Here's chapter 3: Welcome back. It's a really long chapter, but bear with me! I promise it'll be good! Please enjoy :)

White woke up feeling well-rested. "Did yesterday really happen?" She muttered quietly to herself. She looked down to see an arm draped over her side. Her heart sank as she slowly turned to see N's face dangerously close to hers. She tried as hard as she could to stop the scream she felt building inside. N was still asleep. White's heart was beating wildly from the surprise. She moved N's arm off of her and inched away from him. "Guess I wasn't imagining it…" She said softly, trying to calm down.

N made a small noise and frowned. "He's waking up…" White thought to herself. As if on cue, N's eyes fluttered open. "White?" He whispered, sounding disoriented. "Yeah?" White asked. N smiled and closed his eyes again. "Just making sure you're really there," he said contentedly. White blushed. "I'm here," she said.

"Good."

"It is morning though," White said. "I think we should get up soon." N grunted and rolled over. "But I'm cold!" He whined. White rolled her eyes. It was like trying to deal with a five year old. "Get dressed then," she said. "Besides, it's just the air conditioning in the room."

N pulled the covers over his head. "No!" He cried. White sighed. "Unbelievable…" she muttered. She stood up and headed to the bathroom to get dressed. "When I come back out, I want you to be up, ok?" She said to N. He was still hiding under the covers.

White was out in a matter of minutes, wearing a pair of black short shorts, her combat boots, and a mint green cami. N was sitting on the bed, wearing just his skintight black underarmor shirt and his khaki pants. He looked over at her, a pleasant smile on his face.

"Are you finished being immature?" White joked. N pouted. "Relax, I'm just messing with you. It's what friends do, silly," she continued. N's expression softened. "Alright," he said softly. "She thinks of me as a friend!" He thought to himself excitedly.

"But anyways, what are we doing today?" He asked White. She raised both eyebrows. "I'm gonna go home and visit my mom. I was hoping you'd want to come along," She said shyly. N smiled. "I'd love to go, if that's ok."

White smiled in return and brushed her hair, getting rid of the bedhead. "Before we go, we need to get breakfast and get our Pokémon back," She said. N nodded in agreement. "I am really hungry…" He admitted. The two packed up their stuff and went out to the main lobby of the Pokémon center.

"Hello and good morning!" They were greeted by the same nurse as last night. "Are you feeling better, dear?" She asked N, referring to his fainting spell. He nodded. "Thank you for helping us. Are our Pokémon fully healed yet?"

The nurse turned around and brought out a tray with all of the pokeballs on it. "You're all set!" the nurse cheerfully exclaimed. N and White took their pokeballs and headed to the café in the Pokémon center.

White approached the register, ready to order. "Yeah, can I have a café mocha and a toasted bagel with cream cheese?" She asked. The barista nodded and began making the order while another took her payment. "Are you gonna have anything, N?" She asked him. "Uh…" he trailed off, looking at the menu board in a panic. All of this sounded foreign to him. "I – I'll have what she's having!" He managed to stutter. White looked over at him, puzzled. He seemed pleased with himself.

White paid for his breakfast too. "My treat," she said with a smile. The two picked up their coffees and bagels and sat down at a small table. N stirred his coffee and watched what White was doing. He reached for a sugar packet in an attempt to mimic her again. White chuckled. "You seemed confused back there, you ok?" She asked.

N set down his spoon. "I've never had any of this stuff before… I haven't ever ordered anything from a guy behind a counter, let alone make a choice from a board above his head. It's a lot of pressure," he said. White smirked. It was kinda cute just how lost he got when dealing with human matters. She unwrapped her bagel from the wax paper they toasted it on and began to take a bite when she caught N staring at her.

"What?" She asked. "What is that thing?" was N's response.

"It's a bagel with cream cheese. You ordered one too."

N made a face and unwrapped his wax paper. "I guess I did," he said.

"Try it, you'll like it," White encouraged. N slowly brought the bagel to his mouth and took a bite. It was delicious! The bagel was crispy on the edges and the cream cheese was smooth and savory.

"Why do you always order things that are so yummy?" N cried. White raised an eyebrow. "Because… I like them? I don't even know how to answer that, N."

N smiled and shook his head. "That was a silly question, sorry, I meant something more like 'how do you always know something tastes good or not?' You always order the right thing," he said.

White sighed and took another bite of her bagel. "I've had these things before, so I know what I like and what I don't. It's as easy as that." She said. N nodded silently.

