Red skies.

Black gust.

Fire.

That's what Silver saw – fire. The scorching inferno danced in his eyes, luring him into the depths of death. Like a Venomoth to a flame, he strode slowly. Eyes blind in hypnotic trance. Silver had no idea why he was moving closer, reaching the devil's blaze. His mind was blank. All he wanted was to be near, to feel the burning flames on his skin.

Silver!

He stopped, cringing in horror. His mind snapped to reality, head gazed forward. His silver eyes gawked, petrified.

Silver!

The voice got louder and louder, clearer. He ran, ran as fast as he can to the inferno.

He froze in aghast to see the burning figure – it was his house – the place he once lived, destroyed. The mansion was licked by the sea of flames, demolishing his childhood. Silver gasped without a sound. His inner child was awaken, scared.

Silver!

He blinked and gaze at the burning mansion. Silver felt his heart was ripping him apart as he saw the figure, slowly burned into a skeletal corpse. A frail hand reached out to him, her skin already dissolved, showing burnt bones.

"Help me…" The voice was hoarse, almost frightful when heard in the dark. But Silver wasn't afraid – he felt nothing at all. He stood in terror, his body not even a flinch. Silver stared at the dark living corpse. His mouth agape numbly. His hands frozen like a doll.

He felt vulnerable.

The figure began to lose its human appearance. And in seconds, it disappeared into the demonic flames. Along with it, the mansion finally burned into crisps, leaving trails of black soot.

And a white burnt hat.

Silver snapped his eyes open. Like a bullet, his body sat right up, gasping. Another horrible nightmare entertained his night, staining his mind. The redhead covered his face with his hands and groaned. It had been two months that he hadn't seen her. His heart ached miserably at the thought of her presence. He couldn't deny it. He misses her.

He cursed at himself everytime his feelings had gotten in the way.

A soft murmur filled his eardrums. Silver let his hands down and looked down. Sneasel was standing on his lap, eyes filled with concern for his trainer.

He led out a deep sigh. "I'm fine, Sneasel." With one calm tone, he patted the sharp claw. Sneasel smiled happily and curled back into his sleeping position. The Pokémon seemed calm, easy to be back in his slumber, dreaming away.

Silver was envious of his Pokémon's serenity.

He looked around in the dark cavern. All his Pokémon were in their very own wonderland. Only his Gengar was missing, off to stroll around in the depths of Mt Silver like he always does. Silver stared into the empty darkness. He had found shelter in a cave at the peak of the gruesome mountain. Silver had to admit, the place was terrible. No human alone could survive the harsh, deadly weather. But that was the only place he could shroud himself in shadows. The only place where no human or Pokémon would last to think of coming. The mountain was dangerous, far vicious than any other place he had gone. Many wild Pokémon were savage, deadly even. Silver was considered lucky to have such a strong team. Because of them, he was still alive.

But everytime his thoughts wandered to the incident at the hospital, how he wished he was dead.

He placed his hand on his chest. The wound no longer drilled inside him. The fabric bandage was gone, leaving only a black scar, a line that will paint his body for life. He sighed. He could see her tearful face gazing at him. His could see his rival fooling around with him. His lips could faintly taste the dish she made him.

His lips could vividly remember the taste of her skin.

He gritted his teeth, irritated. He misses her. He misses her so much. But he knew, he doesn't deserve her. The beautiful teenager was so pure, so filled with love. It will be horrible if that pure innocence was stained with his dark past. Silver clasped his mouth with his left hand, his right touching the cold wet ground. Kotone… He couldn't bring her name up without feeling swollen.

He gasped slightly. Silver hated his emotions. He hated his need for love, his need to be noticed by someone he praised and admired. He had lost enough. He wasn't willing to lose another. The teenager slammed the back of his head on Feraligatr's body. The big jaw had served as his pillow for months now. His starter wasn't as warm as a bed, considering he is a water type. But Silver didn't mind.

