Chapter 10

So... What have you guys thought of it so far?

I haven't gotten much reviews, so I'm not really sure how to improve it.

But, I'd like to thank AvatarMomo and Cid Neha.

Thanks for sticking through with me c:

Yesterday I had whole lot of time on my hands. But not everyday will be like that, so here's another chapter.

Disclaimer:*

Pokemon isn't mine at all.

Chapter 10:

'Just a peek wouldn't hurt'

As Leaf approached the large oak, she heard a short rustling sound coming from her left. Turning around, she caught sight of Ash, who was practically rolling back and forth on the ground. She stifled a small giggle as he spun over and slapped May in the face. A low grunt erupted from her before she moved and smacked him back.

Just as Leaf switched her attention from them back to the brunette boy and ginger, a loud crash sounded from the woods. Instinctively, she rushed back out towards the campfire and crouched behind one of the four logs.

"Aw, dude, it feels great to be back!"

Out from the trees stumbled Drew. With his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner, walked towards the fire with Paul trailing after him. He had his usual, cocky grin on his face. But then there was Paul who had a dull, unappealing expression plastered on. Leaf relaxed her tense shoulders a little, standing up from where she was 'hiding'.

"Hey! It's Leaf!" The grass head exclaimed, plopping down on the log across from her. Silently, Paul sat down beside him, narrowing his eyes at her. It was beginning to creep her out a little bit. Although, she quickly dismissed that thought as it was him who made her realize that her world here was a reality. If he hadn't she might've done something incredibly stupid, thinking that she was invincible.

"Hello.." Leaf greeted with a soft voice, since her conversation with Drew earlier, it had been easier to talk with him. Even so, it was still difficult to speak with males. Paul simply nodded in response, she followed his eyes to the area where the others were sleeping. She noticed his jaw tighten slightly. Was it because Ash and May were unconsciously smacking each other? Or was it because Dawn was snuggling with Lucas? Either way, she decided it would be a good idea to converse just a little.

"S-so... Did you two find anything?" Standing up, she moved over and kneeled in front of the short flat log where her fish lay. Her hand reached over and picked up the makeshift fillet knife.

"Oh..? Well... We did find a dead boar but by then it was probably overflowing with maggots." Drew rubbed the back of his head again like he was hiding something. Slicing downwards, Leaf cut off the scales on the right side of the fish. The pale white color of the tender meat already looked appetizing.

"Hmm? That's it? Did something kill it or did it die of natural causes?" She murmured in a low, quiet voice, focusing on her catch. With a swift slash, she removed the fish of it's scales on the left side.

"Uhm... It died. Of natural causes." Leaf paused, narrowing his eyes before staring up at Drew. He was staring off into the distance ahead while Paul seemed to be resting his eyes. Her fists tightened, sensing the lies in his voice. Just what was on this island? What was so bad that not even Red or Drew would speak about? It was all too confusing and aggravating.

"I see."

Thud.

Both boys stared at her as she made a loud sound. A small amount of blood was splattered across the log. Leaf had just chopped off the sea trout's head. Picking up the head, she stood up and walked over to Drew. Gently dropping it in his lap, she gave him a soft smile.

"For you."

"... What am I to do with it?" He questioned, a look of disgust spreading over his face. Leaf simply shrugged before returning to the wood cutting log. Her ears twitched a little, picking up on a muffle chuckle. Was that coming from Paul? Did he have a thing for dead things or was it actually funny to him? She turned, meeting Paul's coal black eyes. It was just like the first time they had met. Although, this time he was actually staring back.

"Has anyone else joined us?" Paul mumbled, stabbing his wood spear into the sand beside his feet.

"I was just about to check. But I don't think so." Leaf shook her head, chopping off the tail next. She could tell that he wanted to ask where she learned to fillet fish. However, he didn't seem like the type of person to ask people questions in general. Her eyes flickered to where Drew had been sitting, but he wasn't there.

"He's probably getting rid of your present." The plum head yawned, gazing into the fire with a bored expression.

"How mean." A pout appeared on her face along with fake crying sounds. Catching sight of the ribcage, she began to remove it. There was silence between the two for a couple moments as she cleared the fish of it's bones. Neither of them were very talkative and had a difficult time striking up a conversations. Maybe if she were like Dawn or May than she would be able to become his friend. The thought ran circles in her head as she set the bones into a pile to her right.

