!" I coo as I stir my hand in his, "Oh Seph, you know her too well!"

"Not really, but she seems like a nice Gardevoir."

"Do you like Jeana?" I ask innocently.

Seph stares into the distance as we continue to walk through the field, "…Um…yeah but she's a little old for me—"

"Not like that silly-head!" I say loudly to shock him.

"Oh I thought you meant…" he mutters and lowers his head in embarrassment.

"She's pretty though."

"Yeah…" he says, still feeling embarrassed. I hope that one day I can be as pretty as Jeana. I think I will be. After all, my mother is prettier than Jeana and I'll look like her since she's my mother! Even with her genes, it's very important that I keep myself beautiful throughout growing up. I have to do my part if I want to grow up into a majestic Gardevoir like mother. And then Seph would want to be with me for sure.

"She would probably pretend to get all upset and then want to do it herself! Especially when we tell her about all the pretty flowers!"

"You really love flowers don't you Sana?"

"Flowers make me stop what I'm doing and bring me back to the things we can't explain but we love anyway," I say as we walk past the peony and allamanda bushes.

The massive pompoms of white, pink, and burgundy, spectacularly embraced an entire corner of our tiny yard. It was majestic to simply waltz about their tender figures. If I were not going on an adventure, then that's exactly what I would be doing! Past the attractive hibiscus plants were the extravagant peonies. Whenever the breeze came to dance among the blooms their intoxicating aroma beckoned with a long arm that could even reach all the way into the house.

How I loved the smell of the flowers! In springtime, when the honey scented peonies bloomed in concert with the fragrant lilacs, dozens of blossoms were gathered and brought into the house by my mother. For days, every single room of our humble home brimmed with magnificently bright blooms contrasting the lobed deep green leaves of their narrow stalks.

Any container that could hold water was temporarily transformed miraculously into a dainty vase. You couldn't go anywhere in the house without seeing the beauty. My daddy even put one of the flower blossoms in my hair. I made sure that it accompanied me wherever I went for as long as I could! When I went outside, I pretended that I was a little flower with legs. I could not get enough of the vibrant flowery gorgeousness. Neither could mother! Even after the flowers gave up their velvety petals, they were made to last a bit longer when gathered into several freshly woven wicker baskets to dry. The dried petals made excellent potpourri to be enjoyed during the cold winter months, when such scents of precious spring were all but gone. How I hate the cold chills of winter. It takes away all the beauty of the springtime. Every year I can remember went this way until two summers ago when mother first became ill and unable to tend the peonies after they bloomed.

That year, cruel weeds slowly crept into the flower bushes, strangling, and soon the normally well-tended corner of our yard was a thicket of sorrowful neglect. Daddy had been in the Frontier for a while but when he returned he did not care as much for the flowers. Instead, he tried very hard to make mother feel better. One late summer night evening, after the supper dishes had been cleared, my daddy and I went outside to play catch with a soft ball in the field while mother rested inside. I remember him talking to me as we walked outside, but I forgot what it was he had said to me. His faded garments showed the wear of hard work as he threw the ball in my direction. While in the midst of tossing the cheerful ball back to daddy, a tiny baby Zigzagoon startled me as she twirled herself between my ankles. It must have been one of the Linoone children that were in the nearby forest! Shrieking in surprise, I threw the ball wildly as chills spiraled from my feet all the way up to my rubicund horn. The bright yellow ball darted past my daddy and rolled into the overgrown section of the field by the ragged bushes with a "Plop!".

Daddy smiled and he got the ball. We tossed it a few more times before the cool breath of the summer evening set in. Her soft exhales chilled my core and made me wish my garments were warmer. I told daddy I was cold, and he said for me to go inside and be careful not to wake mother.

I did exactly as he instructed. I'm a good girl after all. But he didn't follow me. I wondered why he did not come in with me. Curiously, I peered out of our window by stepping on a small unpolished oak trunk stool. I pressed my round face against the open window. The candlelight from behind flickered my shadow across the field. From where I watched, I saw daddy out in the field by the bushes, now overtaken and indiscernible from weeds.

I remember gasping at what I saw next. The bright moonlit sky reflected light off daddy's elbows as his shining blades extended slightly. He took his bladed arms and chopped at mother's flowers with untold precision and violence! The overgrown weeds and flowerless bushes were sliced down to bits in a matter of moments. I was appalled! Didn't daddy know just how heartbroken and unhappy mother would be when she discovered her flowers of spring had been destroyed? She was already ill and in bed too!