He gazed into the cave ceilings. His body present but his soul flowing about. His thoughts were focusing on the brunette. A small grim smile carved his face, remembering the first time he met the woman. During that time, his only goal was to steal a Pokémon and raise it as his own, wanting to become stronger than his old man.

He didn't expect to see a young lady standing beside him, asking him a million questions.

Just as he thought his meet with her was over, Silver bumped into her again at Cherrygrove. They had their first battle – with him lost. Silver had never felt more infuriated in his life. He cringed as he saw the Cyndaquil chirping happily in her arms, earning praises from his trainer. He hated it. He hated the scene. It reminded him so much of his mother, of what love is.

Time flies and they had crossed paths more than the usual. It had come to a certain point where Silver no longer saw her as a stranger, but a pesky rival. But the woman accepted him, treating him as something he never thought he would be, a friend.

A sour snicker escaped his lips. Sometimes, he wondered if the woman was as dumb as him.

"I should probably try to get some sleep," he mumbled, knowing very well it was a lie. He hadn't had a decent sleep since he left the hospital. And it wasn't because of the frozen condition. Yet, Silver shut his eyes, ignoring his busy mind.

But slumber reached nowhere near him as he heard a loud scream. Silver jumped, waking Sneasel and the others up. His eyes caught the sight of his Gengar, running frantically at him. The gas Pokémon plunged at Silver and hugged him. Silver cringed as his Pokémon's pressure pressed onto his chest, making him breathless.

Angry, he took the ghost Pokémon's ears and pulled him onto his face. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he screamed, voice echoing inside the cavern.

Gengar flailed in his trainer's grasp. He pointed his direction behind him. Silver saw nothing but a dark tunnel. He grunted and glared at his Pokémon. Obviously, Gengar was playing his tricks again.

"Listen, you. Stop fooling around or I will –" His words went to an abrupt halt as he felt the ground shake. Silver turned and stare at his Feraligatr. The big jaw was already on his legs, growling at whatever was coming north. Silver focused back on his Gengar. The Pokémon dissolved out of his grasp and pointed at the same direction.

This time, instead of cold dark nothingness, he saw two Tyranitars.

Both of them running ferociously at him.

"Oh shit!" The redhead yelled. Sneasel bared his claws and blew a cold blast at the two. But the Tyranitars dodged his attack and kept plunging towards them. Silver quickly regained his senses and growled, "Everybody, stop them!"

Magneton and Crobat zoomed at the large Pokémon. Both of them released Discharge and Cross Poison. But the attacks were completely unaffecting them. Worse, it made them angrier. The Tyranitars roared savagely, both releasing their Stone Edge attack.

Silver cursed at the scene. Luckily, Alakazam jumped in front of them and created a barrier, seconds before the sharp rocks could hit them. One of the Tyranitar dashed forward, banging his head on the invisible dome. Alakazam began to lose his focus, weakening the shield. The redhead growled annoyingly and stared at his Feraligatr. "Sick 'em."

The big jaw nodded and rocketed towards the rampaging Tyranitar. He led out a huge gush of water, hitting the armour Pokémon's chest. Silver smirked as the Tyranitar fell to the ground, beaten.

But his smirk was destroyed in an instant as the other armour Pokémon tackled Feraligatr, completely catching him off guard. The water starter crashed on the wall. Before he can stood himself up, Tyranitar led out a loud screech. The earsplitting sound almost busted Silver's eardrums. He tried to open his eyes, to give out commands to Feraligatr. But the sound was so loud, he couldn't even think straight.

Flashing a deadly snarl, Tyranitar plummeted towards the fallen defenceless Feraligatr, his sharp jaw wide open, ready to Crunch.

Silver can only watch in horror. The sound made him dizzy but his eyes can see clearly at Feraligatr's near doom.

It was all over for him and his starter – until another huge gush of water slammed Tyranitar.

Silver widen his eyes in stupor. He looked at Feraligatr. The big jaw was still too weak to launch an attack. But then who…

"Typhlosion! Return!"

