[Introduction: This chapter gets a little romance-novelish. If you have a problem with romance novels, then stop reading now. I find it hard to write a good story without a little romance in it. Here is Chapter 2 of "A Fresh Beginning".

Chapter 2: Rescue & Rekindling

"HEY!"

The eyes of the heroine gradually opened. Water? Cold! It was so cold!

"Hey, you!"

The voice called again. Shana slowly lifted her gaze upwards and saw a young man, probably a year older than her, racing along the ledge that outlined the river. She tightened her grip on the log and glanced over her shoulder to make sure Squirtle was there. He was.

"There's a bunch of rough rapids ahead! If you don't get yourself out now, you'll be sucked under and most likely won't resurface!"

She nodded and began devising a plan. The flow of the river was picking up even faster than it already was. Squirtle was too small and could never survive something like this. She at least had a small chance. Her elbow gently nudged her pal who awoke slowly.

"Squirtle! You've got to get up on the log and jump to the ledge, okay?"

He nodded and climbed up over her onto the log. The tallest branch he could manage to climb onto helped give him a smaller boost. His small legs inched up the branch with careful precision then crouched down. He took a leap, rocking the log a hint. Shana watched him fly towards the ledge and land flat on the front of his shell. The guy running picked up the creature and frowned when he saw the river flow into rapids.

"Look out!" he yelled.

The log slammed into a rock and twisted it around so that Shana was ahead of it. It gradually rolled with the weight of her and pushed her under. Her hand gripped the branch and held on tight. Courage gathered within her. Her eyes slowly opened to the icy waters, stinging horribly. She couldn't shut them. She had to see.

Something dark was coming up. Was it a rock? Was it a Pokemon? It was a Cloyster! The girl swung herself out of the way as it passed and slammed into a large rock. The branch was ripped from her fingers when she was slammed, so she had no choice but to hold on to the rock. Using what strength she had, Shana pulled herself up to the surface. Water was coughed from her mouth. Her eyes stung. Everything was so cold. The water was pressing her really hard up against the rock so that she could barely move at all.

"Here, let me help you!"

A warm hand gripped her arm and lifted her easily from the rock. The young man who had been following her on the ledge held onto her and looked around at the large white rock they were standing on. There wasn't any room to step anywhere. It was barely big enough for both of them.

"Squirtle squirtle!"

The two looked up at Squirtle waving his arms frantically. He directed their attention upstream. A Charizard was flying straight towards them and it didn't appear as if he was going to stop! The man's arm wrapped around her waist.

"Hold on!"

Just as the Charizard began to swoosh past them, the man caught his arm on the dragon's neck and swung them both onto the creature's back just in front of the wings. Shana was sat just in front of the young man, feeling the cool breeze of the night whip through her black tresses. His warm arms came around her, one wrapping around her abdomen while the other hand held onto Charizard's neck. The Charizard made a wide U-turn and zoomed towards Squirtle. The man leaned over and swept the turtle up from the ledge. He smiled with the return of the Pokemon to its rightful trainer. The Squirtle settled in her lap and hugged her tight.

"Thank you," she mumbled.

"You're welcome."

His white, perfect teeth sparkled when he grinned at her. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards into a weak smile before she looked ahead. The Charizard made another wide U-turn and flew towards the South where the river was originally headed.

"We won't be in Johto for about an hour. You can rest," he whispered in her ear.

His closeness stirred a tingling sensation in her stomach, but it was ignored. Her eyes drooped. He was so warm. Her eyes grew even heavier and finally, her eyelids sank over her eyes. The man smiled as the young woman fell asleep in his arms.

(-o-)(-o-)(-o-)(-o-)

The blankets shifted when the mysterious beauty rolled over. It was warm and fuzzy. The whole room was warm. Unaware of her audience, her lips curled into that sweet smile the sun admired so much before the war. The man now admired it from where he lay. She could feel someone running his fingers through her black curls, but she didn't care. It felt nice to be warm and…loved?

Shana opened her eyes suddenly and sat up clutching the covers tight to her chest. The chuckle that escaped the man beside her snapped her eyes to him. The blue was already beginning to fade back to green. His smile warmed his blue eyes.

"Good morning," he chuckled. "Did you sleep well?"

Her eyes roamed over his figure, which to her relief was clothed, and without thinking about what she was doing, she admired his broad shoulders and chest. The thoughts were forced from her mind the moment she looked up into his eyes.

"Y-yes, thank you."

"Good. I'm sorry if this seems awkward, but I don't really have any other place for you to sleep. I've just moved in, mind."

The more he talked Shana wondered why she hadn't noticed his accent right away. His voice was deep and masculine with an accent like that of an Englishman. The rich, deep voice mingled with the handsome, masculine body produced a strange reaction deep within her. It was almost like she was secure again.

"I-it's fine. Thank you."

Her eyes followed the stranger when he climbed from the bed and strolled casually across the room to the fireplace; Squirtle slept curled up among a few blankets underneath her clothes that were hung above the mantle to dry. The sight of her clothes surprised her. For a second, she thought she was naked, but she realized she was dressed in a pair of shorts and a baggy shirt. Shana looked up from checking beneath the covers and found the man smiling at her.

"Forgive me, but your clothes were drenched. You would have caught a cold."