I did not question my daddy about his seemingly cruel deed. I think I was too afraid to ask. All that night I convinced myself that daddy must have forgotten those peonies were planted there by my grandmother in her youth. I thought of how disappointed everyone would be next spring when the lilacs bloomed unaccompanied. Would they be lonely? I was too scared to tell mother. She never seemed to notice though. Maybe because she was so ill that summer. Flowers became less important to her.

The following spring, mother began to feel much better. She was out of the house and with daddy and me as the buds began to blossom throughout the groves of Home. I skipped alongside mother while we surveyed the sweet honeydew laced smile of spring on our home. We picked at the daffodils that peeked through the cool earth and peeled a few lilac buds to see how soon we could expect the petite yet valorously fragrant flowers.

Then mother walked toward for her favorite corner of the yard. She bent over the area where the peonies had been ravaged so many months before by daddy's sharp sword-like arms. Mother hummed my name as if she were singing, "Sanaria, Sanaria! Come quickly and look at these beautiful bushes!"

At that time in my life, nothing seemed as amazing and impossible all at the same time. I thought mother was delirious. After all, it could not be! How could it be? I thought she was making the story up. Surely, there was nothing there after the weeds and daddy's blades had cleared out grandmother's flowers from the yard.

I excitedly giggled, "Mother?"

But mother kept her elegant composure despite radiating boundless happiness. As she rose and walked towards the house she called out, "I think…I think the flowers will be beautiful this year now."

Puzzled, I slowly turned and looked down at ground. I saw hundreds of tiny green sprouts, trimmed with bright red, all fueled by the warmth of spring, reaching up to kiss the sun. And it was the very best memory I had from the summertime. The neighbors were all envious. How they shook their heads and talked about how mother knew the secret to tending flowers. Daddy helped her that year. I can still recall the sweet aroma of the pinks that scented my room. I'm just happy mother was able to see the flowers before she became very sick this past summer. They even bloomed before daddy left for the Frontier again. I'm sure daddy would not have left if he had known mother was going to be ill again.

I wish we all stayed together for the summer and enjoyed the flowers. Jeana is fun, but she's not the same as mother and daddy. If she didn't worry so much then maybe she wouldn't wrinkle her gown all the time!

"I think we should bring Jeana back some flowers for her and Ivenston," I chuckle.

"That would be nice," Seph says dryly. He might be more interested in the adventure than the flowers themselves.

"Poor Jeana worries so much! I don't know why…I can feel it whenever I'm around her." I say while prodding at the ground with my feet as we walked towards the afternoon sun, and heading southwards, beyond Home. Above I see big fluffy white clouds that look like Pokemon, mountains, and even my mother's tender face. The wonderful smell of fresh cut grass tickles my nose as I gaze at the flowers painting the landscape wherever I look, nodding their heads in as if in agreement with whatever the gentle wind is whispering to them. I feel the cool wetness between my toes as I tangle my feet in the field.

"How?" he asks and my thoughts leave my mother's kind eyes, setback in the sky's bouncy puffs.

"Seph, Jeana is so much different than both of my parents! My daddy is in the Order of the Aegis as a Gallade, but only the men can join that rigorous program. My mother is much more pacifistic—she's no Battle Nightingale that's for sure. And well Jeana is just in the middle somewhat. She has some spunk, but I could never see her hurting anyone unless she had to. Especially not little Pikachu!"

He scratches his head, "What about you though, Sanaria? Would you hurt anyone?"

"No, I don't think so," I say cheerfully. "I don't know why I would hurt anyone to begin with!"

"What if they were going to hurt you though?"

I smile, "Maybe I wouldn't hurt them, but my daddy sure would!"

Seph grins at the mention of my protector. "He must be a really powerful Gallade."

"Yeah…he's so strong, even for them. Daddy is the best. He's tall, imposing, and handsome. He's a brilliant fighter too. But the most impressive thing about him is not all of his strength, but the fact that he cares. His heart is always warm and makes you happy to be around him," I say. Mother is the same way, but her heart has grown dimmer over the years.

"Strong?" he asks cordially. Once more, I sense his apprehension.

"Yeah he's strong for a member of the Order of the Aegis. You…think they're strong too, right Sephie?"

"S—sure I do!"

"My daddy told me all about how they go one huge quests to find the Dawn Stones. It's like our adventure right?"

