Chapter 10 (Iris' POV)

I still remember how quiet the forest seemed after that. Maybe it was just because we finally had time to catch our breath after everything, or… Yeah more like it was because the awkward silence coming from Ash and Dawn was unlike anything I'd ever not heard. It wasn't like I didn't get why, they were both probably unsure how to handle this. I guess it didn't help much that these were my customs not theirs. Having a guy risk his life to get an extra scale during this ceremony would have spoken for itself to me, but I wasn't really sure Dawn was getting it. And since we were talking about Ash, I wasn't too sure he got it either.

I shook my head; a shipper's job is never done…

"Can I see it, Ash?" I asked trying to be causal. "You know, see if it looks much different than ours?"

He swallowed hard just at the mention of the scale before he fumbled it out of his hands and into mine. I closed one eye and looked it over carefully. It was completely blue and shimmered when it caught the moonlight. And maybe it was just because I did get it, but each and every time I saw a dragon scale...well it almost took my breath away. I held it a little tighter in my hands, as I thought of everything this scale could mean to Ash and Dawn. Yeah if only they could get it through their thick heads.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Cilan was still fawning over our own scale. But I just smiled. He was so amazed by everything unique that the village of dragons did, and the way he was looking down at that scale… Well, let's just say I was waiting for him to ask me what I planned on naming it. So on one end of the spectrum, Cilan looked like he was about to dress up our scale in suit vests and bowties and declare it the firstborn, and on the other end… Ash and Dawn honestly didn't seem like they knew what to do with theirs. He hadn't even officially given it to her yet.

"It's sure beautiful…" I said softly as I handed it back to Ash.

He nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah…"

I frowned a little, before I got an idea and grinned. "Before we head back, do you guys want to hear how this tradition started?"

"Why certainly we would, Iris!" Cilan chimed in, and I'm pretty sure the 'we' meant him and the scale he was cradling. If he started making silly faces at it next, I swear I'd...

I coughed into my hand trying to hide the funny look I wanted so badly to give him. But if anything, Cilan was just being in character, the ones who needed my attention were the two most stubborn people on the planet. Yeah and they hesitantly paced over to us before plopping down next to each other, though the space between them could have probably held a whole druddigon to be fair!

"Okay so," I said before stretching and trying to collect my thoughts. "Well, about 200 years ago the founder of the village of dragons was taking a journey and he stopped in the very spot where the village is today. The story goes he was so amazed by how beautiful everything was that he decided to spend the night in the valley."

Cilan grinned at me before looking down at our scale and smiling even sweeter at it. For a second I could have sworn he whispered something to it.

Okay…

"Eh so…" I stammered trying to get my head back on straight. "Anyway he met his future wife there too."

"Really, how?" Dawn asked leaning into her hand.

I winked. "She was a great dragon master, and lived in one of the caves nearby. It's said he fell in love with her right away, but she loved her dragons so much she could never be with anyone who wouldn't respect them the way she did." I admit when I was little I always used to think that living in a cave with dragons would have been the coolest thing ever, and I didn't really get why she would have left all that to marry anybody.

"So what'd he do then?" Ash mumbled.

I smiled with a determined look. "Even though he didn't know anything about dragons before, he trained hard and learned how to connect to their hearts the same way she did. In time, he wanted to prove that to her by getting a scale willing from one of her dragons. When he managed to and gave it to her she finally agreed to marry him. The two of them were the first to ever live in the village. That's who Elder's family descended from I think."

"What a lovely story!" Cilan beamed as he gazed cheerfully at the scale he was practically rocking to sleep.

"Yeah but," Dawn said awkwardly looking to the side. "I'm not so sure ours was really all that willing…"

"Hey!" Ash snapped back, looking surprised. "It still counts!" Then he looked over at me and got a little quiet. "Doesn't it, Iris…?"

I just glanced between them before nodding. "Sure it does, Ash, what matters is all the thoughts and feelings that went into it. That's what makes any gift special, and the scales aren't any different."

"Coriander!" Cilan suddenly shouted, like it was some kind of revelation.

I twisted around on the log I was sitting on and just stared at him for a second. "Excuse me?"

Cilan looked up, his face suddenly turning a little red. "Well sorry to interrupt, but I just realized that would make the most perfect name for the newest addition to our future family."

