I am so sorry this update took so long. I had writer's block for quite a while and was busy with school, and then my computer broke. Excuses, excuses, I know. But now that my computer is finally fixed, I took the chance to write another chapter. I'm not giving up on this story, and I will try to update more frequently. Once again, I'm sorry for the delay, and thank you for reading. Enjoy!
Having made up my mind, I quickly change into gray sweatpants (I'll want to be warm when I leave) and a pink, long-sleeved pajama top with jigglypuffs on it that I've had for far too long; then I collect all my sundries and make my way back to the room. When I return, he's already in bed but not yet asleep. I store my things in my bag and hop on the bed, causing it to shift slightly under my weight. Jun smirks at this before yawning out a "Goodnight," and rolling over, which I copy. I move around, trying to get comfortable on the bed, and pull the covers as high up as they'll go—which isn't very far, since they're old and cheap—but I do manage to drag the firm white sheets almost halfway up my chest.
I wait for his breathing to even out, which only takes about fifteen minutes because I can tell he was pretty tired. Luckily, however, I'm not, and when I feel safe that he's not going to wake up, I slip out from under the sheets as quietly as I can and tiptoe over to my bag. It's dark, so I can't see it very well, but I can still tell that it's my pink and white, slightly beaten up bag that I've had since the start of my journey. I feel around all of its familiar pockets to insure all of the usual contents are there, since I can't see them. After double-checking to make sure I have everything, I slip the bag over my shoulder-glad that it's not too heavy and that I'm used to its weight-before I sneak out of the room, gently pushing the door closed until I hear it click shut.
Realizing that it's going to be freezing outside and a pajama top won't keep me warm, I put on the extra black jacket that I always carry with me, glad that I'm prepared. After zipping it up, I step out into the cool night air and shut the back door of the Pokémon Center shut behind me. For a moment, I just stare out into the black night, watching the small snowflakes that continually fall in this city, no matter the season, sail through the chilly midnight air. I check my pokétch, which confirms that it's about twelve o'clock. I take in a deep breath, the cold stabbing my lungs, and release it slowly before heading off to the woods.
When the light flurries turn into heavy, rapidly falling snow and instead of ankle-deep, I'm almost knee-deep in the giant piles of it that have accumulated on the forest floor, I can tell that I've reached the beginning of Route 217. Not long afterward, the snow begins to inch its way up past my knees, eventually reaching my waist. This forces me to go from trudging through the snow to literally trying to drag myself through it, which brings back fond memories of the first deadly trek I took up here. At least the blizzard's lighter than it was last time, I think to myself as I push onward. Or drag myself, rather.
My jacket and sweatpants have kept me pretty well insulated up until now, but the slightly cold chill is starting to grow. The cold lick of the constant wind and snow has begun to brush the tips of my fingers and toes, and slowly creeps up into my hands and feet. In anticipation of it traveling farther up my body, I call Blaze out and ask him to walk beside me to combat the cold. My infernape gladly sticks to my side, warming me with the heat from his head and tail. I stare at the glowing red and orange flames for a while as we walk, watching them reach out into the air, stretching out and swirling as if time doesn't exist. They dance around one another in the freezing air, lighting our path and guiding us forward. They are a light in the darkness, completely free. The flames have no worries, no fears. I envy them.
Eventually the blizzard softens a bit, perhaps taking pity on us. After a few more minutes of walking, I see a small cabin in the distance. Recognizing it as the small inn that travelers can stay in on their way to and from Route 216, my face lights up and I pick up the pace. Blaze notices this and matches my pace, understanding my reasoning as the wood cabin grows nearer. As I finally reach the front door, I take a moment to read the sign in front of it: Snowbound Lodge: A Warm Bed and Little Else. The simplicity of the small wooden sign matches the simplicity of its message and the cabin itself. Upon entering, I register the soft tinkling of a bell and thank Blaze before returning him to his pokéball. I make sure the door is fully shut behind me and step into the center of the cabin. It's really just one big room; the kitchen is off to the side, consisting of fridge, a small counter, and a few cabinets, while the "living room" is simply a TV toward the front of the room with a chair next to it. Two clean, white, twin beds are placed somewhat awkwardly in the middle of the room, and as I walk towards them, I'm greeted warmly by the kind owner of the house, a big burly man with a beard, and a young girl who appears to be his daughter. Her smile is bright and carefree, and I end up smiling myself. She must be in her early teens, and I can't help wondering if she'll start a journey someday, too. I hope hers is better than mine.
I rapidly shake my head to clear it of my negative thoughts. Preventing myself from wallowing in any further self pity, I turn to one of the beds after thanking the gracious man and his daughter, and drop my bag onto the bed with a soft thump.