"I—I guess so…but I don't think we'll find any Dawn Stones on our adventure…"

"Could you imagine if we did?! I'm a girl so the ritual wouldn't work on me, but you're a boy so…"

"*Huff* I'm also a Ralts, so it wouldn't work on me! Plus there's that whole initiation nonsense that goes into it," he fumes unpleasantly.

"It's not nonsense!" I retort. Why is he acting all defensive suddenly?

"Well maybe to you!"

"Why are you so angry?" I ask him as we pass the fence bordering the yard.

"I'm not angry Sana."

He's definitely lying to me! I squeeze his hand, "Yeah you are, I can feel it for sure!"

"Err…you must be flushed from our little tumble," he sighs, "say do you think it is going to rain later?"

I hate it when he tries to change the subject like that. Even if it's innocent, I don't like it because it makes me feel like he doesn't trust me. I trust him; he should know that it's okay to talk to me. I want him to be open to me.

"Sephie, come on tell me! Why do you think the Dawn Stones are nonsense?"

"Because it…*sigh* it isn't right…"

"What's not right?"

"The whole thing," he grunts.

"Huh?"

"Like just everything about the Aegis Ritual and the whole Dawn Star tradition."

My curiosity is rising by the second, "What are you trying to say?"

"It's very complicated for me. There's an awful lot of pressure. Especially for members of the Aegis Order."

"How? You are given a stone and then you go out on a quest to replace it. Afterwards you go on the missions to the Frontier like my daddy," I say reciting the basic uniform principle of the Aegis Order.

"If you're just given a Dawn Stone, there is no real point to it. You don't get it! I didn't earn it. I don't even need to work for it! Heck I would be exempt from having to 'replenish' the Dawn Stone supply because of…*huff* my parents…that's not fair is it?"

"Well I didn't earn my daddy and I got him. And my mother too! Plus Jeana! I did nothing to earn any of them, but I have them. How is your free Dawn Stone any different?"

"I—that's not what I meant…" he says.

He stumbles slightly as we walk through the grove's thicket. Home has a lot of tall grass. Sometimes it can ensnare you if you aren't careful. It's especially risky for us Ralts since we're so tiny.

"Then what did you mean…?" I place my thumb on his wrist as we press through the grassy knots.

"*Sigh* Nevermind."

"Seph…are you afraid?"

"No!"

We continue to walk through the fields, heading toward the sea bank.

"What do you mean afraid? I'm not afraid!" he says after a brief lull.

"I knew it!" I say with warmth. "Listen it's okay to be afraid, you just have to be able to admit that you're afraid first!"

"That's silly, because I'm not afraid, Sana!" he insists, tugging onto lies like straws of hay.

"Why are you afraid though Sephie? Are you scared of not making the cut?"

He shudders, "Just stop it. I'm not afraid of failing."

I knew that was it. He wasn't sure if he was cut out for the program. Judging by his parents, they probably always told him that this is what he had to do. Seph's father was a Gallade too. A really important one too. Daddy even referred to him as "High Constable thas Ashiel". That's a really long name for even a Gallade, but then again Seph's parents are both supposedly central to Home's political affairs.

"You don't have to mope about the Aegis Ritual. It isn't for everyone remember?"

He stomps softly on the moist dirt and belts, "My parents will disown me if I don't go through with it though Sana!"

I start to understand. He feels like he's being forced into something he doesn't want. That must be awful. I don't know how I can make him feel any better. My empathy isn't as good as mother's yet.

"If it makes you feel better, I can't do it, that's for sure. I'm a girl after all."

"I'm not a girl!" he predictably responds. "That's not funny!"

"Te he, I know that silly! I wasn't saying that you were!"

"Then what are you trying to tell me?"

"You don't have to be a part of the Order of the Aegis if you don't want to. Whereas I can't even if I wanted to!"

"Then what though? It's not like…"

"Let's see…oh, I know! There's always the Battle Nightingales," I say. "I love them! They're so beautiful, so graceful, so…"

"—The Nightingales?" he interrupts.

"Yeah they're amazing, Seph! Jeana told me that there was a Gardevoir Nightingale who could actually copy her opponent's abilities and use them against them! She could Levitate indefinitely, encase herself in Sturdy steel armor, and even prevent all damage through the sacred Wonder Guard."

"*Sigh* I don't know a single male Gardevoir in that Order though…"

"It isn't an 'Order', Sephie, it's a title. Like Knighthood for Gallade in the Order of the Aegis," I say. I feel like I know everything thanks to daddy's stories.