I felt my forehead wrinkle. "Y-You named the scale, Cilan…?"

He nodded. "Why certainly, as I'm sure we'll forever cherish it!"

I sighed. "Right Cilan… Um anyway…" then I stopped, realizing I'd completely forgotten what I was talking about after that.

"Well…" Dawn stood up and brushed off her knees. "We should get back, it's pretty late, and everybody is waiting to make sure we didn't get eaten by a dragon so…"

I frowned at Dawn, she seemed like she didn't even want to get on the subject of Ash's scale. Was she trying to back out of this whole thing? Then I looked at Ash who was looking at her with a mixture of confusion and worry. Boy oh boy, leave it to them to play it down to the very last.

Standing up too, I sighed again. "Okay fine, let's go, I admit I could sure use some sleep after this."

So on we went, back toward the village and the closer we got the more that old nervous feeling came back. This was the last part, we had to present "Coriander" officially in front of everyone. It would mean that the ceremony was complete, and in the eyes of the whole village at least, Cilan and me would be bound together for life. Which basically just meant everybody would be sure to get nosy about when we actually were going to get married and seal the deal. I really didn't have an answer to that question, and I wasn't trying to rush us along either. Or at least rush myself along, if anything I felt like I needed this last little time to try and prepare myself. Or at least try and get my head around it, which I already knew wasn't really gonna happen to begin with.

But for everything that I needed to think about, all I had on my mind was Ash and Dawn. What were they doing? And was it really right for me to try and push them like this…? But at the same time, I almost hated to think of us getting back to the village before they settled this, after all, their end of the ceremony wouldn't mean anything. Sure everybody would think it did, but the real question was: would they? I thought I'd been clear about it, but I seemed to think they were just looking at it like following what was expected. This wasn't turning out how I planned… And I needed to do something about it, but...what?

That same question was ringing inside my head when we made it back to the village. A huge bonfire was burning near the center of the village, everybody was gathered around just like I knew they would be. As soon as we appeared over the last hill one of the village kids, who was apparently playing lookout, saw us and started running and announcing we were coming back.

For all the drama I couldn't help but smile. So I tried to put everything else out of my mind, after all, this was a once in a lifetime moment that would never happen again. So I really wanted to savor it, yeah even if it did make me sorta nervous. And I thought, yeah just maybe, that Ash and Dawn might get it once he actually gave her the scale in front of everyone. That's what I was praying anyway.

So ignoring the fluttering I felt in my chest, the four of us walked back between the two statues of Reshiram and Zekrom. They were towering into the darkness of the night, but in the glow of the firelight I could still make out the looks on their faces. The faces of resolute power and dignity, I guess you'd say. When I was little I used to look up at them and wonder if I'd ever be a dragon master like the woman in the story I'd heard all my life. Maybe I didn't feel like I was there yet but…

Cilan, not needing anymore help getting into the spirit of the custom, stepped forward and held up our scale with a big smile on his face. The crowd cheered, but I felt almost numb all over again. Not that it was in a bad way, just… Cilan turned back to me and reached to pull me into a hug. I just closed my eyes and let myself stop thinking for those few moments, as I tried to hold onto them as long as I could. But almost like I could feel all the eyes on us, I opened mine and looked over his shoulder at the faces in the crowd. Shannon, Jake, Elder, and...Drayden.

My family… At last it seemed like we all were together, and I never would have dreamed this day would really come. Cilan pulled away slowly as Elder stepped closer and all eyes turned to Ash and Dawn. The truth was my eyes turned too, and in what way I could, I tried to reassure both of them with just a look.

When they both hesitated Elder spoke up to gently help move things along. "Will you be presenting a scale as well, young man?" She asked Ash, who I thought sure was shaking.

"Y-Yes ma'am." He bowed stiffly, before almost giving the scale to Elder instead of Dawn.

The look on Dawn's face looked somewhere between mercy, and...sadness. She reached over slowly and carefully took the scale from his hands, before she leaned in to kiss his cheek. I saw her mouth the words: "Thank you, Ash." The crowd cheered just as loudly as they had for me and Cilan, but I knew something wasn't right.

Dawn was just trying to please the crowd and not embarrass me or Ash. I knew Dawn, she didn't want to ruin my ceremony, but I knew better than to think she got what Ash had meant.