"On the plane." His voice caught her attention as she started removing the internal organs of the spotted sea trout through where she had removed the head.

"Did you know that brunette?" Paul wasn't about to admit that he had been eavesdropping on her and Gary. Leaf flashed him a slightly skeptical look. She paused her work and sat back, obviously thinking about it.

"You seemed quite close." Was he teasing her about it? No. Paul didn't seem like the type of person who would do that either. A faint blush appeared on her face, remembering his failed attempts at flirting with her.

That perverted bastard. Suddenly, she froze, mentally apologizing to her father. He probably wouldn't be proud to hear that she had used such words, even if she had not exactly said them out loud.

"Put this on a stick and roast them over the coals." Leaf ordered in a tranquil voice, attempting to avoid the topic.

"Don't dodge the subject." Paul took the slightly bloodied and moist chunk of fish Leaf handed him and slid a slim yet sturdy stick through it.

He really was tormenting her! Scowling back at him, she angrily slashed and grabbed at the fish guts in front of her. Well if that's how he's going to play it.

"Just a minute ago." She paused for moment as he had earlier. "Did you know that blue haired girl personally?" Of course she knew her name was Dawn, but it just felt right to copy him a bit.

"You mean that troublesome ball of fury?" He grunted, hovering the fish over the coals.

"'Troublesome ball of fury'? Dawn's a sweet girl." Leaf flashed him what looked like a childishly innocent look of confusion. She had also tilted her head, reminding him of a cat. Cats... Was that her thing or something? Paul snorted in response to her.

"My god, Leaf. That was fucking gross."

Drew broke the incoming silence between the two. He strode back in, brushing his pants off before sitting back down next to Paul again.

"Wuss.."

"What was that, plum?!" A dramatic huff came from him as he gave his hair another flick. Paul muttered something under his breath, turning the fish on the stick slightly. The sun was almost completely up.

"The others should be awake by now..."

"Eh? You're getting up already?"

A feminine voice whined, catching the attention of the three. Leaf could see Paul tense up a little, slack expression tightening into a frown. So this was about Dawn. Right?

"It's about time to wake up anyways." His voice was warm and by the sound of it, full of affection and kindness. Because she loved to read, Leaf would've gone crazy, rooting and cheering for either side. However, if she did that, than the others might not like her. With a sigh, she dug a hole and disposed of the fish there, next to the log she was cutting on.

"I guess so." Lucas walked out, Dawn following close behind. She was still clinging to him, which obviously irked Paul just a tad bit. Although, it occurred to Leaf that Paul may only be like that because he's not too fond of love. But because of her father's words, she decided not to think about it too much or pry.

"Don't worry, I totally ship you two together." Leaf leaned over and whispered in Paul's ear.

"What.." He flashed her a blank look, obviously he didn't understand the joy of having a fandom. She huffed and looked away, waving to both Dawn and Lucas shyly. The two sat down, having one of the logs completely to themselves, they looked very content.

Dawn was held tightly in Lucas' arms. A soft, warm smile displayed on her attractive looking face. Leaf frowned. No matter how nice she was to her, it still irritated Leaf whenever she compared her face to Dawn's. Quickly, pushing negative thoughts from her mind, Leaf grabbed another chunk of fish and stuck it on a stick.

"So, what's going on?' Lucas gave a brilliant smile, which obviously disgusted Paul. Especially with Dawn fiddling with his scarf. Does she realize how much this bugs Paul? Does she realize how their open displays of love pester them all? Leaf noticed a slightly uncomfortable look on Drew's face. He nervously flicked his hair, taking the fish from Leaf and holding it over the fire.

"Nothing." Paul snapped, rotating the stick just a bit more. Just what Leaf needed. A overly affectionate couple, an angry boy, and a awkward boy early in the morning. Groaning, she mentally smacked herself.

"Lucas, dude, why don't you and I go try and wake The Beast." Drew suggested, noticing the tension between the three. She noticed Paul give him a curt nod in thanks. This was getting entertaining.

"The Beast?" Lucas stood up, prying Dawn off of him. At the moment, Leaf couldn't help but think that she was acting like a pathetic, whiney bitch. Although, her father definitely would not approve of that opinion.