He froze. He recognized that soft yet strong voice. His eyes soon caught an image of a huge volcano Pokémon charging towards the wobbling Tyranitar. His impact was so strong, the armour Pokémon not only slammed on the wall, but also crashed through it, creating a big hole. Silver snapped his body around. He was right. It was her Typhlosion. And stood right in front of him, was the woman in his dreams.

Kotone stood valiantly on top of her famous red Gyarados. The atrocious Pokémon slowly bent her head down, letting her trainer hopped to the ground. Her brown eyes were down as she slowly moved her feet towards him.

Silver felt his heart crashing through his ribs. She was actually here. She had actually found him. He knew he should run away, trying to stay away from her. But a small part of him was excited to see her. That tiny part was happy that she was appearing in his reality. How he wanted to hug her so bad, pulling her into a tight embrace, promising to never leave again and stay by her side.

Silver kept his gaze on her as she stood a few steps from him. His silver eyes began to soften. "Koto-"

His voice and mind went completely mute as a slap marked his left cheek.

Silver cringed numbly. He touched his slightly swollen and red cheek. "What the…" he snarled. The redheaded teenager snapped his head back at Kotone, now angry. "Why the hell did you slap me?"

Kotone snapped her head upwards, brown eyes ragingly piercing his silvers. "Why the hell did you run away?"

Silver was taken aback. He had never seen her in this state, angry and resentful. The man was used to her carefree and joyous personality, he deemed impossible for her to have such negative emotions.

"Technically I teleported…" he mumbled unwarily, eyes away from her.

Another small petite hand slapped his right cheek.

His patience was wearing thin. Now he was angry. "Woman! Stop slapping m-"

"Why the hell did you run away?" she yelled, her voice shocking the cave. Her eyes began to shimmer, tears were forming. Silver felt his heart twisted violently as he saw her sorrow face. He gritted inside his throat, guilty. Kotone was shaking. Her fists were clenching, trying to calm herself down.

"I…" Silver was speechless.

Kotone shook her head fast. Her pigtails were swishing harshly on her head that Silver thought it might snap. A small sob reached his ears. Silver groaned silently. He couldn't bear to see the woman cry – it was the only thing that can destroy his noble pride.

"Kotone…I…"

"I hate you!" she screamed, seizing him shut. Kotone landed her fist on his chest, punching him a few times. "I hate you I hate you I hate you! How dare you do this to me! Two months! Two freaking months I have to find you! I searched the whole Johto and even hunt you down in Kanto! And I still couldn't find you! Heck here you are in Mt Silver – in the freezing cold – hiding! Fuck you, you bastard!" She kept planting her fists on his chest. Silver remained motionless, mute. He let her release her anger. Her punches didn't hurt much. Heck, if he didn't know better, he thought she was tickling him.

It was her confession that was breaking his heart.

And he pretty much deserved it.

"You don't know how worried I was…" Her wrath deceased. Her head was down, her fists stayed in his chest, gripping his jacket. "When you disappeared out of the hospital, I thought I'd lost you forever…" she sobbed. She bobbed her head on his chest. Silver heard small drops of tears dripping his black shoes. His heart was crushing him at every word he heard.

She was worried about me… "Kotone…" He bought his hand up, wanting to place it on her head, wanting to stroke it, console her. But he let his hand froze in mid air, clenched into a fist. Guilt was stabbing in his veins.

You deserve nothing of this.

He sighed heavily. "Kotone, let me go…"

She shook her head rapidly. Her forehead still placed on his chest. Soft, slower punches were landed on his chest. Silver gripped her shoulders tightly, but carefully. "Kotone…"

"No!" She snapped upwards, gazing into his eyes. Her eyes were red, wet. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, painted by clear tears.

The sight alone was crushing his ego.

His grip tightened. Silver shut his eyes and slowly, led out a heavy sigh. "Can we discuss this somewhere? It's not safe here."

Kotone blinked her eye dumbly at him. She pursed her lips, afraid that he was lying and will run away again.

Silver knew what she was thinking. "I'm not gonna run, promise." Even if he could, he didn't want to. He could bear to separate from her anymore.