"Whatever!" he shouts. "It would be crazy for me to be a 'Battle Nightingale' when I have a Dawn Stone at my disposal.

"Well you can be the first if you want to!"

"I think I have to grow up the way my parents want me to; if father found out that I wanted to join the Nightingales instead of the Order of the Aegis…"

"You wouldn't join them silly, why do you keep saying that? It's only a distinction. It means you have combat abilities that would make any human trainer green with envy."

"I don't care what humans think, they don't do anything to help us! Humans can poach us and treat us like animals despite our similarities. Worse still, they never helped us in the Frontier, Sana. They aren't allowed to enter Home because of poor relationships. But why would they even want to? We don't have any resources for them to extract and rip out of the earth. That's all humans care about."

"Humans might be callous, but they're like us Seph!" I say as I hold my heart with my free hand.

"You have no idea, Sana. You've never dealt with humans before."

"Despite never meeting a human before, I think that every creature deserves a chance."

"Whatever…" he grumbles, "I thought this was about the Nightingales!"

I smile widely and curtail his logical thoughts, "Then you can make history. Tell you what; I would even go with you so that you have a friend."

"I would get made fun of," he insists.

"I won't let that happen! We can go together and become Battle Nightingales! We'll dance gracefully and fight valiantly!"

Just the thought of us doing something so personal together makes my heart flutter with a desire to be close to him.

"I think I'll pass…"

"How can you say that?" I poke at him, "I thought you wanted to try and do new things!"

"I'm not sure what I want now."

"You want an adventure with me don't you?"

I could see him blush at my subtle pairing of the two of us.

"Yes. Just the two of us Sana?"

I didn't expect my pointed words to be reflected straight back at me. In fact, it stupefied me. My mind ran with the fantastic thought of Seph and I doing everything together from now on.

"Yeah," my fingers had recently coiled up into a knot around his hand. He seems to like it based upon that silly look on his face.

"Um…okay, I want to go on an adventure with you."

"Ha ha, we are already on an adventure though! What about when we are done with this one?"

"We can…stay on our adventure I suppose. It doesn't have to be a certain way. We can figure it out as we go along. This is one adventure, but there will always be more."

"See what I mean?"

Scratching his head the Ralts insisted, "No I don't."

"All I'm saying, Sephie, is that there's always another way to do something. Don't feel like you're boxed in—"

"—Yeah but you don't have the pressure from—"

I begin to grow frustrated with Seph's circular arguments. He isn't exactly thinking clearly. Emotions must be running really high within him. Who am I kidding though, I could feel those feelings radiating off his small body. I could see them like a meteor shower of sparkling light.

I say crossing my arms, "Humph! Where is this sailing thing?"

"Oh!" Seph's eyes light up. "Heh I can't wait to show you, you're going to think it's the best idea ever."

"Oh, now you have to tell me!"

"I can't!"

"What!? Why not Seph?!" I holler.

"I told you it's a surprise! Trust me."

"That's not fair! I want to know…!"

"We're almost there; the shore is right up ahead past these small borderland homes. I promise it won't be long."

"I gotta know though!" I say as the briny scent of the Mother Sea floods my delicate nose, filling me with ambition. I rub one of my fingers along its smooth curve.

Seph giggles to himself, "My, you're impatient!"

He walks to the waterfront. The soft gulf laps gently on the narrow and rocky shore bank. I love Mother Sea. The banks of this water never seem to overflow, and it's always calm. The afternoon sunlight shines in bright reflections like a trial of diamonds leading to the puffy clouds on the southern horizon.

"You're the one to blame for that by teasing me with something so…" I start off, but he soon stops and raises a hand when we reach a clothesline on the water's edge.

"—And here it is!"

I look at the rocky shore. The only thing here is an empty Gardevoir's washing basin next to a taut wire for drying cloth supported by two short wooden poles.

"You said we would be sailing, Sephie!"

"Oh did I? Well take a good look at our sailboat!" he exclaims.

Seph dramatically points at the small washtub. It could probably hold three Ralts at best without sinking, and maybe one large Kirlia. The interior of the basin is clean, but who knows what kind of dirty laundry was put in there before! At least it wasn't rotting wood though.

I nudge him with my elbow, "What are you talking about Sephie? Aren't we a little too old to be sharing a bath together? You said sailing not bathing right?"