I felt my fists clench as everything in me said to run to her, to shake her until she got it. But the crowd rushed in around Cilan and me and I just couldn't get away. All I could do was watch as Dawn pushed her way out of the mass of people. When she made it out she looked back at me and smiled. That weak smile that meant she was so happy for me, but felt so sorry for herself. So sincerely sorry, that she never could have believed that she was wrong, that the picture she was seeing wasn't the right one.

"Dawn!" I shouted above the noise and clamour, but it didn't reach her either.

Ash seemed just as upset as I was, and just stood there, probably wondering what he'd done wrong. When I finally tore myself away I ran all the way to my old house, figuring she'd be there. Curled up in her loneliness and all the thoughts that were nothing more than lies. Throwing the door open I found her on the bed, pretending to be asleep. I stopped as soon as I saw her though, because only a true friend would have noticed how she tried to hide that her shoulders were trembling.

I could have just went over to my bed and ignored her. Maybe I even wondered if it was wrong of me, if I was to blame for putting her in this situation to begin with. But wrong or right, I could never turn my back on a friend. So even if I couldn't understand or even if I'd make it worse…I…

Sucking in a deep breath I gently pulled back the blanket she was huddled under and slipped into bed beside her. Reaching out I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer to me until I could feel her trembling from all the tears she was trying to hide.

"It's a rotten thing to cry all by yourself, silly…" I whispered.

"I-Iris…?" I heard her gasp before she slowly sat up and turned to face me. I sat up too, before

reaching out to wipe away one of the many teardrops rolling down her face.

I smiled as softly as I could. "It's okay to love someone that much… But it isn't okay to not love yourself enough to believe they could ever feel the same."

"It's funny...right…" she mumbled as she tried to wipe away the emotional evidence with her sleeve.

"Not hardly." I said back firmly, letting her know that I was mad at her for thinking that way about herself.

She almost smiled, but it was weak at best. "Ash doesn't understand what he's doing, Iris, he never has. That's why I figured it was best to let him off the hook… And to not make a scene and ruin your big moment…"

I let out a sigh as I hung my legs off the the side of her bed. "Is that really what you think, that anything you could do would ruin it for me? Just you being here with me is enough, Dawn... It's enough to make it a really great memory. And as for Ash…" I turned to glare at her a little. "You didn't even give him a chance to say one way or the other. I happened to know it meant a lot to him…"

I stood up and paced a few steps away. "But I guess it doesn't matter now, does it?" I said crossing my arms and making my tone purposefully sharp. "Since there isn't going to be any Ash and Dawn and spotlight, and all that sappy wedding stuff you said you loved imagining so much."

"Iris…" she mumbled out, but it didn't stop me.

"Seeing as you've got it all figured out already that is! And since apparently Ash's scale didn't mean anything to you?"

She frowned. "Is that really what you think, that it doesn't matter to me…? Well I can tell you you're wrong, Iris. Because it does, and I'd have been perfectly okay with all those people thinking we were going to be the next ones bound together for life, and all that... Because as dense as he is, I love Ash Ketchum…" she said with another weak smile. "I have for a long time, but he doesn't exactly see it that way, or at least he won't speak up one way or the other if he does..."

Dawn clenched her fists tightly. "And if I don't like myself so much all the time, it's because what are you supposed to think about somebody who could ever be jealous of their best friend's happiness?!"

I just looked at her as her words sunk in all around me. Because in that moment, with her hair so out of place and tears streaming down her face, she looked so...human. So alive and so beautiful, even if she'd never take my word for it…

"You know what I think…" I whispered softly as I took a step closer to her until she was close enough for me to wrap my arms around her. "I think I'll love you just as much anyway… And," I added as I felt her go limp in my arms. "I can say it again, as often as you might need the reminder…" I held onto her tighter. "But why are you jealous of me when you've got such a great life all your own?"

She tried to laugh, but it was so mingled with emotion she almost choked. "I-I've got all that and no one even b-bothered to tell me about it…?"

I pulled back just enough to get another good look at her. At the teary mess that was my best friend, imperfections and all. Smiling, I reached touch the side of her face. "Maybe you just never thought to ask, silly…?"

"M-Maybe…" she choked out with a smile of her own.