N picked up his spoon and stirred his coffee again. "Is coffee any good?" He asked. White shrugged. "I like it, but you might not, it's –"

Before White could finish her sentence, N took a huge sip of coffee. He immediately made a face and swallowed, although somewhat painfully. "Why would you do that to me?" He asked White, looking pathetic. "It's disgusting and bitter and hot."

"I didn't even finish talking and you drank it. I was gonna say it's an acquired taste. It's gross at first, but it gets better."

N looked down at the cup and grimaced. "Do I have to drink it all?" He asked even more pathetically than before.

"I'll finish it for you if you want," White said. N handed over the cup and shuddered. "That was icky," he said. White rolled her eyes. "So childish…" She thought to herself with a grin.

The two finished up their breakfast and made their way outside. "Should we take reshiram, like last time? Or is zekrom up for a long flight to Nuvema town?" White asked N. N hesitated. "Maybe we should take reshiram again…" He said, "Reshiram knows where it is better than zekrom does."

White nodded in agreement. "I guess you're right…"

"Come on out, reshiram!" White called, pulling out its pokeball. Reshiram appeared in a flash of white light. "Do you think you could fly us home?" Reshiram roared. "N's coming with you?"

"Yes, he is"

"So be it."

"Thank you, reshiram," White said, climbing on its back. N followed her and sat tight.

The flight was long and tiring, and by the time the two arrived in Nuvema town, it was nearly night time. It was already starting to get dark outside.

"Which house is your house?" N asked White. Reshiram landed in front of a house in the center of town. "Does this answer your question" She joked. N slid off of reshiram's back and petted its side. White slid off behind him. "I'm going to go inside and see if mom's here, ok?" She said, running up to the door.

N turned back to face reshiram. "Thank you for flying us so far," he whispered softly. "We really appreciate it. I am thankful."

Reshiram turned to look at N. "I am glad that you and White have finally settled your differences. It pained both zekrom and I to see two strong individuals fighting, just as the two brothers did many years ago."

N smiled and petted its neck. "You don't have to worry about us fighting. I realize now that I was wrong." Reshiram nodded. "You two are both pure of heart. As a team, you two will undoubtedly change the Unova region for the better. I trust that you will work with her." N nodded, and White came back outside.

"Did you and reshiram have a good chat?" She asked, pulling out its pokeball. "Thank you reshiram, we wouldn't have made it home if it wasn't for your amazing flying ability. We owe it all to you," She said gratefully. Reshiram gracefully stood up tall and let White return it to the pokeball. "Come on," White said excitedly, returning the pokeball to her belt and leading N to the door.

When the two stepped inside, they were immediately greeted by a lady who seemed to be in her early 40's. "Mom, I'd like you to meet N," White said, nudging N. White's mom gasped and straightened her apron. "White, honey, when you said that we had a guest, I had no idea he'd be this cute! Or a guy, actually."

N blushed. "Thank you," he said softly. White rolled her eyes and groaned. "Mom…" she whined. White's mom held up both hands and smiled. "Sorry, I meant cute for you! I didn't know you were bringing your boyfriend home, that's all."

Now it was White's turn to blush. "He's not my boyfriend!" She insisted. N turned to her. "But I'm both a boy and your friend. Wouldn't that make me your – "

"No." White replied, cutting him off. N looked crestfallen. White's mom broke the silence. "Why don't you two come in? I just finished making dinner! I always make a little extra, but I didn't anticipate having two extra mouths to feed tonight!" The two shut the door and followed mom inside.

"I want you two to wash up for dinner, ok? White, honey, show N where the bathroom is and where he'll be staying."

"Alright mom," White called, leading N upstairs. "The bathroom is right at the top of the stairs to the left, and the guest bedroom is just down the hall." She said. "I'm going to put my stuff in my room while you wash up."

N cautiously stepped into the bathroom and explored the new surroundings. The walls were a pale blue to match the medium blue floor tiles. "Pretty…" N whispered. He turned on the faucet and washed his hands.

White set her bag down on the floor of her room, sighing loudly and collapsing onto her bed. "It's been too long since I was here… I missed my room!" She thought to herself, hugging her jirachi pillow.

"White? N?" White's mom called from downstairs, sounding a little impatient. "Have you guys washed up yet?" White sat up, shaking the sleepiness that threatened to overtake her. "Just a minute, mom!" She shouted back. She got up, stretched, and quickly brushed her hair. Neglecting the hand washing, she ran downstairs.

