Silence.

Silence was all that filled the room with the exception of the ticking of a clock nearby. The room was completely deserted what with everybody outside watching a rain of falling stars shooting across the night sky. Though all pokemon were outside, leaving the inside of the house, empty of noise, it was, however, not emptied of scattered plates of food and cups of drinks all about. A banner was still up, strung across the doorway that led into the kitchen. But out of everything, there happened to be two pokemon who remained inside still, and they were both lying upon the ground, one on top of the other.

Time seemed to stand still for the two of them as they lied there, lying on top each other. Tsuki lied on the floor, keeping hold on the Espeon who had fallen down the stairs, his heart beating fast as a familiar smell he once smelled before entered through his nostrils. This smell, he thought, was just like the time of that incident where a similar female Espeon had the exact same smell. "It couldn't be," he thought.

As for Taiyou, eyes were closed shut, bracing for the end that she had always been viewing, yet why did she still feel this softness beneath her? This cold, hard floor her front paws were on? She blinked open her eyes, only to have the blackness still in sight, yet it felt soft and quite warm and fuzzy. She took a breath of air in and realized that she wasn't dead after all. So whoever she saw at the bottom of the stairs as she fell did catch her, and now she was on top of said person. And it was at that moment that her heart began to quicken, hope spreading through her at who it might be on the bottom. "Could it be?" she asked to herself in thought. There was only one way to find out though.

Moving rather slowly, Taiyou firmed her front paws upon the ground and pushed her upper half up to get a good look at who had rescued her. That's when her sapphire eyes met a pair of brown, chocolately eyes. In that instant, nothing else seemed to have mattered but this pokemon. She could tell that this savior of hers was male just by looking into his eyes. Tearing her gaze away from them, she noticed that the look on his face was one of concern, and it was directed at her.

"Are-are you okay?" he asked, his voice soft. She blinked at him several times before actually responding.

"I-I think so," Taiyou responded. Tsuki's eyes widened slightly just by hearing the sound of her voice. It sounded so angelic, almost like it belonged to the voice of an angel.

"Um, if you wouldn't mind, I think you're all right to get off me now," Tsuki said, prompting Taiyou to rememeber that she was still on top of him.

"Oh!" she said as she backed off of him. "I'm sorry. Ow!" Taiyou lifted up a paw, wincing as she pulled it close to her.

"You sure you're okay?" Tsuki asked as he got back onto his paws. "You kind of took a nasty fall off those stairs."

"I guess I might have sprained my paw," Taiyou said as Tsuki took a closer look, lightly placing a paw upon hers. Taiyou winced a little at the pain.

"Sorry," Tsuki said, recoiling his paw back.

"No," Taiyou said with a tiny smile. "It's fine. It's nothing." Taiyou placed her paw back onto the floor, only to lift it up aagin as pain shot through her.

"Doesn't sound like nothing to me," Tsuki said. "Here. I'll help you out."

"Wait!" Taiyou said. "Not here. Mind helping me upstairs? I have a first-aid kit in the bathroom."

"Sure," Tsuki said as Taiyou wrapped her sprained paw around Tsuki's neck. As the two began taking one step at a time upstairs, all pokemon outside began to congress their way back inside, busy talking about the event they just witnessed and completely oblivious to the two Eons who were already halfway up the stairs by this time, making their way up the other half and well out of sight as they soon reached the top. "Quite a party, isn't it?" Tsuki asked once they were well out of earshot.

"Yeah," Taiyou said as she hopped along with her uninjured paw.

"You know I couldn't help but notice those things on your paws," Tskui said.

"Yeah?" Taiyou said, glancing down at the shackle that apparently didn't help much with her hopping. "They do weigh me down a little. Probably why I fell to begin with."

"Yeah," Tsuki chuckled as they came to a door on their right.

"In here," Taiyou nodded with her head. Tsuki turned and easily pushed the door open since it wasn't closed all the way. "Thanks." Taiyou removed her paw from around Tsuki's neck and hopped over to the sink, only for Tsuki to place a paw in front of her, causing her to turn and look at him. She instantly blushed as her eyes locked with his. She could have sworn she saw a blush on the Umbreon's face as he gently lifted her sprained paw with his and examined it.