A few minutes filled the darkness. Typhlosion stood beside Feraligatr, aiding to his best friend. Finally, she gave out a small single nod. Kotone took out her Level ball and released Mewtwo. The purple Pokémon yawned, seeing it was night time. But he quickly stood properly and stared at his trainer.

"Mewtwo, take us out of here."

The genetic Pokémon nodded. His body flashed a bright purple. Kotone gripped his jacket and leaned closely to his body. Unwarily, he pulled her closer in his embrace.

Soon enough, all of them disappeared out of the cold cavern.

A small bonfire lit the surrounding. All the Pokémon were out of their balls, sleeping soundly under the starry sky. They sought shelter under a huge tree, close to the entrance of Mt Silver. A few miles away, only two humans were wide awake, thoughts blazing in their heads, preventing them from slumber.

Kotone hugged her knees, eyes in front on the dancing flames. Silver sat by her side. He sat cross-legged, eyes away from the fire or her. He faintly remembers his recent dream, her burnt body, rotting in the inferno. Silver shivered, scoffing irritatingly.

Kotone caught the sound of his voice. She gazed at the redhead. "You okay?"

If loving her is heartache for me.

Her voice was so soft, so serene; it was melting every inch of his ego. Silver faced away and growled. His heart was betraying him. His body was betraying him. His emotions were betraying him.

Everything around him was a traitor.

And if holding her means I have to bleed.

"Silv…?"

Then I am the martyr and love is to blame.

Kotone reached out her hand, wanting to touch his arm. But Silver swatted it away and stood up, walking away. The woman was stunned at his actions, but quickly stood on her feet and gave chase. "Wait!"

Silver kept his pace steady. He wanted to stay as far away from her.

She is the healing and I am the pain.

"Silver!" she yelled. With short but swift feet, she had finally caught up to him. Kotone leaped behind him. Her hands hugged his waist, resting her head on his back. Silver stopped. He felt her warmth seeping into his body. His eyes frozen, down on the ground.

Arceus knows how long they stood there, not moving in their position. Kotone tightened her grip. Her soft eyes began to simmer on the ground. "Don't go…"

She lives in a daydream where I don't belong.

He remained motionless, mouth pressed shut. He let her grip him, letting her stand closer to his body. All his life, he ran away from the harsh reality. He ran away from others, thinking that he could live without them, without emotions. He had experience enough lost as a child. He had been scarred by betrayal and deceit by his own flesh and blood. He deserved nothing. He wanted nothing. He needed nothing. He was sure that he can live without relying on anybody else.

Yet here he was now, standing under the night sky, under the embrace of the only light in his life. He clenched his fist, vexed.

She is the sunlight. The sun is gone.

He grasped her hands. Kotone twitched as she felt his cold hands. "Silver…?"

Slowly, Silver removed her hands and turned around, facing her. His eyes showed nothing. Kotone wasn't good at reading emotions and Silver was an expert of hiding his. She cocked her head slightly to the left. Her hands still gripped by his. Her heart began to race in her chest.

Silver stared at the woman in front of him. He gazed into the brown eyes. So soft. So pure. Suddenly, he realized a faint red mark on her neck. Silver bought his hand up to her neck, his thumb caressing her soft skin.

His eyes froze at the sight of a bitemark – the forbidden scar that he had implanted on her. He clenched his fist, letting it stay on her neck. Silver gritted his teeth. He bit the insides of his lower lip, his teeth almost ripping the delicate skin. In the end, all the ones you love…will suffer from your consequences.

He flinched as he felt a soft hand touching his cheek. Silver opened his eyes. Kotone flashed a sweet smile, melting his rage. Her other hand held his hand that was close to her neck. "It's okay, I'm not hurt anymore," she murmured, her smile staying in place. "Besides, you didn't do it on purpose. You were just…under a lot of stress. I'm sorry too for not being strong enough to help you."

Her soft apology made him cringe. Silver scoffed, revolted by her answer. He removed his hand and placed it on his sides. He dug his nails into his palms. His silver eyes were soon down on the ground.

