Writer's Notes: Alrighty, folks, here it is! Although this is not the first piece that I've actually published, this is the first piece that I actually started working on. I began writing this in early September of 2012 and it's been a long time in the making. Those of you who are already familiar with my other works will notice that this one is much more in-depth; it is also my first foray into a multi-chapter fic. I am so proud of this particular piece, and I hope that you folks enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. It truly is the pièce de résistance of my works. So, without further ado, I present "To Aspertia and Back"!

Chapter One

"Bianca!" Cheren called from the narrow dirt road. "Bianca!"

He could see the outline of Bianca's body against the wooden railing that acted as a barrier between the tiny town and the sea. Her blonde hair shone in the early morning light, and her arms were draped elegantly over the saltwater-stained railing.

'It had been too long', he thought to himself. The idea of once again being in close proximity to Bianca - who was, unarguably, his favorite individual in the world - was a glimmering prospect to the new Gym Leader, and this particular visit was much-needed.

Cheren had been faced with immense changes in the past two years, and while he had eventually adapted, he would no longer deny that the amount of chaos had been considerable. He had been faced with a plethora of trials all relatively close to one another, and wouldn't hesitate to admit that he had handled them poorly at the beginning. The Team Plasma affair had drawn to a close with Touko's climactic battle with N on that fateful day nearly two-and-a-half years ago. That had been the beginning of changes for Cheren - the start of a series of events that originally left a bitter taste in his not-too-worldly mouth, but which he now credited as the source of his self-discovery.

Touko left immediately after the battle. At first, Cheren had wondered if it was an act of defiance, but he came to realize the tug of love that the brunette girl had felt for the green-haired man was too strong for her to ignore. She took to the skies on Reshiram's back, and had yet to return from her search for the pariah who had captured her attention.

Cheren's first impulse was to be consumed by anger. He wondered how she could leave her three dearest friends without so much as a second thought, but his anger quickly dissolved into sadness when he realized that the aforementioned frustrations stemmed from his own desire to ensure that things stayed the same. Cheren wasn't fond of changes, and had been too naïve at the time to realize that his world would eventually grow wider whether Touko was present or not.

It had been far less frustrating, but still disappointing, when Touya revealed his desire to explore other regions. He left not long after Touko and promised to stay in touch. He had kept his promise fairly well until the recent months, but Cheren allowed his friend some room to breathe and decided that he must be busy with his own endeavors. He knew Touya too well, and with that fact came the satisfaction of knowing that the brown-haired boy wasn't one to break promises.

For a short while, it had been just Cheren and Bianca, taking comfort in one another's presence and deciding upon their next steps. Cheren studied under Lenora, in the hopes of taking over her position as a Gym Leader one day, while Bianca opted to work as Juniper's intern and eventual assistant. She had informed him that while she wasn't entirely certain that she wanted to be a researcher, it was better than sitting idly by and waiting for something to change on its own. To her credit, Cheren thought it was a wonderful idea - he also believed that she was a tremendously good assistant, as Juniper's research moved at a notably faster pace and he noticed the familiar sparkle reemerge in Bianca's peridot eyes after being dormant for so long. Those weeks, however, were transient; melding into a few short months before Cheren's new obligations took him away from Nuvema Town and to all corners of Unova before Alder had learned that he had become a Gym Leader's apprentice. The Champion had contacted him soon after that and asked him to teach at the hybrid Gym and Trainers' School.

Just before he left for his explorations - not knowing that they would eventually lead him to the highly sought-after Gym Leader position that he had been hoping for - he promised Bianca that he would stay in touch. He had kept his promise for just over two years. There had been letters and XTransceiver calls, and they had faithfully retained contact with the exception of the few brief months before he started the job.

After he had proven himself worthy of the position, he had been asked to relocate to Aspertia City, a small but rapidly-growing city in Unova's far western reaches. Alder's offer couldn't have come at a more perfect time, and he vowed to visit Bianca to deliver the good news in person.

However, before he could do so, he ran into her on his very first day in Aspertia - nearly literally, as she had been barreling towards the Gym and had skidded to a halt just in time to look up and meet the cobalt-colored eyes of the man she loved. A look of elation crossed her face, and he momentarily lost himself in the glittering pools of peridot that he missed dearly and often longed for. She had, apparently, come to Aspertia at the request of Professor Juniper, and had just delivered starter Pokémon to two new Trainers by the names of Mei and Kyouhei - Trainers who, ironically, reminded him of Touko and Touya, both in their fiery determination and nearly-inseparable bond. There had been a third Trainer, too: a blue-haired boy named Hugh, whom Cheren had recognized as a fireball from the moment they had met.