"You know, May?" Drew laughed, handing Paul his stick of fish. He walked over towards the oak and into the clearing beside it, dragging Lucas with him.

"Wow, Paul, that looks awesome." With Lucas gone, Dawn's attention was turned over to Paul. Although it would normally be impossible for anyone to read Paul's emotions, Leaf couldn't help but think that he must have some sort of joy pulsating through him. Flashing him a small smile, Leaf turned back to the remaining bits of fish.

"Did you catch it?" Dawn had a genuine smile on her face. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all, as long as Lucas wasn't around. When he was around she was sort of irritating. Leaf instantly began to regret labeling her as a whiney bitch who cared about nothing but her romantic interest. However, there's a good possibility that she and Lucas were just close friends... Leaf could only hope.

"No, she did." Paul quietly replied, pointing at Leaf.

"Really?!" She flew over to where Leaf was cutting at more of the fish meat. Looking over her shoulder, a wide look of admiration and fascination was spread over Dawn's face.

"That's amazing. You must be a very talented fisher." Calming down, Dawn pulled back, sitting on the log to Leaf's left. Reaching out, Dawn patted her head as she had done the night before. The brunette gave her a little grin before beginning to clean the blood off of the wood with a small towel Red had given her. He had kept it in his pocket the entire time, much like her handkerchief. Leaf froze for a minute.

"Paul..., do you still have my handkerchief?"

"Oh? Yeah, here." His fingers reached into his pockets, fumbling through them in search for the cloth she had given him earlier. Pulling out the blood blotched turquoise handkerchief. He hadn't noticed earlier, but her name was sewn into the side in fancy letters.

"I'm glad your arm stopped bleeding but this is... No, never mind." Leaf sighed quietly, snatching it out of his hands. Paul muttered an apology before turning back to the fish he was cooking.

"Leaf, want to go find something to do? Maybe you can teach me how to fish?" Dawn suggested, getting a little bored. Although Leaf really did want to take the opportunity to get to know her better, she figured that this would be a good opportunity to have Paul and Dawn get along a bit better. As last night there was a bit too much tension between the two.

"I'd love to teach you sometime, but I need to finish cooking up the fish. Maybe Paul could hang out with you? He could teach you how to make or find something?" Leaf replied, winking at Paul, who gave a low grunt. However, as much as she would like to help Paul, Leaf also wanted to be alone. Because, that's what she was used to.

"A-ah..." The midnight blue haired girl looked slightly uneasy as her eyes flickered back and forth between them. "Alright... I guess."

"Sorry." Leaf gave her an apologetic look, grabbing the sticks with the fish from Paul as he stood up.

"Let's get this over with."

"You don't have to if you don't want to, you know that, right?" Dawn fiddled with her thumbs awkwardly.

"If I let you stay here you'll bother Leaf's work and Drew and Lucas are already struggling enough just to wake Ash and May up. And we shouldn't bother Red while he's fishing." Paul growled.

"I won't bother anyone!" She frowned.

"Heh." He snorted, averting his eyes. "Right." Sarcasm dripped from his voice. Leaf frowned, at the moment, she couldn't tell whether he liked her or not. At this rate, it was pointless.

"What the hell, bitch!"

"It's your fault for waking me up like that, you perverted rapist!"

"I didn't even touch you!"

May and Drew's voices began to rise from where the clearing in the woods was. The brunette dragged her hands down her face in displeasure. She just wanted some peace and quiet. Leaf couldn't finish up her fish with all the noise.

"Earlier May and Drew found a lake that way." Pointing to the far left of the beach, she stood up. Leading the two over to where they had last entered the woods, Leaf shoved Dawn in the back.

"Ouch! Leaf!"

Paul glared down at her. Honestly, Leaf was afraid of what he'd do to her, but she figured since the others were around it was safe. She pushed him roughly, however he didn't budge even a little bit. In embarrassment, she looked to Dawn for help, but she just smirked back.

"Just go." Leaf returned Paul's glare. He let out a aggravated sigh before stepping into the woods and began walking ahead.

"He's so difficult." Dawn shook her head, apologizing to her before running after him.

"Ugh, you god damned bitch!" Turning around, Leaf walked back to the campfire, seeing May flop down on a log closest to the ocean.