"So...you say you love Ash, huh? Well, could you repeat that in front of him one of these days? I think all this high drama is starting to turn me as gray as Cilan."

She smiled wider, this time showing her teeth, and it was that same old smile I'd seen so many times before, the one I loved to see the most… "N-No need to worry, I'll do my best!"

But as it turned out, I wouldn't have to wait long, because my front door came flinging open so fast I almost jumped. Ash was standing there with a completely indescribable look on his face, and trembling fists. When Cilan hesitantly poked his head around the corner of the doorframe, I knew they must have been eavesdropping this whole time.

"I'm so sorry!" Cilan rushed in to say. "To listen in on a private conversation, and then open the door to a lady's room without knocking is in very poor taste!"

I shook my head, almost amazed that Cilan's "gentleman code of ethics" was offended at a time like this. But I didn't have time to deal with that now. I walked over to Cilan and was going to push him out and give them some space, at last, to work this out, but Ash didn't even seem worried who else was listening.

"Have I been doing something wrong this whole time…?" He asked looking straight at Dawn with sincerely pleading eyes. Eyes that were crying now too. "I just wanted to be your best friend at first, but… I'm not really stupid, I get everything about other stuff too! But how was I supposed to know you liked somebody like me?" He rubbed his nose. "I'm not fancy like Cilan, and I don't guess I'm that good looking…"

"Ash, get to the point, won't you…?" Dawn said, softly teasing him. I already saw it on her face though, the relief and...and I thought she finally knew. Because even though Ash never would have realized it, we all already knew what he was trying to say.

He squared his shoulders, and I thought he sort of looked like Piplup trying to stand proudly and make himself look taller. "I wanted you to have the scale because of the same reason everybody else thought! Because, because…" his proud shoulders slumped. "Because you're special to me and…" he stared down at the floor as his face washed red. "A lot better looking than me for sure…"

Dawn smiled a little. "I'll be the judge of that, but thanks all the same. Now, Ash," she said with a surprisingly calm, matter of fact voice. "You do know you just said that in front of all our friends, right?"

Ash looked up and glanced between me and Cilan, before getting even redder, as if he just realized we were even there. "Oh man…"

Dawn sighed. "And since I can't possibly get any more embarrassed than I already am…" She reached to put a hand gently on his shoulder before she leaned in to meet his lips without another word. She closed her eyes, of course, but he was too frozen with shock to even move a muscle.

I dug my nails into Cilan's arm excitedly as a stupid grin spread across my face. He winced in pain before smiling back at me, and right about then… Well, I thought everything was just how it should be, at last… And I knew a million years from now, well it would still be just as perfect…

Dawn pulled back, leaving him thoroughly speechless, before she frowned playfully. "Now go to sleep, Ash Ketchum, it's beyond late!"

He fumbled a few steps backward, but still seemed almost incapable of coherent speech. "G-G-Good n-n-night." He finally managed as he kept backing out toward the door.

Cilan walked over and put a bracing hand on each of his shoulders before he fell backward down my steps. Goodnight," Cilan added cheerfully. "I imagine we'll have much to discus in the morning!"

"Night, Cilan," I said with a nod. "Just make sure he isn't permanently frozen like that all night, will ya?"

"I'm sure it's nothing a thundershock and a fresh cup of coffee won't fix!"

I rolled my eyes as I watched them disappear down the steps and into the distance. Then turning back toward Dawn, I just smirked at her for the longest time without saying anything.

She rolled her eyes at me. "So let me guess, Iris, you're never going to take that goofy look off your face, are you?"

I winked, taking a rare page out of Cilan's book. "Dawn, payback is a very sweet flavor, and I am thoroughly enjoying it"

She frowned a little, turning even more red. "I didn't kid you about Cilan that much, did I…?"

Grabbing a pillow off my bed I tossed it right at her head. "And there is my very obvious answer to that."

That night, when we both were almost asleep, I just took a moment to enjoy another "sweet flavor." It was the sound of everything being right in the world, or at least it seemed to me like it was. And I wanted to believe that it was so badly, from every pokemon to every person everywhere. So I decided I would believe it...believe it as hard as I could, yeah right until the day it really did turn out to be true.

After everything that had happened the night before I had planned on sleeping in for sure. But what is it about thinking something and doing something, that makes one so different from the other…?