After the three new Trainers had finished their Gym Battles, Cheren had rushed back to Bianca and encased her in the most passionate hug he'd ever delivered. She stayed at the Gym that night, and they had spent the moonlit hours reveling in one another's company. By the time the sunlight began to dance over the peaks of the mountains, it was as if nothing had ever changed - they had shared secrets, hopes, fears and the occasional kiss just like they always had; vowing to make frequent trips to visit each other. So far, it was going incredibly well, and Cheren was absolutely thrilled. He had been steadily growing in his search for his identity, and the Gym Leader position had been immensely helpful to his quest. However, the thought of living across that sea, even if was still in the same region, and away from the woman he loved had given him an extremely uneasy feeling, which he remedied by returning to Nuvema Town as much as he could.

That day in Aspertia, however, had been the start of a series of visits so frequent, it soon felt that any distance between them was irrelevant. She fell into the habit of showing up at his Gym at random, and he typically visited her every couple of weeks, bringing with him a box of pastries from his favorite bakery in Aspertia or some other little knickknack that he knew would make her smile. This time, he had something that he knew would bring an enormous grin to her face... but he decided to give her the other present first.

"Bianca!" He called again, finally within earshot. The blonde turned and broke into an enormous smile.

"Cheren!" She ran to him, her arms spread wide. He caught her, feeling her arms drape over his slender shoulders. He wrapped his own arms around her as tightly as he could, pulling her closer. Wordlessly, he breathed in, enjoying the scent that he had come to associate with her - a mix of sweet violets and some other unidentifiable flower.

"Cheren," she breathed.

"Bianca," He whispered back. "Just let me hold you for a moment".

He pulled the shorter girl closer to his body and felt her fingers clench the fabric of his shirt. He pulled back, gazed at her for the briefest of moments and leaned in to place his lips on hers. She melted into him and he gently nipped at her bottom lip. She knew what he wanted and she obliged, lips parting slightly to allow him in. He felt her warmth and tugged her even closer to him. He couldn't believe it finally happened; that Bianca was back in his life after the agonizing years he had spent away from her. He couldn't let that happen again, ever.

He pulled back and gazed at her, her peridot eyes shining behind her glasses. She smiled at him.

"Shall we?" She asked, taking his hand and leading him in the direction of the tiny apartment above the annex of Juniper's laboratory. He nodded.

As they walked back to her little apartment, hand in hand, he couldn't feel anything other than relief for seeing her again after so long. She unlocked the door and led him up the flight of stairs, and he eagerly followed her. As they entered her apartment, he could smell something delicious, although he couldn't quite place his finger on what it was.

Bianca led him to the living room, where he removed the bag from his shoulder and set it down on the floor in front of the couch. He placed his jacket next to his bag and extracted the little box from his pocket.

He turned to where Bianca had gone, following her into the kitchen where she was stirring a pot on the stove.

"I made soup," she smiled, "vegetable, because I knew you'd be hungry after that trip."

Cheren smiled at her consideration.

"I brought you a present," he began. Bianca turned to face him.

"Really?" she grinned, crossing the room to accept the tiny black box he held out to her. Their hands brushed as she went to take the box, and he lingered, wanting to savor every second of her touch. "Oh, Cheren!" she grinned as she removed the lid and pulled out the figurine inside. "A little Zorua! I love it!"

Cheren smiled. "I found it in this little shop in Aspertia," he started. "The guy who worked there told me that they had all of the Pokémon from every region, but I picked that one because I remembered how much you liked Zorua the first time you met one when we were in Striaton." He smiled, thinking of that first day of their journey. A boy had been walking down the street with a Zorua following him, and Bianca had approached him and asked if she could pet the little grey fox. Cheren remembered how much he admired Bianca for her enthusiasm and her gentleness towards the little creature.

"It's perfect. Thank you, Cheren." Bianca smiled.

"You're welcome."

She leaned in and placed another kiss on his lips. He wrapped his arms around her again, holding her close as she moved her soft lips against his. He couldn't believe how long it had been since he had the chance to hold her.

"Come, I'll make us some tea." She tugged at the cuff of his sleeve.

"Alright." Cheren did as he was told, following Bianca into the apartment's tiny kitchenette. She stood on tiptoe to gather a few boxes off one of the higher shelves in the cupboard and placed them on the table. Cheren sat.