Kotone was concerned yet again. "Silv-"

Her words were rendered speechless and Silver plunged towards her, causing both of them to fall to the soft grass. Luckily, he swiftly placed his hand on the back of her head before it can slam harshly on the ground. Silver placed his free elbow on the side of her head, supporting his body from crushing her. In reflex, Kotone gripped his jacket, eyes wide in shock.

He was pinning her down. She stayed frozen under him. Their faces inches apart. Her brown eyes gazed sharply on his silvers.

"Sil…ver…" Her soft voice sent shocks in every inch of his body.

He felt weak, slowly giving in to the sound of her voice. Silver chuckled acidly. Eyes focusing on her whole face. He could see one emotion in her – fear.

"Why…" he murmured, his voice husky. "Why are you always doing this to me?"

Kotone raised a curious eyebrow, confused by his question.

But her face was back to her shock state as Silver removed his hand from behind her head, moving it towards her face. His fingers caressed her cheek, trailing down to her nose, and stopped at her trembling lips. She should be afraid. She should scream out for her trusty Typhlosion, saving her.

But all that never occurred in her mind as she only saw Silver.

Silver took a deep breath, his gaze never leaving hers. The scent of sweet vanilla was flowing in his nose, causing his skin to prickle. His heart began to pound roughly in his scarred chest. The redhead gulped quietly, his head trying to stay in reality. "Why are you being nice to me…?"

He twitched to see a soft smile painting her face. He doesn't deserve that smile. Yet, he wanted it to stay there forever.

"Because I like you…"

He froze as he heard her answer. He definitely didn't expect that to come out of her mouth. His eyes caught faint pink colours tinted in her cheeks. Kotone bit her lower lip, bashfully looking away, averting his stare.

A part of him was flipping for joy. The other half was raging in guilt. He snickered sourly, thinking it was a joke. "You're stupid."

Kotone frowned at his answer and clutched his collar jacket. "Why the hell would you say that?"

"How can you love a monster?"

His question took her by surprise. She never saw him as a monster. Jerk, yes. Bastard, yes. Arrogant hotheaded human, yes. Thief…well yes that one time but not anymore. But never a monster.

"You're not a monster," she muttered. Her fingers brought to his chin, hooking it. "I never see you as something so inhuman." Her smile got wider, her index finger playfully tapping his chin.

Silver wanted to smile. He wanted to cheer at her answer even if it was a lie. But he stayed in his position, growling in his throat. The woman was acting so cheerful, so content, as if she was oblivious that she was in danger.

Somehow, deep inside him, he was very glad she wasn't afraid as he thought she would be.

Silver led out a small snicker, mocking her. "You're not only stupid. But you're also blind."

His statement irritated her. The brunette softly slapped his neck. "You take that back, you jerk."

The redhead shook his head, a sour grin flashed on his face. "You saw my past," he growled. "You saw who I am, who I was. I was born in a horrible childhood. My blood is stained with his foul blood. I was never pure to begin with, unlike you." His eyes grew colder, stabbing her. "He tried to kill you. I tried to hurt you. How can you be so stupid to even come near me?"

Kotone was speechless at his words. She didn't know what to say. If she was a stranger to him, then maybe she would be scared. She would run away and see him as a dangerous threat to her life. The maybe, maybe her life would be normal and safe. Not filled with dark drama and horrifying bloodshed.

But she wasn't a stranger. She was his rival, his unlikely friend for two years. And he was the man her heart beats for.

Kotone slowly placed her hands on both sides of his cheeks. Her soft eyes stared into him, showing nothing but love. "I have to admit, I am stupid for ignoring things like that. But I'm not ignoring it, I didn't realize it. And now that I do…I don't care." She poked his nose playfully. "I see you as a good person, Silver. You may have a dark past but who doesn't. Nobody's perfect. I'm not perfect. But people can change – whether it's for the better or for worse." Her hand swayed to his neck, caressing his broken scar, earning a small shudder from him.

