Silence. That was all that was heard in the forest that seemed to be growing colder by the second. Mouths hung open in plain shock at the words that Grace had just spoken. She stood tall, proud, and unabashed in front of her former rapist, torturer, and hell-bringer, and she had forgiven him…for everything.

Seth stared at his mate, his mouth agape and his mind scrambling to find some sort of logical reason as to Grace's unusual decision to forgive this…monster…that he and Daron had pinned to a tree. How could one just forgive a man who had done such heinous acts and seemed to feel no remorse until he was put in a life threatening situation? Seth tried to look into Grace's mind, to see what insanity had plagued her mind. Instead, all he saw was blackness and Grace's voice told him, "Later, I will explain myself."

Daron was the first one to manage to recover. "Seth, did I hear her correctly? She said that she FORGIVES him?" As if to prove his disdain towards Thantos, Daron slammed his heavy boot into his chest and caused an audible grunt to come from Thantos as he tried to double over, but couldn't due to the brothers holding him up.

"That's what she said…and meant," Seth mumbled still unable to comprehend what was going through Grace's head. Turning his attention to Thantos, Seth growled, "I guess we won't kill you, but don't think you're free…"

Thantos looked at Grace and instantly memories flooded back to him. All of those horrendous actions he had done to her…everything she'd been through…all because it had made himself feel better. He felt like he was going to be sick, but it only made him remember the number of times that he'd made Grace sick…and laughed at it like some sort of demon. That's all he was, a cold, heartless, empty shell of a demon. "Please," he whispered, his voice was raspy and weak as if he were struggling merely to speak to her. "Don't forgive me…never forgive me…I don't deserve it, I will never deserve it." He turned his head to Seth and looked at him with emotionless eyes. "I can tell that there is something between you two…I don't know what…but…" He was interrupted by searing pain in his leg as Abbey's jaws began to tense up from biting for so long. Blood dribbled down his leg, but Thantos ignored it. "I just want you to know…she is lucky to have found you… It probably wasn't even luck that we crossed. I believe in fate and I think that Arceus was looking out for her, making sure that she escaped me that night and found you. Thank you, Arceus." He turned back to Grace, who hadn't moved a muscle since she'd spoken last and he managed in a hoarse voice to say, "It's no wonder he chose to protect you…you're sweet…beautiful…strong…tasty…voluptuous…" Suddenly, Thantos' eyes became clouded with lust and he felt as if his body was beginning to try to struggle, to grasp Grace's leg. "BITE HARDER!" he shouted, primarily to Abbey and she gladly obliged.

She opened her mouth to release his leg and then found a new spot, right on his knee. She knew that even though the top was hard and would be painful, the bottom was soft and chewable. She opened her mouth and clamped down with such force that blood instantly flooded into Abbey's mouth, causing her to choke a bit. She let go long enough to cough up the bitter blood and then bit down once more in the exact same spot, this time, however, she heard a distinct chipping sound; a sign that bone had been broken.

Thantos screamed and howled, but his face smiled. It was not because he enjoyed the pain, quite the opposite really, but he was ecstatic as he felt his lust retreating back into the storm he called a subconscious. The pain never went away, but finally Thantos managed to relax enough to stammer out, "T-thank you." Thantos put his head against the tree and took several breaths as old scenes continued to fly past his eyes, never ceasing to etch into his mind all of the pain…all of the suffering that he put Grace through.

"So Seth…" Daron started, but stopped as he looked over at his brother. He didn't need any special sort of powers to see that Seth was enraged. His eyes were wild and bloodshot, his breathing ragged and deep, his muscles were clearly tenses, and a thin line of sweat was beginning to form on his brow. His hands seemed to clench and unclench on Thantos' arm, no doubt causing even more excruciating pain. "Grace," Daron whispered just loud enough for her to hear. "Calm Seth down…I think he's going to do something that he'll regret…believe me, I know about that stuff."