An odd amount of embarrassment crept into her chest. It was odd because it was a small amount of embarrassment and there was more…nervousness. He had seen her without her clothes! This was a new experience for her and it made her very unsettled. The expression on her face drew another chuckle from the man.

"I have some fresh clothes for you other than those, but you might prefer to go shopping for the celebration. You will be there, I take it?"

Shana gave him a puzzled look.

"The celebration?"

"You…? Hmm," he caressed his peach-fuzz in thought. "I shall take you, then, so that you may experience it for yourself. I am new to Johto as well, but I have simply gained information from others about their customs. This week, starting tonight, Olivine City is hosting a celebration to welcome those from new regions. As I understand it, several ships from other regions will be arriving carrying people who have traveled the world. They'll bring new items, new Pokemon, new fashion trends, and much more!"

The young woman frowned. What if the people from her land came? What if they recognized her? She couldn't risk the exposure. A shake of her head was a refusal to his offer.

"Thank you, but no. I must be going."

"Going?" he looked astounded at the idea. "You can't go now. We haven't even made introductions!"

"I don't have time to make them now, I'm sorry."

He frowned and watched as Shana hurried from the bed to rouse Squirtle from his sleep. The man moved in front of her to block her; she almost ran into him.

"Let him sleep. You both need a little rest, especially with that wound."

His finger indicated the wound on her shoulder that, to her surprise, had been mended. Her eyes rose to meet his.

"Stay," he whispered. "Please."

She couldn't. He couldn't know anything about her. They couldn't stay in one place too long. Her past would catch up with her…

"I—"

A knock on the door interrupted her. The man frowned in curiosity and went to the door. He had opened it only slightly to see who it was, but the intruder simply burst in and strode into the room as if he owned the place. His arms were thrown wide from his slender chest, nose lifted and taking in a deep whiff of the air in the house.

"Ahh! Aidan, you have chosen a fine house! Near the ocean with plenty of view of the city, too!"

The sound of Squirtle waking up turned the man's attention to the tiny turtle and the young woman who was drawing the Pokemon from his sleep. A glint of malicious charm sparkled in his golden eyes.

"Good morning, miss! I am surprised to see Aidan has finally decided to find a girl to settle down with."

Shana rose from her kneeling position beside Squirtle whom was now awake. The man swept towards her and adorned the back of her hand, which he had taken without permission, with a kiss. Rather quickly, Aidan stepped between them both and smiled at his friend.

"She's not the girl I am to settle down with. She was flowing down a river and I simply allowed her to rest here in dry clothes."

The man measured Aidan with his eyes in surprise.

"You're a hero? My, my! I never took you for the heroic type, Aidan!"

Aidan's smile faltered fleetingly. The man certainly didn't catch it, but Shana did.

"…Well?"

"Well what?" Aidan blinked.

"Introduce us!"

"Oh! Of course. Uhh…Miss—"

"Zoe. Zoe Hartcourt," she lied.

"Miss Hartcourt, this is Ruben Steele. Ruben, this is Miss Hartcourt."

The man, Ruben, reached for her hand again, but Aidan swept his hand between them purposely to indicate Squirtle.

"This is her Pokemon, Squirtle."

Ruben glanced at the Squirtle briefly before his gaze returned to fully stare at Shana, a wide smile on his face. She was reminded of a Gengar: menacing with its wide grin.

"There is a celebration tonight, Miss Hartcourt. You will be joining us, correct?"

"I—"

"Good! It's settled then! I will expect to see you both at the docks at 6 PM sharp! Punctuality is the key, my dear! Good luck to your home, Aidan! Good afternoon, Miss Hartcourt."

Ruben tried once again for her hand, but Aidan took his arm and, with a polite smile, guided him to the door.

"Thank you for the invitation, Ruben. 6 PM sharp it is. Bring your date and I'll bring Miss Hartcourt! Good afternoon!"

Before Ruben could even so much as glance at Shana again, Aidan shut the door and locked it. He stared at the door in thought, eventually turning back to Shana with a smile. It quickly melted into a frown, however, at the sight of her changing into her clothes; they were not even fully dry yet.

"Miss Hartcourt?"

"I'm not going, I already told you."

"I see. Is there a river you're on your way to see?"

A glare was thrown over her shoulder at him.

"I thank you for saving my life, sir, but—"

"Aidan. Aidan Vires," he interrupted.

"But," she continued irritably, "I am not going to stay here and piddle around with complete strangers just because I feel like I owe you something!"

Aidan remained silent, his brow perked. Under his hawk-like gaze, the woman tossed the borrowed clothes aside and fixed her hair. She avoided looking at him. The moment her hair was brushed out, she picked up Squirtle and carried him towards the door.

"Whatever you are running from, you won't escape it."

She stopped. He was right. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, he was right. The past couldn't be escaped. It couldn't be hidden from. She could hide in the deepest, darkest cave in the pits of the earth and her past would still haunt her. Shana could never pretend that she wasn't a coward.

"There is no point in running, Miss Hartcourt. You cannot outrun whatever it is you're afraid of."

A slow turn ensued. Shana stared at him with an eye of suspicion. He waited patiently to see what she would do. Squirtle was also anxious, looking back and forth between them both.

"…My name is Shana Garron."

[Footnote: Ruben will be making frequent appearances throughout this story. So you know, this story is just an introduction to Shana Garron and the new beginning of her life. I'll work on the rest of her life once she has "improved" somewhat.