"Pick one," she urged, and he selected a simple green tea. She fetched two teacups, each blue and decorated with flowers, and placed the bags inside turning away again to fetch the teapot, which she carefully set on the table. As she filled the teapot with hot water, she remembered to place the little sugar bowl on the table as well. Although she usually drank her tea unsweetened, Cheren would complain if his tea was too bitter. She remembered all of the times they had been out to lunch together - "I need sugar. Hold on. I'm going to go and get a few packets", he would tell her. As she placed the sugar bowl in front of Cheren, he broke into a wide smile.

"You remembered!"

"Of course I did, Cheren! I would never forget that." She smiled at him, noting how familiar he looked with that little smile tugging at the corners of his lips. As they drank their tea, they began to catch up with what they had missed since they had last seen one another. She told him about her newest projects in assisting with Professor Juniper's research, and he smiled as her enthusiasm shone through in her voice. 'She is so happy,' he thought to himself, 'I'm happy for her.' She listened, eyes wide with adoration, as he told her about some of the challengers that had come to face him at the Aspertia Gym.

"I still can't believe it. I remember getting the Basic Badge from Lenora in Nacrene two years ago, and now here I am, handing out the same badge to kids that remind me so much of us."

"I never doubted you or your strength," Bianca started. "When you became a Gym Leader, I wasn't surprised at all. I knew you could do it, Cheren. You've always been so skilled. You deserve this."

His eyes widened at her encouragement, and she smiled at him before standing up to serve the soup, now simmering and filling the kitchen with the delightful fragrance of a home-cooked meal. After they finished, Bianca stood.

"Come on, let's sit on the couch and we can finish chatting." She smiled. Cheren wove his fingers between hers and followed her into the tiny living room area.

"Bianca, I..." he started as he sat on the couch. "I have news."

"Oh?" Her expression shifted from contentment to worry as she sat, pivoting on the cushion to face him.

"Oh, no, it's good news!" he assured her. "It's really good news, actually."

"Okay!" Bianca let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Well... As you know, Aspertia is growing. They're building new houses and businesses, and a lot of the construction is taking place around the Gym." He paused, absorbing the incredulous look on her face. "Well, they're, um, temporarily closing the Gym," he smiled. "So that they can finish the construction without any interruptions. Trainers can either wait to start their journeys or give a different gym a try. But I have no obligation to return to Aspertia until early autumn." Bianca's eyes were wide. "So... I can stay this time. And we can be together."

Bianca broke out into a huge smile that could light a thousand rooms. "But... it's only a few weeks into spring! Do you mean it? You'll actually be here for... five months?!" Her eyes were wide and gleaming. Cheren smiled, the brief nod of his head confirming the answer she sought.

"Yes. Yes, I will. And I intend on spending every single second of it with you." Cheren leaned forward and Bianca followed his lead. He took her face in his hands and leaned so that his nose touched hers. "I'll be here, Bianca. We can catch up on everything we missed." He delivered a quick kiss to her waiting lips before pulling away and tenderly placed his face in the crook of her neck, leaving tiny trails of kisses as he moved. She sighed and Cheren continued his gentle motions, noting the way she shivered under his touch. Bianca reached up and ran her fingers through his thick black hair, and he locked his arms against her back. As he worked his way back up to her mouth, he couldn't help but notice how sweet her skin tasted, how wonderful she smelled, how soft her hair was...

In an effort to catch his breath, he pulled back, breathing heavily. She did the same, two slender fingers traveling to touch her bottom lip.

"Wow," she breathed. He smiled. "That was... unexpected. And terrific."

A light blush appeared on his cheeks, happy to have had her enjoy the experience so much. "So..." he began.

"I'm so excited that you're here," she smiled, "...and that you're staying. I can't believe I get you all to myself for five months".

Cheren smiled. He remembered the day that he had officially moved to Aspertia – coincidentally, it was also the first day that the Gym was open.

"Wow…" Bianca had breathed, taking in the view from the Aspertia City Outlook. "You can see the mountains from here!"

"Ah, but nothing compares to sitting on the dock or on the sand with you at home in Nuvema," he had answered, wanting her to know that even though he needed to take this position, he knew that his real home was the little town that he and the love of his life had grown up in.

"I was up here earlier," she informed him. "This is where I waited for Mei and Kyouhei, but I didn't really get the chance to take it all in. It's... breathtaking."