N was nowhere to be seen. White looked around, puzzled. Her mom seemed to have read her mind, because she responded with a shrug. "N! DINNER TIME!" She yelled up the stairs. When she got no response, she huffed and stormed over to the table. No one dared to get between her and her mom's cooking… N was really pushing it.

The mother and daughter sat down at the table and began filling their plates with freshly baked dinner rolls and salad. Finally, N walked into the room. He took the empty seat at the table and sat down for a moment before White's constant glaring finally got to him.

"Is… something wrong?" he asked. White raised her eyebrows. "What took you so long?" she blurted out. Her mom shushed her, staring at her unusually bold daughter with wide eyes. "He doesn't need to share that, White," she scolded. "Maybe he just needed a little private time."

White looked at her mom in horror. "EW!" she squealed. Her mom rolled her eyes.

N cleared his throat. "I was just washing my hands," he clarified. Truth be told, he WAS doing something else too, but it wasn't what they were implying. He hadn't looked in a mirror in ages (the mirrors in the castle all were broken or went missing over the years), and his appearance shocked him a little. He hadn't expected to see the 18-something year old man he saw staring back at him.

His hair was much longer than he remembered, and his face had traded that boyish charm for something a little more mature. He also looked positively filthy, but this was more than likely just a side effect of his traveling. He ended up spending ten minutes studying his new, unfamiliar appearance before he remembered he was needed at dinner.

"Anyways, I'm sorry I'm late for dinner," he apologized. "I uh… I was just looking at… your… bathroom! That's all! I like how blue it is!"

White snorted rudely. "THAT'S not weird at all…" she muttered sarcastically. Her mom turned to look at her. "What has gotten into you, young lady?!" She cried, shocked. White took a sip of her glass of water. "Nothing," she said quietly.

White's mom turned to N. "Please excuse my daughter's behavior, N, I don't know why she's acting like this," she said, placing a reassuring hand on his arm.

N chuckled. "It's ok," he said. "I've noticed that she gets grumpy when she's hungry."

White rolled her eyes as her mom laughed at N's unintentional joke. "Your new friend is great!" she said in between laughs. White sighed heavily. "Can we just eat already?" She asked. Her mom stopped laughing and agreed. "Go ahead, N, grab some food. It's right here," she said, handing him a plate.

N looked at the rectangular pan in the center of the table, unsure of how to even begin filling his plate. White's mom answered his confusion by picking up a spatula and cutting a large square of food from the pan. "What is this?" N asked politely.

"It's lasagna," was her reply as she scooped out a section from the pan and put it on N's plate.

"La… san… ya?" N said, slowly enunciating each syllable.

"You'll like it," White said as she scooped out a portion for herself. "It's just alternating layers of tomato sauce and cheese separated by long flat noodles."

N picked at the lasagna with his fork, looking at each layer. "Ah," he said, seeing what she meant.

White watched him in anticipation as he slowly cut a large chunk of the corner with his fork and brought it to his mouth. "Go on…" She thought to herself. N finally put the forkful in his mouth and smiled.

"Is it good?!" White cried excitedly. N looked at her, his mouth still full. "Sorry…" she apologized. After about ten more seconds, N swallowed, the smile still on his face. He stared at the plate hungrily for a moment, then dug in again. White giggled. "I'll take that as a yes?" She said. N nodded enthusiastically.

White's mom clapped her hands together. "Finally, another good eater to feed!" she said excitedly.

Both White and her mom watched in amusement as N hurriedly shoveled down everything on his plate before reaching for a dinner roll. "Slow down there," White's mom said good-naturedly. "You don't have to eat everything as fast as you can. It's not a race."

N looked at her in awe. "You're not going to take my food away from me?" he asked sincerely. White's mom looked shocked. "Why would anyone take food away from a starving young man?!" she asked.

White leaned over to her mom and gave her a look that said 'don't ask.'

N sighed and relaxed a little. "I am sorry. My food always got taken away from me growing up, and since I especially like this la-san-ya, I didn't want it to go away."

"We will never take your food away from you, N. You should slow down or you'll make yourself sick." White's mom replied.

"She cares!" N thought to himself excitedly. "They care about me!"

The three of them finished their dinner, talking about White's journeys as they ate. White made sure to steer the conversation away from N, though, fearing that he would feel too pressured if asked a personal question. When they finished, White offered to do the dishes.

