Rose sighed happily as she slipped through the water. The movement came naturally to her, dancing across the bottom of the river as if she were a performer on a stage. Closing her eyes, she dipped herself under the water, letting her hair get soaked and clean. She emerged quickly and flipped her hair back out of her eyes, letting out a peal of laughter.

She would have to do this more often. Not just the bathing part, but the swimming.

"Maybe I was a water type Pokemon in a past life…" She pondered aloud, settling low in the water so that she was submerged up to her chin. Movement on the river's bank caught her eye and she noticed a familiar tall figure walking by. With his hands shoved deep in his pockets, N was strolling by, eyes glued to the ground and the brim of his hat covering his gray eyes.

"Oh! Hi N! How are you?" She called out, waving one arm to get his attention. The green haired boy snapped his head up at the sound of his name and a grin crossed his face.

"Hello Rose! Having a swim? May I join you?" He asked, taking a few steps closer to the water's edge.

"NO! NO NO NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Roma stormed through the bushes like a rampaging Taruos, tearing the poor foliage from its roots in his rush. N immediately took a few stumbling steps back, pressing himself against a nearby tree.

"Wh-wh-what's wrong Roma? What did I do wrong?" He stuttered, shrinking under the burning glare of the enraged Servine.

"Rommaaaaaa…" Rose whined, brow furrowing and pink lips pouting. "Why not? You said only special people could see my bits. N is special, he's my friend."

"That's…ugh, no, that's not how it works. I'll explain later. You are now double grounded. You must ask me permission before exposing your bits." He sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples. This was beginning to become a habit. If he wasn't careful, he feared he might develop migraines.

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" N queried, tilting his head to the side. Roma shot him a cold stare and crossed his arms.

"Just because she doesn't know any better doesn't mean you can take advantage of her!" He hissed, bearing his pointed teeth at the youth before him. "She doesn't understand the implications of being naked, and I will NOT let you take advantage of that."

N's face grew as red as Roma's eyes and he jolted as if he'd just been shocked.

"W-w-wait! She's…sh-she's naked?" He managed to say, voice high pitched and speech almost too fast to understand. Roma nodded once and all the color drained from the boy's face. He managed to pull his hat over his eyes and turn the other way before collapsing on the ground in a heap.

Rose let out a worried gasp and hurried to the shore, forgetting her unclothed state entirely. Roma let out a bark of laughter and fell to the ground as well, grabbing his sides as he laughed uncontrollably.

"H-h-he fainted!" He jeered, wiping a tear from his eye. Rose reached N's side and managed to roll him onto his back, sending a dirty look Roma's way.

"He could be hurt! Don't laugh." She chided, focusing her attention back to the green haired male before her. His breathing was normal and the color was slowly returning back to his face, so she figured he wouldn't suffer permanent damage. Roma walked up beside her, coughing occasionally to hide his continued laughter.

"I. Was not. Expecting that." He choked out, a grin on his smug face. "Go ahead and get dressed if you're finished. I'll keep watch over him." Rose nodded her understanding, still eyeing Roma in a disgruntled way before going over to her pile of clothing. By the time she was finished, N was beginning to stir, mumbling softly and putting a hand over his face.

She darted to his side, shoving an indignant Roma out of the way as she peered at his face. His eyes fluttered open, and as he found her staring back at him with a worried expression, he felt an unfamiliar emotion stir deep within him. Something ancient and abused, like an old broken leg being rebroken and let to heal properly. It hurt, but at the same time it flooded him with a sort of warmth.

"Are you okay?" She asked, eyes flitting over his form briefly, checking for obvious injury. Without thinking, he raised his hand up and cupped her cheek, tilting her head ever so slightly so that her eyes met his again. His smiled was so gentle and gracious that Rose felt a little unsettled, undeserving. She felt as if she was seeing something intimate, something precious and rare, something secret and untainted.

Her cheeks tinted pink and her breath caught in her chest. Something…strange was happening. Her eyes widened ever so slightly just as his did and suddenly gravity seemed to increase, pulling her closer to him.

With a loud crack, Roma whipped N's hand away, shattering the moment.

"Alright, alright, he's fine. And you," he pointed a vine at the green haired boy, who was cradling his hand tenderly, "No touchy."

"Roma!" Rose exclaimed, resisting the urge to grab her friend's hand and examine it for injury. "That wasn't very nice. N has already had a tough day."

"It's fine, Rose, don't worry." N smiled, sitting up and inspecting his hand, which was a little red, but otherwise fine. "I find it fascinating how Roma protects you. He treats you like you're his hatchling."

"Hey now." Roma huffed, his cheeks tinting slightly. Rose and N shared a laugh at his expense, causing his cheeks to color darker before he snapped at the two humans to stop laughing at him.

"So, have you had a chance to look around town yet?" N asked, turning to Rose curiously. She shook her head no and his eyes widened, an excited look crossing his face. "You haven't? Then I can be your guide! Come on, let's go!"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her up with him, dragging the startled girl towards Nacrene City, Roma following as quickly as his little legs would take him and yelling obscenities at the strange man guiding his Trainer away from him.


Gah! I'm sooooo sorry guys! It has been a HECTIC couple days. I know this is just a little chapter, but I wanted you guys to know that I'm not quitting yet! I have a bit of the next chapter done and hopefully I'll get it up tomorrow night. Next week I have off of class, and I am housesitting for a couple days, so what better to do than sit down and write?

Any reviews would be greatly appreciated, and of course please, PLEASE let me know if there are any spelling or grammatical errors, I know when I see errors in stories it totally takes me out of the moment and I don't want that happening with my story.

Thanks again for reading!

-Vayel