Grace broke from her trance. While she was in it, every memory she'd ever had, even before Thantos had been pounding on her psych. Seth's constant probing wasn't helping make matters any better. She remembered when she was just a Ralts, her parents being taken from her and her being left for another wild Pokemon to get. She remembered the night she was captured as a Kirlia. The rain had hidden her tears that night… However, she cut her own thoughts off from that and quickly looked at Seth, and Daron was indeed correct. She drifted over to behind Seth and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Seth turned his head violently and gritted his teeth ferociously, his eyes full of fury. Grace matched the intensity of Seth's gaze with a calm one, sending him relaxing emotions and trying to soothe the beast that seemed to infect Seth.

Breathing heavily, but evenly, Seth began to calm down. His eyes relaxed and the fire that burned inside was subsiding, being reduced to nothing more than useless ash. Rather than the tenacious killer that was ready to kill Thantos, there now stood the Seth that Grace remembered. "Please, Seth, calm down." Grace sent him. Even though her face was even, her voice was broken and desperate.

Seth's eyes began to dart back and forth between Thantos and Grace. Should he let go of him…what if he escapes? Grace, reading Seth's mind without actually trying to nodded and walked in front of Thantos, who had his eyes closed and seemed to be reciting something over and over, his lips moving, but not a sound uttered. Using her powers, Grace opened Thantos' eyes and turned his head so that they were staring straight into hers. She then used Hypnosis and he soon fell into a dreamless sleep.

Daron relaxed and let Thantos' arm down with a thud and Abbey did the same with his leg. He knelt down and picked up Thantos' three pokeballs, recalling the Gengar, Machamp, and Garchomp. He put them in his deep pocket and sat next to Abbey who was moving her tongue around in her mouth trying to clean the last bit of vile blood from her maw. Daron smiled and Abbey returned it, putting her head in Daron's lap as he gently rubbed it, not watching Seth and Grace, letting them decide what to do. He took in a chilly breath and exhaled deeply, knowing exactly the kind of anger that Seth had just felt… and the guilt that he now felt over it.

Seth had released his hold over Thantos and he watched him slump over onto the hard ground. He was no longer bleeding, but it was clear that he was not in the best of health, to say the least. Seth turned all the way around and Grace was standing there, looking at him with her large red eyes. As he looked into them, he saw something he'd never seen before when she'd looked at him…fear. "Grace-" he started, but he was cut off by Grace pressing her lips against his. He wrapped his arms around her thin body and she tossed hers around his neck, all fear dissipating as she remembered that this was not the angry man she had just seen.

The two separated, but remained in each other's arms, not caring if anyone was there or saw them at that point. "I love you," Grace whispered.

"I love you," Seth responded. His stomach was a tangle of a million knots as he looked back to just a few minutes and saw his anger…his most primal side…a side that he'd never shown anyone, not even himself. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what took over me…I just-" Seth broke off, unsure of what to say.

Grace gave a small smile; she lowered her hands from around Seth's neck and held his in hers. "We can talk later, now we need to decide what to do with him." She nodded towards Thantos' unconscious body.

"We can't leave him here and…"

"He's not dying," Grace stated. It wasn't a suggestion, it was a fact.

"I know, I was just going to suggest dumping his body by the Incendio Center and leaving a note explaining all he did," Seth explained.

Grace nodded happily. "Yes, that'll work." She turned, with Seth's arm connected to hers and the two lifted up Thantos' body with their powers.

Daron, who had been helping Abbey get the extra bits of blood out of her mouth with his shirt, heard movement and turned to see Thantos' body floating. He stood up and Abbey followed suit. Out of nowhere, Daron burst out laughing. Grace and Seth gave him a strange look and he said, "I think that when we get to town, we be a little more secretive than a bunch of weird people walking around with a half-dead floating body." Seth chuckled and shook his head whilst Grace and Abbey both laughed heartily.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth and Grace were back in their luxurious hotel room, enjoying the solitude after such an eventful day. A quick glance at the clock told that it was only about 9:00 in the evening. Most of the small, family run stores had closed for the night, but the hotel's restaurant was still open, and Daron and Abbey were still eating, but they had promised that they'd be in their room later if Seth or Grace needed anything. The group had managed to sneak back into the city with relative ease, due to most people being at the starts of late-night beach parties or other gatherings. They had put Thantos outside the Pokemon Center and left a note that told of all of his deeds, hoping that he wouldn't just try to escape. Even though Seth wasn't comfortable doing such, he allowed it only on Grace's pleas.