"Anyway to get this thing off?" he asked.

"There's a small latch at the top and bottom," Taiyou told him. "Just unlatch them and they'll fall right off." Tsuki carefully moved his paw around, feling for the latches. Sure enough, he managed to unlock them and the shackle slid from Taiyou's paw and dropped right onto the floor.

"Wow!" Tsuki said, staring at the shackle. "That's a lot heavier than I thought."

"They're made of crystal," Taiyou told him. "Probably shouldn't have worn them to begin with."

"Well if it means anything, I think they go beautifully with the rest of what you're wearing."

"Thanks," Taiyou said with a blush, which in turn caused Tsuki to blush. The two remained silent as they stared at each other for several minutes before Tsuki glanced down at Taiyou's still sprained paw.

"Oh!" he said, remembering that he was still holding her paw. "I better heal that up for you."

"The first-aid kit's in the mirror cabinet right up there," Taiyou said. Tsuki, however, closed his eyes and began breathing deep. Taiyou tilted her head in confusion, wondering what he was doing. Her gaze instantly glanced over his body right then. His fur glistened in the light that flooded in from the hallway, his legs were quite muscular, and his face was quite relaxed as she brought her gaze back to his face. Taiyou felt her face fluster as she stared at the Umbreon. She hadn't even gotten this pokemon's name and she had a feeling that this Umbreon was the one who had rescued her only a week ago. She could feel it in her heart that it was him.

The next thing Taiyou knew, before she even was aware of what she was doing, she leaned forward and connected lips with Tsuki. Tsuki opened his eyes, taken by surprise by this unexpected move. Before he even had time to do anything, Tsuki suddenly pulled back, her face a full red. "I'm sorry," she said. "I-I don't know what came over me."

Tsuki was still speechless at what just happened, but quickly shook it off. "I-it's fine," he said.

"No," Taiyou said softly. "It's not. I-I know that it was you who rescued me that day from being crushed. I don't know how, but I just know. And now you're here a week later at the party and you save me again from falling. You're like a hero who just comes and goes out from my life and never sticks around to be thanked. And I overstepped the line. I'm sorry that I did."

Tsuki remained silent the entire time Taiyou talked, listening to every word she spoke. And even after she finished speaking, Tsuki remained silent, but only for a moment. "Don't be," he said. "You have no reason to be sorry. Yes, it was me who rescued you from that falling sign and I'd be more than glad to do it many times over just to make sure you're safe, even if it cost me."

"But I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something like that were to happen," Taiyou said.

"It's all a part of life," Tsuki said as he leaned in and kissed Taiyou this time. At first, Taiyou was shocked by what was going on, but quickly let herself fall in with the kiss. It was heavenly to the both of them, being that it was the first kiss either of them ever had. Neither of them knew how long they had stayed liplocked, but when they finally broke apart for air, it hadn't felt like even a minute passed by.

"That... was heavenly," Taiyou said with a smile. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. Nothing could be more heavenly than it was right now. Tsuki was also feeling like Taiyou was. His first kiss! And with someone not in the forest. This was indeed the greatest moment of his life. And he didn't want it to end. Taiyou leaned her head forward, keeping her eyes locked on Tsuki's. "My name's Taiyou."

"Tsuki," Tsuki said in a whisper. The two smiled and rubbed heads before leaning in again for another kiss.

"Taiyou!" someone suddenly called out, causing Taiyou to snap her head back. "Where the heck are you?"

"Crap!" Taiyou sweared silently. "Sansu."

"Who?" Tsuki asked.

"My friend," Taiyou replied. "Stay in here. If I'm seen with you, it will cause an uproar."

"Hey Taiyou," Tsuki said as Taiyou went to walk out.

"Yes?" she asked, turning her head back to look at him, only to receive a quick kiss on the lips.

"I-I love you," Tsuki said, leaving Taiyou stunned as Tsuki stepped back into the darkness of the bathroom.

"Taiyou!" Sansu suddenly said, snapping Taiyou's attention to her. "Where the hell have you been? You've missed the most amazing thing outside."