"Driftveil and Mistralton are just on the other side of those mountains," he informed her, gesturing to the majestic series of peaks in the distance. "That one," he started, pointing to a rugged mountain in the middle of the cluster, "Is the one that Chargestone Cave runs through. That one," he pointed to the mountain immediately to the right of the first, "is Mistralton Cave, and THAT one," he gestured to the tallest peak, set slightly further back than the others, "Is Twist Mountain."

"Whoa..." Bianca breathed, all she could manage as she took in the grandeur of the scenery.

They stood there for a while, quietly savoring the company that they had missed before walking back to the city.

As they had stood in the center of the newly completed Gym, Bianca had wrapped her arms around Cheren and whispered, "I'm so proud of you. You deserve this so much". He squeezed her tightly, not wanting to let her leave, despite the fact that they had made plans for him to visit in just a few weeks.

"Go," she had said, "And be the best Gym Leader you can be. You're such an amazing battler, Cheren. I'm so proud of you. This..." she gestured at the empty Gym, one that she knew would be flooded with Trainers in a matter of days. "...This is yours. This is all for you. Build a legacy, Cheren. Make your dream come true."

A few stray tears had spilled down her face, and he had to resist the urge to tell her that she was the most important thing he dreamed about.

She didn't loosen her grasp, and he leaned in to rest his chin on the top of her head. They stayed like that before they walked outside, hand in hand, and she climbed onto the back of the Unfezant that Doctor Fennel had loaned to her.

"Don't forget me!" she called.

"I never could!" he shouted back with a smile. "I'll see you in a few weeks!" and then, even louder and with more feeling, "I love you!"

"I love you, too! Bye!" she had called back to him, disappearing into the clouds as Fennel's Unfezant carried her in the direction of their hometown. Cheren sighed. They had said those words for years, but they sounded so much sweeter to his ears after two long years apart.

Cheren stared at her now. "Believe it". He smiled "I'm here, and I'm all yours".

They lost themselves in a conversation about anything and everything, talking for hours before Bianca sat up. "I'm hungry. Are you hungry? I'll make lunch." As she walked into the tiny kitchen, she turned and noticed a few stray raindrops splattering against the window. "It's raining," she informed him, placing her wrists on the window ledge and turning to where he still sat on the couch.

"Then I guess it's a good day to just stay inside and talk," Cheren concluded.

Bianca found herself all to eager to comply, and they spent the rest of the day losing themselves in the conversation, smiling when one of them recalled a memory from their journeys or sighing wistfully as they discussed how many things had changed. The tiny room grew dark from the lack of light streaming through the windows before Bianca glanced at the clock.

"Oh! It's almost midnight already!"

"I can't believe we spent all day catching up," Cheren countered.

"I can." She smiled. "It was fun. Hold on, I'm going to go and change." She stood and slipped into the tiny bedroom off to the side of the living room. Cheren sighed. He was here, with her, and he was looking forward to every second of the next few months.

"Here you go," Bianca reemerged from the bedroom, clad in an oversized t-shirt and carrying a pillow and a few blankets. She set them on the couch and got to work making a place for him to sleep.

"Bianca, I can do that," he suggested, trying to offer as much help as he could.

"Nonsense, you're my guest!" She smiled brightly. "...And there you go!" She chirped, fluffing the pillow.

"Okay. Give me a second; I'm going to go and change." He slipped into the bathroom that was adjoined to her bedroom and she wandered over to the kitchenette to straighten up the counter.

"Oh, Cheren?" she called.

"Yeah?"

"You can just keep your toothbrush and stuff in there, if you want to. You don't need to store it in your bag!"

"Okay!" he called back, slipping his toothbrush into the holder and placing his contact lens case on the counter. 'Less than twenty-four hours and I'm already getting comfortable,' he thought. 'Not a bad thing at all.'

He wandered back into the living room, and she turned to him, a blush creeping over her face. He wore nothing but a pair of boxers and a white t-shirt, and he reached up to flip his ever-errant strand of hair back from his face. Bianca had to resist the urge to tackle him and kiss him until she couldn't breathe; instead opting for a private smile.

"Good night, Bianca."

"Good night, Cheren."

She slipped into her bedroom and Cheren climbed under the blankets of the makeshift bed she had prepared, sighing as he pulled the blankets tighter around his body. He took one last glance around the apartment before closing his eyes and falling into the most comfortable sleep he'd had in months. He was home.