"May I watch?" N asked in fascination as he walked up to White at the sink. White raised an eyebrow, feeling him look over her shoulder. "They're just dishes, N. There's nothing exciting about them. Why don't you go ask mom if there's something else you can help with?"

As if on cue, her mom called N over to the table. N walked over to her, eager to help with something. "N, honey, would you help me with dessert?" she asked. "I just bought white lightning ice cream. It's White's favorite! I was thinking we could all have some tonight."

N smiled. "How can I help?" he asked eagerly.

"You can start by getting me three bowls and three spoons from the dish drainer," she said, pointing to White at the sink. N shrugged and went over there.

"Did mom not have anything for you to do?" White asked as N walked to her side.

"Actually, I'm helping her with dessert," he replied. White perked up a little at the word 'dessert.' "I need three bowls and three spoons," N continued.

White handed him the silverware and directed him to the cupboard where the bowls were kept. "Just curious… what's for dessert?" she asked, shutting off the faucet and leaning on the sink.

"Some kind of lightning ice cream," N replied.

White stopped everything she was doing. "White… lightning?" she asked breathlessly.

N smiled. "Yeah, that was it!" he said, heading back to the dining room with the bowls and spoons. White couldn't help but follow him into the dining room.

White's mom chuckled when she saw that White had returned with N. "Guess it couldn't stay a surprise for long," she said.

N handed over the dishes and the two teenagers watched in anticipation as White's mom scooped ice cream into the bowls.

"Just curious, what is 'white lightning?'" N asked. White smiled, handing him a bowl. "It's dark chocolate ice cream with a stripe of white mint fudge running through it. It's my favorite!" She said, taking the next bowl.

N took a spoonful of ice cream and tried it. The flavors blended together perfectly. He could feel himself blushing a little. The fainting incident didn't illustrate it well (with the juice and all), but he had a real sweet tooth. The dark chocolate ice cream was incredible.

White looked over at him and saw the light blush that was spread over his cheeks. "You like it, huh?" she said in a mock-accusatory fashion. N nodded, licking his spoon clean.

White's mom finished the last of the ice cream in her dish and went to the sink to wash it out. N looked at White and noticed a small splotch of chocolate on the corner of her mouth. "I shouldn't let her waste that ice cream…" he thought to himself. "It's too good."

N cleared his throat. "White, you've got a little something on your face," he said boldly. White looked at him, confused. N pointed at her lips, trying to make her understand. She continued to stare blankly at him. N sighed and leaned in, pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth as he licked the chocolate off.

White stiffened up, unable to react. After he licked it all off, he sat back and grinned. "You had ice cream on your face, but I got it," he said confidently. White looked at him, horrified and unable to say anything. She felt a weird mix of shock and anger and… oh god, was she blushing? The blood was pounding in her ears, drowning her ability to think coherently.

She decided she was furious. She stood up, slapped N across the face, and ran upstairs.

N slowly brought his hand to the spot where White slapped him, tears forming in his eyes. That stung – a lot, and in more ways than one.

White's mom walked back into the room. "Where's White? And goodness, N, why are you crying?"

N sniffled and looked White's mom in the eyes. She frowned and lifted the hand he was holding to his face. Underneath was a bright red handprint where White slapped him.

N sniffled again and turned away. "I didn't expect her to do that…" he said sadly. White's mom folded her arms crossly. "Why in hell would she hit you?!" she cried. N blinked, sending more tears streaming down his face.

"I don't know," he said in disbelief. "She had ice cream on her face, so I cleaned it off for her."

White's mom frowned. "That's no reason for her to hit you," she said, pulling him into a comforting motherly hug. N pressed his face into the crook of her neck, finally letting the tears flow.

"I'm so scared," N admitted. "She hates me now, I just know it." White's mom held him tighter and patted his back, just as any loving mother would do. "She doesn't hate you, sweetie. I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding."

N sobbed again, clutching her tighter. "I think I just lost my only friend," he whispered.

White's mom pulled away from the hug, looking at the poor boy before her.

N covered his face with his hands. "I'm sorry, I can't…" he cried, running upstairs. White's mom heard a door slam, and figured that he had gone to hide in the guest bedroom.

"I need to talk to White," she thought to herself, heading upstairs.

White ran upstairs and slammed her bedroom door behind her. She leapt onto the bed face down and closed her eyes. "Who does he think he is?" she cried out loud.

"…And why did that make me feel so tingly inside?"

