You're not sure how long you and Red have been sitting on top of this mountain. Time might have stopped, the universe could have exploded, but you wouldn't have cared. That realization is… Shocking, yet it is the truth. Red just seems to need someone right now, and that side of you that can't stand to see anyone suffer is urging you to stay right where you are. (Your heart, which is beating rapidly just from being near him, really isn't playing a part in this. Not at all.)

Twisting away from Red's side, though you're still wrapped protectively in his arms, you can see that the sky has turned into a pitch black. Even though you've seen many wonderful Johto nights, this night sky is the most beautiful and breath-taking one you've ever seen. You sigh contently, this has to be the most perfect night you've had since you've been a champion.

Except for the feeling of uneasiness that is slowly sinking into your mind. I'm just being paranoid, that's it., you tell yourself sternly because really, no one would even bother to climb up here.

"Red?" You whisper his name, because you're kind of eager to see if this is actually real, or just a dream. You don't want it to be a dream, but if it is, it's a fantastic one. The spiciness mixed with the cool meadow scent that is Red is overpowering you, lulling you into an sleepy trance. It's becoming harder to hold your eyes open.

"Yes, Kotone?" His voice is just so captivating that you just want to hear him talk forever.

"Is this a dream?" You choke out, suddenly on the verge of tears. Because no doubt, Red is way too perfect. Yes, he's a normal human being beneath all the titles he's earned, as are you, but somehow he's more… God-like? Powerful? Everything you'll never be. "I mean, it has to be!" You realize something inside of you, has obviously cracked, and it's embarrassing to be breaking down in front of Red.

You feel yourself being readjusted in Red's arms, facing him once more, and it's comforting to feel this close to a human being. Before you met Red earlier today, you had never felt this connection to someone else in your life.

Red is about to answer you, you can see his mouth about to speak the reassuring words that you need to hear, when a gun shot shatters through the silence that had enveloped you both. You're about to run (away or towards the unseen attacker, you're not really sure) when Red suddenly tackles you into the snow at the bottom of the stairs.

"Why would you do that?" You exclaim, simply astonished by his reaction. Red is looking at you with his topaz eyes with shock and fear clearly evident in them. He's hovering above you, holding his own weight, and you're about to make some remarkably stupid comment, worthy of a Silver sneer, when you feel it.

A burning sensation by your rib cage.

"Ouch! Ouch, what is that? Oh my Arceus, it burns!" You scream in a hoarse voice to Red. He nods at you, and if you weren't so hysterical, you would calm down and actually listen to his silent demand to be quiet. You can't though, this whatever it is, is really painful, and you don't know what to do to make it stop.

Somehow, your hand manages to find the spot that feels as if a burning candle has been placed there. Your touch is light and merely ghosts over the small wound, and it stings with an indescribable amount of pain. You get it now: the gun shot, the wound.

You were shot, and you don't even know who did it.

Red, on the other hand, seems to be completely in control though. He grabs your hand and forces it away from your wound. He takes his vest off, leaving him only in a black tee shirt, and folds it into a square. His eyes meet yours in a quick glance, before he presses the cloth against your side.

"OUCH!" You yell in the loudest voice you can manage. Red grimaces at you quickly while he drags both of your hands back to your side. He presses both of your hands to his vest, tightly, and makes sure that you're not going to let go. You want to say that no, you won't, but it's getting harder to stay awake. He releases a Pokemon from a poke-ball, and stands up immediately.

The Pokemon that emerges from the red light is Pikachu, who quickly assesses that the situation currently going on, is bad. It growls from its new position by your head, and suddenly everything becomes something like an intricate action movie. Helicopters fly in from all directions, effectively blocking any means of escape through the air, and ropes immediately fall down from the open doors.

People dawned in black garb are repelling down towards you and Red, and you aren't really sure who they are. It's dark, and for some reason, you can't shake the feeling that this was intentional. They all jump down to the ground at once, but oddly enough, they don't make a move to throw their poke-balls up into the air. These strange, dark, shady people are moving together as one towards Red.