A moment later, I hear the sound of a toilet flushing and then the running water of a faucet. Looking to my right, I see two doors that I didn't previously notice. Seeing my head turn in the direction of the noise, the young girl explains to me that the first door leads to her and her father's bedroom and the one closest to the front door leads to a bathroom. I nod my head and thank her for the information. She smiles and skips over to her father in the kitchen, who is rummaging through one of the tiny cabinets.
Soon the water stops, the person occupying the bathroom presumably done washing their hands, and a few seconds later, the door opens. I look, curious to see who my roommate for the night will be, since many travelers use this lodge. A dark-haired boy a couple of years younger than me steps out and looks for the cabin's permanent residents. Upon locating them in the kitchen, he calls over to them, "Thanks for letting me use your bathroom; it gets hard training out there every day with nowhere to go!"
"No problem, Ken. Anytime," the older man called back.
"Yep," added the girl, "see you later!" She gave him a big smile and he returned it before leaving. I'm not surprised by the fact that he trains out here, since many people do; after all, I had to fight most of them on my way up to Snowpoint City the first time.
Realizing that he wasn't staying, I settled onto my selected bed, slightly grateful to not have to sleep next to a stranger. As I'm getting comfortable, a sudden gasp from the girl startles me; her father asks her what's wrong and she exclaims that she's forgotten something and rushes into their shared bedroom. I'll admit I'm slightly curious as to what it is, but it's none of my business, so (finally remembering it) I put my bag on the ground underneath the bed before getting back on it.
I turn my head again as the girl re-enters the room and raise an eyebrow when she asks, "Is that her?" I can't tell who she's asking the question to, so I stretch in an attempt to see past her into the bedroom. A little piece of the person behind the door is visible but still partially covered by the girl.
"That's her," the person says in an unsurprised voice. Sighing, the person finally steps out into the main room. My eyes widen and my mouth drops open. How in the hell…?
Of all people, Jun walks out from behind the girl, a weary smile on his face. "Come on, 'Kari, you can't be that surprised that I came after you," he says, rolling his familiar orange eyes. "Or, came before you, I guess."
Trying to get over my initial shock and wrap my head around him being here, the most intelligible response I can manage to stutter out is, "H-How? Why?" I stare up at him, searching for an explanation.
"How is easy," he answers casually, walking over to the unoccupied bed and plopping down on it so that he can sit and face me, "I know you better than you think, 'Kari. We've been friends for forever. I knew that you weren't going to give up on running away so easily. You didn't want me to stop you, so you went at night, when you thought I was asleep. Since you didn't have a flying pokemon, I knew you'd be walking, and that meant you'd have to stop at this lodge because by the time you got here you'd be exhausted. Right?" I know the question isn't rhetorical, but it might as well be. He wants me to answer but he already knows what the answer is. Having no choice but to admit he's right, but unwilling to give him the satisfaction of a verbal response, I nod. He gives me a slightly amused smile and sighs at my stubbornness.
"As for why, that should be obvious. Why do you think I tracked you down the first time? Why do you think I do all of this? I care about you, 'Kari. I always have and always will. And no matter what's bothering you, you can tell me about it, alright?" His eyes beg for the truth, and the orange flames that color them burn me; burn me the way only he can.
Recognizing the serious and personal tone of our conversation, the owner and his daughter quietly slip into their bedroom to give us some privacy. I feel bad (it's their house after all) but I can tell that Jun's not going to let me leave just to apologize to them.
"Please," I plead with him, "not here; not now." I hope my eyes and tone can convey my sincerity, how important this is to me.
"If not now, when?" he asks, orange eyes narrowing. He's skeptical, and I understand why. I've never given him a reason not to doubt me.
"I don't know," I admit, voicing what he already knows.
"That's what I thought. Unfortunately, Hikari, we're having this conversation whether you like it or not. We could've had it someplace else, at a better time, but you prevented that by leaving. Again." His tone has gotten sharper, and I inwardly wince a bit at his first use of my real name. We lock gazes in a short staring contest for a few moments, neither of us wanting to back down. I break eye contact, sighing, and the air lightens a bit. I realize that I've finally run out of options; I can't run again, and I can only avoid it for so long. Taking a deep breath, I prepare for the long-dreaded conversation.
"Alright," I breathe out, my voice, much like the rest of me, tired and ready for sleep. "Let's talk."
I'll try to update this soon (which for me is in the next few weeks). Reviews are always appreciated; they keep me going. They also remind me to update, so don't feel bad about nagging me; I need it sometimes.
Oh, I almost forgot. Happy late Halloween everybody! Y feliz día de todos los santos y el día de los muertos! Happy All Saint's Day and Day of the Dead, since the first is today and the second is tomorrow.