There was a knock on the door. White tensed up. "White, honey, we need to talk," her mom's voice called through the door. She relaxed a little. "Come in…" she said reluctantly.

The door opened and her mom stepped inside. "White… what happened?" she asked, cutting right to the chase. White sighed and rolled over to face the wall. "N's a jerk, that's what!" she said.

Mom sat down on her bed and put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Honey, N told me what happened, and he's definitely not a jerk from what I heard."

White shot her a disbelieving look. "He stole my first kiss!" she cried angrily. Her mom frowned thoughtfully, putting two and two together. "That's not what I heard. And besides, wasn't Cheren your first kiss?"

White groaned. "Mom, that doesn't count."

Her mom rolled her eyes. "Honey, this is all one big misunderstanding. N said that he was helping you clean off your face. I don't think he understood the implications of what he did. He had innocent intentions."

White pulled a pillow over her face and groaned, frustrated.

"White, I think you should go talk to him. He's in the guest room crying. He's really upset, and he's convinced that he lost his only friend." Her mom said calmly.

White felt really guilty. "So… he really didn't mean anything by it?" she asked hesitantly. Her mom stood up. "Go talk it out with him," she said, leaving the room.

White covered her face with her hands. "Why am I such a jerk?" she asked herself out loud. She stood up and walked to the guest bedroom.

White didn't bother knocking… she knew that if she asked for permission to come in, N would turn her away. She took a deep breath and turned the doorknob.

N was lying face down on the bed. He quickly turned his head, surprised by the noise.

White felt a guilty pang in her chest when she saw his tearstained cheeks and the still-red mark on his face where she slapped him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked solemnly. "Have you come to hit me some more?"

White cringed, realizing that he was being serious in his question.

"I feel terrible, N. May I sit down?"

N nodded and White sat down on the edge of his bed.

He sniffled and wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry I offended you. Please don't hate me," he said sincerely.

White nervously touched her fingertips together. "I don't hate you. I could never hate you," she said softly. "I didn't realize you were just getting the ice cream off my face. I thought you were stealing a kiss."

N cocked his head. "Kiss?" he asked. White looked down. "Yeah, but now I realize you weren't trying to kiss me," she said. N stared at her, confused. "What's a kiss?" he asked.

White realized that he WAS being innocent… he didn't even know what a kiss was.

"You don't know what kissing is?" she asked.

N looked as confused as ever. White sighed, seeing that she was going to have to explain. "What did I get myself into?" she thought to herself.

"Kissing is… uh… a way that humans show affection. But not just friendly affection, I mean like romantic affection. Like a husband and wife or a boyfriend and girlfriend." She explained.

N nodded like he understood. "There's that boyfriend word again…" he said softly. White facepalmed. "Shit…" she muttered under her breath. "Boyfriends aren't just boys that are friends," she said, referring to his earlier confusion. "They're… like… hmm," she stuttered, realizing how hard it was to explain something to someone who knew virtually nothing about the subject.

"Say, hypothetically, that we liked each other as more than just friends," she began.

"So love?"

White's eyes widened. "Yes! Love!" she said, excited that he was making connections. "If we loved each other, hypothetically, we would hold hands and go on dates and… kiss. Then you'd be the boyfriend and I'd be the girlfriend."

N smiled excitedly. "I understand!" he exclaimed, sitting up. "Yay!" White cheered.

"…I still don't know what kissing is though," he admitted. White hung her head. "Kissing is when humans press their lips together in a sign of mutual affection."

N pursed his lips. "Like this?" he asked. White shook her head and laughed. "No, a kiss is when one person presses their lips on another person's lips."

N nodded, smiling.

"Now I see why you thought I kissed you," he said. "I just wanted the ice cream on the corner of your mouth though."

"I know. I'm sorry for getting so mad at you," she replied softly. She stood up. "I should be getting to bed."

N stood up too. "Thank you for taking me back as your friend," he said, hugging her tight. White blushed and hugged him back.

"Thank you for being my friend," she said in return, putting her head against the taller boy's chest.

N leaned down and gently kissed White's forehead.

"Sweet dreams, White," he said sweetly, leading her out of the room.

"…you too…" White whispered as she shut the door behind her.

She numbly walked back to her room and sat down on the bed.

"Wait…" she said out loud. "What just happened?!"

N tried coffee, bagels, and lasagna for the first time! He's so adorable and innocent about everything ^_^ Thank you for reading!