"S-Sorry," Taiyou said. "I guess I was off in another world."

"Ugh!" Sansu said. "Still thinking about your life with Ryoku? Well like it or not, you're going to have to wake up to the reality sooner or later. I'm sorry for sounding harsh but-"

"It's O.K.!" Taiyou said with a smile. "I think everything will work out well!" Taiyou then walked off, humming happily to herself while leaving Sansu behind who was looking quite confused.

"What the hell just happened?" she asked as she took a glance inside the bathroom. Lying on the floor was the shackle that was dropped off from Taiyou. "Taiyou." Sansu just rolled her eyes as she walked into the bathroom, turning on the light for a brief moment as she picked the shackle up. "Oof! This think is heavy. Taiyou should really take these things off before she trips and kills herself. Sheesh!"

Little did Sansu know that as she left, turning out the bathroom light, she had failed to notice Tsuki sitting upon the toilet, staring down at her. "Whew!" Tsuki said after a few minutes, stepping out. "Thought I was going to be spotted for sure." Tsuki then made his way down the stairs, blending himself back in with the party. But the entire time he couldn't stop thinking of what happened in the bathroom. That kiss... it had so much passion behind it. It was the first kiss he had ever received. His heart beat for her and only her.

"Hey!" a pokemon said as he bumped into him. "Watch it."

"Sorry," Tsuki said, startled out of his thoughts as he walked off, deciding to find Kanjou and Reiki.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen!" someone suddenly announced out, grabbing the attention of every single pokemon in the room. Turning his attention back halfway up the stairs, Tsuki saw a rather large bird standing there, being looked up upon. Sitting right next to him was the Glaceon that Tsuki had met outside some time earlier.

"I wonder what's going on?" Tsuki wondered to himself.

"The time has come for the most highlight of the night," the bird pokemon continued. "The foreshadow to an everlasting relationship between two lovers that will be bonded forever in the near future. Before you, I have the son of the mayor of the city, Ryoku!" Pokemon of all sorts began clapping, cheering, hooting, and whistling for the Glaceon who still remained as he was from earlier. Tsuki only looked around as pokemon applauded before being settled down. "And now, may I ask the daughter of this household to please step up here with us."

Tsuki lifted his head up to get a better view of who was stepping up the stairs only to see an awful, familiar pink furred feline walking up. "What?" Tsuki thought. "It can't be." Tsuki pushed his way forward to get a better view, hoping that it wasn't who he thought it was.

"Welcome up, Taiyou," the bird pokemon said as the Espeon turned fully around and gazed down at the crowd. Tsuki stopped in his tracks, his heart pounding hard against his chest.

"No," he thought silently to himself.

"Ahem!" Ryoku said, clearing his throat. "Taiyou, you would be a lovely housewife to anyone who would choose you over any other. And me, to one day be the mayor of this city, would like to know if you would be my future mate." Silence filled the entire mansion, waiting upon the answer only Taiyou had. Tsuki could feel his whole world shattering, wishing that this wasn't happening, even when Taiyou gave her answer.

"Yes, Ryoku, I will," she answered as she kissed him on the lips. Everyone in the mansion cheered at this, hooting and hollering and congratulating the two as they both walked down. Of course, for Tsuki, he was feeling the complete opposite. He could feel his heart shatter into a million pieces. Everything was going smoothly. What was it he had done wrong? Was it the fact that he told Taiyou he loved her? Was it too much that she chose to go after this snobbish Galceon over him? He just couldn't figure it out. It was at that moment he felt completely out of place among the cheering crowd. Maybe what Kanjou told him three days ago was just a lie so he could have an excuse to come to this party for his own selfish desires. But he'd have no way of knowing unless he got some answers.

Still, it broke Tsuki's heart to see Taiyou with this uncaring Glaceon, Ryoku. He himself said earlier that his opinion on females were that of using them to get him to where he needed to be. Her life was going to be so miserable if she was to be mated to him. "I've got to find Ryoku," Tsuki said as he turned and silently made his way out from the crowd. "I need to know the truth."