It was about 8:00 when I heard a muffled "It's breakfast time!" through my door. So just opening the door without knocking was a big edicate no no, but screaming through it was okay?

Oh Cilan…

Dragging up, I walked over to the door and cracked it open slowly. Not all that surprisingly, Cilan was standing there practically bouncing on his heels. "So…" I mumbled out. "Are you sort of a morning person…? Because if so, I should really have known about this sooner..." I smirked. "It just might have changed my decision to marry you."

He just smiled as big as ever before leaning in to kiss me. "Why I'm sure it's just because of how happy I am to see you, Iris!"

I sighed, before giving him a little grin. "Right… Well," I yawned before glancing back inside at Dawn's unmoving figure, still fast asleep. "Just give us a little bit to get ready, I think Dawn needs the sleep more than anything else right now."

Cilan suddenly frowned before starting to whisper. "Oh I'm sorry, was I being too loud earlier?"

I sighed again, thinking that was an understatement if I'd ever heard one. "Don't worry about it, you were just...well being you I guess." Then stepping outside I closed the door quietly behind us. "So," I asked as I looked up at Cilan seriously. "How's Ash? I mean after…"

He smiled. "I wouldn't worry about our Ash, Iris, he's been surprisingly adaptive, emotionally speaking that is."

I just blinked at him for a few seconds before frowning. "Sorry Cilan, I don't want to be dense, but it's way too early for me to get anything out of that…"

He laughed a little to himself. "That is to say, he seems to be happily adjusting to realizing his new feelings for Dawn are mutual."

I stared at Cilan for a few long seconds, not sure if I should believe a word of that. So smirking I said exactly what I was thinking. "He didn't sleep at all last night, did he?"

Cilan winced. "Well...I may have heard him tossing rather restlessly."

"And so," I went on, my eyes going half-lidded. "You gave him a ton coffee this morning, you know, just to hold him together in front of Dawn later?"

Cilan smiled, not even denying it. "It was my signature blend after all."

Stifling another yawn with the back of my hand I looked up at him. "Well, let's hope you've got more of it for the rest of us…"

"Of course," he said happily before his face got a little more serious. "Oh and Iris," he added slowly.

I looked up at him, suddenly paying more attention.

"It would seem that Drayden wants to speak with us after breakfast."

"Drayden…?" I mumbled out, my heart already in my throat. "Really? Did he say what about? Huh did he?!"

Cilan smiled a little reassuring. "I'm sure it's nothing to be overly concerned about. He probably just wants to congratulate us personally, and perhaps examine our Coriander up close and first hand."

I gave him a funny look. "You're really going to keep calling the scale that?"

But of course he seemed surprised that I'd even ask. "Why wouldn't I, I mean considering the special meaning it contains?" As expected he looked completely innocent, and I figured he was.

To Cilan, normal just had a different definition…

I sighed for what felt like the hundredth time in the last five minutes. "Right... Well, tell 'Coriander' that I'll be ready for breakfast soon, okay?"

Seeing me play along made him smile cheerfully, since he never could tell when I was being sarcastic. "We'll both await you happily!"

With that he turned and practically skipped away, over the moon. The thing about being a little kid was, maybe some people just couldn't help it. But when you were the one in love with that kid…

Well...I guess you couldn't always help that either…

I was still shaking my head when I stepped back in and saw Dawn was just starting to stir. "Sleep good?" I asked her with a little smile, as I walked over to give Fraxure a "good morning" pat on the head.

He nuzzled my hand back, and Dawn just sighed. "Not even a single wink… I swear everytime I closed my eyes all I saw was that scrawny little pokemon trainer…"

I smirked. "How romantic."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, I would have agreed with you before, but now I'm thinking a little sleep would be even better…"

I smiled wider as I started to get dressed. "Yep, and now you're getting it."

Once we were both ready we stepped outside into the bright sunlight, and it was a little too bright as far as I was truth was, if I hadn't been so tired I would have been nervous about what Drayden might want, but as it was… Well, I was just ready to introduce him to his surrogate granddaughter and be done with it. If you couldn't beat them, understand them, or make them any less a little kid, then you might as well marry them. Or so I was starting to think the saying must have went...

Not all that surprisingly, Ash almost jumped a whole four feet straight up when he caught sight of Dawn. And with Cilan's signature blend coursing through his veins I figured he could have actually managed it.