Before you process it, you're stumbling onto your feet, ignoring the need to hold pressure onto your side. You hiss in pain, and even though the atmosphere around you is roaring with noise, every villain turns to look at you. You can't see it, but you can sure as hell feel it.

"Leave him alone, damn it." You mutter to them all, taking a cautious step forward. (You disregard the searing pain that flutters through your midsection at such a tiny movement.) It's silent for a moment.

Then every single villain (there must be at least fifty here, on the ground), burst out into loud guffaws.

"Little girl, or should I say Champion?" Someone close towards you drawls out sarcastically. "You're unbelievably stubborn, and I can see how that weak Team Rocket was driven out of business by you two runts."

"But we're not them, dear, and you're about to be introduced to hell." A different guy from behind you, a guy who sounds deadly serious behind that playful tone, whispers to you. He's so close that you can smell tobacco, and dried sweat lingering in the air. He touches your side, a few inches above the shot, and you instantly muffle a sob. Your pain gains an instant response of horrific laughing.

"Get away from her." A soft voice breaks through the jeers of the villains. You look up, and you're really not surprised that it's Red who is speaking up now. He's faced down many creeps like this before, and he's more than capable to take them down. Some part in your mind, even though you're currently only running on adrenaline, you think that Red has truly become a knight in shining armor.

It's kind of romantic in a life or death kind of way.

"Or what? Hm? Are you honestly trying to save this girl?" The guy behind you yanks on one of your pigtails. You scream hoarsely, because your body involuntarily moves upward to try and take away the pain, which would have worked if not for the whole being shot thing you've got going on. The burning sensation peaks, and oh Arceus, it can't get any worse than this. It really couldn't. "Because she's not going to make it. At least, not in any way that you want to hear." The stranger winks over (presumably at Red) your shoulder, still roughly holding your hair upwards.

"Hey, boss, look at him. He's getting all angry!" Some idiot yells gleefully, and you look over towards Red. His bright topaz eyes are completely darkened now, and even though your own eyes are watering, it's not hard to see that his fists are clenched tightly to his sides. An obvious attempt on trying to stay calm.

"Seriously? I want to know what's going on! Why are you here? Go away!" You protest to the apparent boss of the group. It's not easy, being in this much pain, but you somehow manage to make the demand sound a tiny bit terrifying. It's easier to provide a distraction from Red than let him be made a mockery by these fools.

"Aw, darling, that's so cute! Sticking up for your little mute boyfriend since he can't stand up for himself!" The boss yells to his cohorts, and suddenly your knees give out. Even though the hand is still roughly tangled within your hair, you fall to the ground, paying no attention to the cackles filling the air. Your hands are pressing into the wound, which hurts insanely much, and you don't know how you're still conscious.

"Just let him go, okay? I'll go with you. I won't cause a fuss as long as he's safe." You mutter unwillingly up to the guy in the charge. He drops down next to you, his hand suddenly light and caressing on your head. He smiles widely, obviously a predator capturing his prey.

"Shake on it." His other hand reaches out towards you, and for a second the world freezes. You snap your head over to lock eyes with Red, and you can see him pleading with you in his eyes. He's screaming something along the lines of 'No, Kotone, don't agree. Whatever you do, don't go along with this.' You shake your head almost imperceptibly at him. You won't agree with him, because he comes first, he always will come first. (If you weren't losing so much blood, you would probably say that sounds a little bit crazy.)

You wrap your hand around the villain's. It's as rough as Geodude's body, and you can feel the rush of adrenaline disappearing quickly. You can feel the crowd surrounding you become victorious with each millimeter your eyes close.

You can feel any possible future you might have had with Red disappear before your very eyes.

It hurts, as your lifted unceremoniously up into some stranger's arms, to see Red trying to push his way through the crowd to reach you. You stretch a hand out towards him, desperate to get back to him. To being surrounded in his arms, and completely at peace for the first time in your life.

Then your world fades to black, and all the physical pain disappears.


A/N; Yay! Second chapter out, and I like it a whole lot. I hope you all do too. :) It's 3:31 A.M. & I just had to finish this for you guys, even though I've got a major headache. . I hope you all are having a good weekend/spring break! I'll update this soon in the next week. My other stories will be updated as well!