"Besides, you're not all bad. I saw you with your mother." His heart dropped at her statement. But Kotone quickly continued, "She was a beautiful woman, so kind and gentle. And I know part of you has her inside." Kotone tuned a small giggle, making him melt easily. "Heck, when you blush, you kinda look like her too."

It was his turn to be rendered speechless. He felt his cheeks slightly hot. The woman under him was never afraid. Her expression no longer showed fear – but passion. He saw the truth in her eyes. She accepted him just the way he was. She had seen everything, yet here she was, telling him that he still has a chance in life. He saw the shine emitted in her soft gaze. His heart was beating faster and louder. His silver eyes stared at her smiling lips, causing him to bite his lower lip.

Kotone twitched her head, confused at his silence. "Silv-"

She was mute yet again as his lips pressed onto hers.

Her eyes grew round in abash. The redhead was planting his lips on hers, kissing her. But her mind completely shut her down as her body reacted differently, returning the kiss. Eyes slowly shut, Kotone gripped the collar of his jacket, pulling him closer.

Silver felt like doing belly flips in his stomachs. His toes curled inside his shoes. The brunette was kissing him back. He slowly pressed his body on her. His hands caressing her neck.

Kotone gasped at the heavy weight but was distracted by the temptation. She snaked her hands towards his neck, clutching the strands of hair behind his head. Her body shuddered as he felt his teeth sinking gently onto her lower lip.

Kotone was the first to break the kiss. She looked downwards, hiding her face from him. Silver raised his eyebrow, both in confusion and slightly scared, thinking that it was the worst mistake he had ever done. "Kotone…" With all the courage he plucked, he whispered, lips caressing her brown strands.

A loud sigh of relief vibrated in his throat as he caught sounds of her giggle. She wasn't mad. Thank Arceus. Silver slightly raised his body, trying to see her face. Kotone released her grip and hid her face with her palms. The woman was still laughing softly. Now he was just confused.

And irritated. "The hell are you giggling about?"

Kotone moved her hands down her eyes, still covering her mouth and nose. Her gentle browns blinked timidly at Silver. "You kissed me."

Those three words were enough to make his whole face flush. The redhead scoffed and looked away. "If you don't like it then fine…" he mumbled sourly.

Kotone removed her hands and flashed a sweet smile. Her fingers tapped his chin wistfully. "I didn't say I didn't like it, dummy."

Silver glared at her. But Kotone seemed unaffected as she laughed softly and hugged his neck again. The sound of her voice was enough to soothe him down. Silver sighed heavily, a small smile painting his face. "Stubborn little pest." He hugged her waist and flipped her over, letting her crash on top of him. Kotone led out a small squeal but was quickly seized shut by Silver's lips. He nibbled her lips, sucking her tongue as punishment.

Kotone purred lovingly and hid her face on his chest. Just as she thought she was safe, he tickled her waist. Her soft giggles turned into a loud cackle. Soon, their body was flipped over again, letting Silver have the control. He pinned her arms above her head and continue to tickle him with his free hand.

Kotone laughed her heart out. "Silver you meanie! Stop that!" Tears were forming on her eyes, couldn't bear when he found her ticklish spot. Silver grinned smugly and kissed the tears away. His lips soon trailed down to her lips, pressing it softly as he continued to torture her with his playful ticklish tease.

The elegant glistening night sparkled above them, marking their beautiful beginning. Silver has gone through an abyss past, but he has found his guide that will lead him to a beautiful future. Now he knew, even in the worst of people, even he deserves a chance.

Celebi watched them from above. Her small head hidden inside the white puffy hat. The small legendary flashed a bright smile, clapping its hand to see their happy ending, just like it predicted. The time travel Pokémon chirped joyously into the night sky and zoomed out of sight.

Everybody deserves love. Nobody deserves to be miserable. Love is the most powerful emotion there is. It can also be dangerous, but once you learn how to control it, it can be your strongest willpower.

I love you so much, my precious Kotone.

END.