He flushes, "I did. See, all we need to do is jump inside the washtub, push it off to sea and we're sailing!"

"That's not going to work at all silly!" I splutter, "How do we steer?"

"Oh don't worry I have that all figured out—"

"—Yeah just like your brilliant bed curtain idea from before I'll bet—"

"What was that?" Seph defensively inquires.

"Nothing, go on… *snicker*" I sweetly reply. "Tell me your brilliant plan!"

"All you do…" he reaches up for the clothesline and grabs a thick rectangular sheet, by standing on his tiptoes "…is take some nearby cloth…hmm…"

"W—What are you doing now Seph?"

He tugs on one of the support beams shallowly pressed into the rocky shore. "…And then you grab a pole…puncture the stick through twice…hmm like so…and there you have it! It's a sail for the sailboat!"

He stuck the rod into the bottom of the wooden basin and it drove into the floor board's divot. It fit snugly and stood up just a little crooked. The square piece of linen resembled a very rudimentary sail.

"It looks a little droopy to be a sail. And the sailboat still looks like a washtub to me!"

"Well it'll work Sanaria!" he avers.

"But what if someone needs to use the washtub?"

"Huh?"

"You know what if they need to wash their kids? Won't they miss it?"

"Oh it's fine. If they were actually using it then we wouldn't take it!"

I shake my head at his deviousness. "That doesn't make much sense…"

"Come on! Besides, I think going on a sailing adventure is more important than washing a few babies right away! We'll bring it back when we're done!"

"Oh…fine!" I shout. While not persuaded by his reasoning, I was certainly enticed by the idea of the two of us going off on a sailing adventure together. That trumped the idea of doing wrong. After all, I had already been a bad girl today by running off from my home without letting Jeana know.

"Okay," he tugs on the washtub eagerly with both his hands. Seeing him struggle, I begin to help him out.

"Need some help?"

Together we guide the unwieldy craft to the water's edge. It's heavy, but slides on the tiny grey shore rocks.

As the boat's rim touches the warm gulf he smiles, "Haha, thanks Sana! Here, I'll help you get inside."

He lifts me on his shoulder and I manage to clamber into the vessel. After my light body is inside, I outstretch my hand and help him into the makeshift boat.

"Okay, all aboard! Ta ha, we're going to push off!" he cries out.

"Wait!"

"What is it now?"

"We have to name the—I mean our—sailboat!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, haven't you heard of that tradition?" I lie. Not maliciously, but out of fun.

"What tradition?" Sephiteos was probably aware of any imaginable one of our civilization's rituals and traditions.

"You gotta name the boat before you take off…"

"Why?"

"Um…otherwise bad things happen and a big sea monster will gobble you up whole!" I squeak. Then I raise my arms and stretch them out in front of me. I clap them together, pretending they are a big jaw. "Chomp!"

"Haa…No way. I've never heard of that!" he half-laughs, unsure of whether or not I'm tricking him.

"Well it's your risk if you want to take it!" I continue to fib.

"Fine…I guess we better name it, how about the—"

"Wait, you aren't going to offer to me the chance to name our vessel?! That's not polite!"

"Oh I thought you wanted me to…"

"I think The Florentina is a perfect name!"

"Florentina?" he asks pawing the sail as the breeze picks up. "How did you come up with that?"

"That's my mother's name! 'Florentina thas Veseria'! Don't you think it's pretty?"

"I…I guess so."

"What were you going to call our sailboat, Sephie?"

He giggles, "I was going to call it the 'Super Awesome Sail Anywhere on Adventures TigerSharpedo Boat'."

"Hahaha! And I guess that's why we're going to call it the Florentina instead!"

"What's wrong? You don't like my name idea?"

"No it's not that," I joke, "I think it takes too long to say though!"

"I suppose you're right. Okay, the Florentina it is!"

"Now we can go on our adventure!"

"Okay Sana, let's go!"

"Seph…okay."

"Is something the matter?"

"No…nothing's the matter."

"Why do you look like you aren't sure of something Sana?"

The sparking aquatic path ahead of us is serene; it is a pathway illuminated by diamonds from the sun. I close my eyes and hold Sephiteos close to me as dear frolicking winds dance through our hair.

"*Sigh* I just want our lives to touch."

He places his arm around my back. I can feel the warmth of his body against my own. Everything slows down. My heart is aflutter, but then again so is his.

"Me too Sanaria."