"Shut the hell up, you dirty old man!" She hissed angrily. Taking notice of her, May leaned back and gave a very chill, laid back look to her.

"Oh hey, Leaf." A wide warm grin spread across the other brunettes face.

"H-hello.." Leaf hadn't exactly spoken with her too much so she felt a bit more nervous. "How's your a-arm.." Her voice was hushed to a whisper.

"Oh this?" May lifted up her right arm, rested in the sling with her good left arm. "Yeah, it's fine!"

"Th-thats good..."

"Yeah! I'm all good. Mighty strong and more powerful than every, right?!" Confidently, she pulled out 'the guns', flexed and kissed the muscle on her left arm.

"Calm yourself, Maple, you're scaring the poor girl." Drew laughed, flicking his hair.

"Really? I think it's more you than me. I mean, I'd be pretty damn afraid of a twisted pervert breathing down my neck too."

"'Breathing down my neck'?! Since when did I do that?!"

"This morning, you asshole!"

"It was just a fucking joke!"

"Didn't seem like it when you tried to seduce me!"

"What the crap?! I wouldn't fall for you or your fat ass body if it meant my life! Much less seduce you! Your personality is terrible and would it hurt you to be just a little bit more feminine?! This whole tomboy act isn't hot or appealing in the least bit."

...

Silence.

Everyone, even Ash, were silent. Leaf stared at the two, their argument hadn't even been that long and yet feelings were already hurt. She glared at Drew, reaching out to touch May's shoulder.

An icy cold feeling rushed over her. May herself knew she ate just a tad bit more than the average girl, but she was still sensitive about it. Bitter. Cold. It felt as if her heart had momentarily stopped beating and her warm blood was replaced with freezing water. But why on earth would she feel this way? Just a second ago everything was fine.

She was happy.

So what had changed in that little time? How could he provoke her so easily? Without a care? It was just a joke. A joke. Of course that grass headed bastard had woken her up like that to screw with her. It was only natural, they were rivals, enemies, it was their jobs to pick on each other. May was supposed to be tough. The toughest girl of the survivors, aside from the ginger, who they had not identified yet. Yet it felt as if all of her strength had been drained from her by him. She froze.

"Maple..." Drew's eyebrows furrowed together.

"It's fine." Lowering her head, May grumbled.

"It doesn't look like it, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing!"

"January."

"We're done here."

"Don't be like that. What's up, you usually don't get this angry with me. It's normal for me to say this stuff, right?"

"Fuck off, Hayden!"

"I'm trying to help you!"

"Forget it!" Tears streaked down her face as she lifted it for a brief moment. She stormed off into the woods, not bothering to look into his eyes as she ran.

"Someone better go with her before she gets into trouble again." Drew sighed, looking upwards again. "What?"

Ash gave him a sad look, shaking his head. Which was shocking as he had shone everyone nothing but smiles the past three days. Leaf nervously fiddled her hair, but even so, gave him a deadly glare. Then there was Lucas who had a slightly shocked expression on his face. Had he never seen an argument like this?

"You're not going to go?" Ash murmured, looking around for Red, who was no where in sight.

"He'll just make things worse." Leaf spoke up, breaking away from her usually silent and soothing tone.

"I... I didn't mean it lik-"

"Than what did you mean?!" She hissed at him. The other two peered at them, obviously curious, as angry outbursts didn't exactly fit Leaf's personality.

"You're the worst. I'll go." Leaf spat bitterly, rushing into the forest without another word. Just before leaving she whipped around and locked eyes with Drew.

"Repent."

That concludes chapter 10!

Alright, it was a little bit rushed, but at least we got the drama going, right?

And maybe Paul and Dawn's relationship will improve just a tad bit.

Oh... Oops, so Misty and Gary aren't exactly important now, so they'll just chill in the background with Lucas now, haha.

Not to worry, things will get going sooner or later.

I'm still debating whether or not I want to change the rating to M due to more mature language and gore. Opinions?

Anyways.

Will Paul and Dawn's relationship get better?

And

What will happen with May, Leaf, and Drew?

Also

Where did Red go?

Thanks a lot, readers. You guys are amazing.

So yo, please feel free to review! Favorite! Follow!

It all helps support the story!

Thanks again!~

~Bear