"G-G-Good morning, Dawn!" He shouted like it was an army roll call. Dawn smiled a little before she sat down next to him on the log around the campfire. "Relax, Ash, I'm not gonna bite now, ya know?"

He nodded way too eagerly to be natural, but I figured they'd work it out in time. "So," I said plopping down on another log across from them. "What's for breakfast, Cilan?" Pansage was perched on his shoulder as the both of them seemed to be standing back to take a final look at their latest work of art.

"I think...that's nearly perfect…" he mumbled to himself, and Pansage nodded as if to confirm it.

"Well, it sure smells good." Dawn said as she closed her eyes to savour the scent.

In one fluent motion he spun around, with a large plate balanced on his fingertips. "Breakfast is served!"

I gave a sleepy glance at the platter, but almost choked when I saw what almost looked like a stack of perfect Coriander replicas. "Are those pancakes?" Dawn asked raising an eyebrow.

Cilan smiled proudly; an expression Pansage mimicked in perfect sync with his trainer. "Indeed they are, Dawn. And with a topping of two of my special berry jams, I've recreated the same unique color palette of Iris and I's dear Coriander."

Dawn looked at me skeptically, but I just shrugged, not knowing how to explain it either. She grinned. "Well, can't say I've ever thought of a dragon scale as appetizing, but as hungry as I am I think I could bite into anything."

I didn't bother to mention that now she sounded like Ash, while he barely ate one stack for how his hands were shaking. At one point I honestly felt sorry for the guy.

But maybe I should have been more worried about myself, because as soon as we finished Cilan reached for my hand. "We should be on our way to see Drayden, don't you think?"

I frowned on instinct. "Um sure...I guess so." Pansage was intrusted with carrying our scale, which Cilan had wrapped carefully in one of his monogrammed handkerchiefs. All and all, I was just waiting for us to get back to Striaton and hear that he'd bronzed it… Yeah, or legally adopted it…

But all jokes aside, this was going to be the first time I'd have a chance to talk to Drayden since all of this happened. With all the commotion last night it was easy for Drayden to just slip through the crowd. But now I was really going to face him. I wasn't sure why I was nervous though, it wasn't like he would be all that surprised. Besides, shouldn't Cilan have been the one to be nervous? I sighed, or at least maybe he would have been if Drayden really was my actual father.

We walked over to a far corner of the village, and it wasn't hard to spot Drayden in the distance. He was as tall as ever, and it seemed like he had his haxorus out for some early training. But when he sensed we were close he stopped and turned to look at us. I always felt like I could wilt under his stare, but I knew he never meant it that way. It was just…

"Good morning, sir!" Cilan said as chipper as ever, without a worry or doubt in the world.

I saw Drayden's eyes smile, and I almost sighed with relief. Was I just hoping he'd accept us? Accept me…?

"Would you like to see it?!" Cilan said with all the innocent excitement of...well a little kid.

Drayden nodded calmly. "It was difficult to see in the dim light last night, so yes."

Pansage handed it to Cilan, who carefully unwrapped it and held it out to Drayden. He just stared down at it in Cilan's hands at first, before he reached to slowly take it. "This must have been taken from the neck, just where the blues and reds meet? A rare, but fitting piece for certain."

"Do you really think so?" I rambled out before I could stop myself.

He looked over at me, and for those few long moments it was almost like I couldn't think at all, I was just held in suspense. "Of course." He said simply. "These are the colors associated often with the legendary dragons, with duality." He reached with his free hand to pat haxorus.

"So you know," Cilan added in with a suddenly proud look on his face, before he glanced over at me softly. "It was Iris who was able to convince the duddigan to give us that scale."

"Is that so?" Drayden asked gently.

"Yes," Cilan went on. "In fact, as a pokemon connoisseur I must say that it was quite a sight to behold! Their hearts truly blended into one!"

"Hey give me a break, will ya…" I mumbled, embarrassed by all the praise. "Anybody could have done it… It was no big deal."

Drayden took a step closer to me. "I'll have to disagree with you there. Not everyone can connect to the heart of a dragon or sense their deepest feelings." He reached down and gently lifted my chin with his fingertips, until I was looking up at him. "That is something only the truest dragon masters have ever been able to accomplish."

I smiled a little bit, even though I could feel my face trembling. "Maybe, but...I still have a long way to go before I'll be good enough to consider myself one."

He slowly lowered his hand back at his side, before he handed the scale back to me. "Perhaps that's true, just be certain you enjoy the journey." His eyes got a little more serious. "And do accept it when the victory of reaching your goal finally does come."

I just stared up at him, before I saw his face soften. It almost looked like he was about to say something, when a nearby villager rushed up to us. It was Mrs. Marta, she was a little younger than Elder, but still just as energetic as I remembered. I was almost worried at first, but from the cheerful look on her face I knew it wasn't anything serious.

"Cilan, my dear boy, is it true you are the owner of a restaurant in the big city?" She asked as she wiped her brow, and tried to catch her breath.

Cilan grinned a little sheepishly. "Co-owner, yes. How may I help you, ma'am."

Mrs. Marta grinned at me. "Such a polite young man, Iris!"

I smiled back awkwardly, not really knowing what to say.

"Well now, Cilan, if you'd be a dear and help an old woman with a recipe, I'd greatly appreciate it!"

"Oh?" Cilan asked as his eyes lit up, but then he glanced back at me and Drayden.

Drayden got his message and shook his head. "Go ahead, we can speak more later."

"Well, if you insist!" Cilan said, as Mrs. Marta looped an arm around his and pulled him away. If I knew her, they'd be comparing seasonings for hours, and if I knew him, he'd love every second of it. Maybe that's why I couldn't help but smile as I watched them walk away, so much so that I guess Drayden must have noticed.

"You know," he said, his deep voice almost startling me. "It seems like such an old thing to say, but I'm finding it difficult to fully realize the passage of time."

I turned to look at him, a little confused by what he meant.

He just closed his eyes and sighed calmly. "When we first met you weren't much more than an overly spirited hatchling. And now you have a scale of your own."

I nodded as I felt my hand tighten a little more around it. "I still feel like a hatchling sometimes too…" I confessed before I even thought it through.

He laughed. "Yes, but you are not, that I can assure you of…" Then his voice softened. "Madame Champion…"

For a second I just looked up into his eyes, not sure what to say, but...not able to look away either. Then: "Drayden...I…" I bit my lip before just pushing forward. "About that and the gym… I-" But he held up his hand to cut me off.

"Stop apologizing for that, please. Your path is the one you choose, and I don't disagree with your choice." He turned back to face Haxorus as he stroked his powerful neck. "Happiness ought to matter more than mere duty or ambition."

I hoped he was right, that I wasn't just throwing away everything I should have been doing just to try and follow my own path. But...but I shook those thoughts away, that couldn't be true. Not when I thought about how I felt, how he made me feel… Cilan needed me, and I wanted to be there for him even if it meant I couldn't do all the other things everyone expected. That I expected…

"Drayden I...I still promise I'll do my best!" I finally said, the determination building until it had to spill out.

He chuckled to himself as he kept looking into Haxorus' dark eyes. "I could never believe anything else…"

We both got quiet then as I felt the breeze ruffle through my hair and tickle against my face. This was my home, and it felt like a part of me would always be here, that a part of him would always be with me. I knew he wasn't really my dad but… But to me maybe that didn't matter so much anymore. Because all that mattered in the end was how we felt in our hearts...

So I stopped and thought about all my friends, my family, and about everything the future must have held for all of us. We were still almost like kids, and we'd fall and scrape our knees plenty I figured. We wouldn't always think straight, or even feel straight. We'd get things wrong, be too hard on each other, and mostly...ourselves. But you know… I thought that might have been one of the things that made the journey mean so much in the first place. That made it all so worth it...

Maybe that was all I was thinking when I stepped forward, the scale still clutched in my hand, and wrapped my arms around Drayden. Yeah until I almost disappeared, I was still so small compared to him.

"I love you… And I won't forget you ever!" I said as I buried my face against him.

For a second I wondered if he would think I was being completely stupid, and for that second I almost regretted it. But then...then I felt his arms wrap around me too, and for that moment…

That moment when I could hear our two hearts beating right next to each other. Well I knew…

Knew that time didn't have to wait anymore, because I was ready.

Ready to make all my wishes come true…

As always, thank you all so much for the support, it means the world! :D More soon!