Now, he was sitting on his bed, mind racing as he tried to piece together all that had transpired that day. Grace was sitting next to him, her head resting on his shoulder, eyes closed in deep thought as she was planning what to say when Seth asked for her reason for letting Thantos go.

Sure enough, it came. "Why did you forgive him?" Seth asked, his voice was flat and objective. Ever since he had heard those words come out of Grace's mouth, he couldn't fathom how she could possibly have seen him in some sort of light that made it seem like he wasn't the despicable waste of air and space he seemed to be.

Grace drew in a long, deliberate breath. She picked her head off of Seth's shoulder and moved to the center of the bed, beckoning Seth to turn around and face her. He did so and sat cross-legged on the king-sized bed. He looked at Grace's beautiful form while she adjusted her dress. She was sitting with her legs underneath her, supported by her knees and trying to get her dress so that it was out of her way. Seth moved closer and Grace smiled, enjoying seeing Seth's gentle face closer to hers.

When all of her excuses to delay were gone, Grace took in one more deep breath and began to explain herself. "When he began to tell us that story about his abuse and torture, like you and Daron, I didn't believe him one bit. I began to search through his mind and saw…he was telling the truth. Everything that he said happened was true and real. He had so much pain bottled up inside him, and everywhere he turned, no one was there. I felt everything he felt when I looked inside. I felt the quiet despair of a child who watches his life crumble before it has even really started, I could taste the blood of any dreams that were now lying dead at my feet, killed by my own mother and sister, and I felt a loneliness like one you've never known. It was as if you were in an empty space, constantly being hurt and berated, but there is no one to help you with the suffering, no one who you can trust…just no one. Every feeling he had…I felt them all the same when I was his little slave." Grace burst into tears and she shoved her face into Seth's chest, hating herself for no real reason.

Seth pulled her close to him and took one hand, placed it on her chin, and moved it so that she was looking into his eyes. "If you don't wish to continue, tell me, and we'll stop right now." His voice was gentle and soothing.

Grace dried her tears the best that she could and replied, "No, I want to tell you." Seth nodded and continued to hold her to his chest. Using Calm Mind to help herself relax, Grace continued. "I saw all of this pain inside of him and I knew exactly what was going through his mind, but it was when he talked about finding me that made me forgive him. When he found me, suddenly every painful, bitter, horrid emotion he and I were experiencing went away. What replaced it was a sense of lightness, bubbly almost. It was like someone had just injected us with pure happiness. He wasn't happy about torturing me, but rather he was joyous that his days of torment were over, and in his twisted vision of how life worked, he saw that he was doing no wrong. I felt the same giddiness and joy when I met you for the first time. It was a feeling that I never wanted to end, it was almost like a drug, addicting, but without the side effects. We, in truth, were both after the same thing. We both wanted to be released and happy, but how he found it was wrong and perverse. Finally, when he told that he had to go back, all of the agony returned with it and it seemed to intensify from there, it was even worse than before. I wanted to scream and rip my heart right out of my chest from just feeling such painful times, I have no idea how he managed to live like that and actually experience firsthand." Grace sighed heavily as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Seth leaned down and planted a kiss on his mate's forehead, whispering, "I love you," over and over again. When Grace managed to compose herself once more, Seth said, "Basically, you know what it was like to be both hurt and be free, so you felt sympathy when he had to go back whereas you escaped forever."

"In a way, yes. It's more that I understand that he did what he did to me because it was the only way to fight the pain and difficulties of his past life." Grace repositioned herself slightly so that she was up next to Seth's face, her small breasts pressed up against Seth's chest.

Seth put a hand on her face and they kissed for a few seconds before Seth confessed, "I still don't think that I will ever forgive him for what he did."

"I don't ask that of you," Grace assuaged. "I just want you to accept that I have forgiven him. Can you do that…for me?"

Seth smiled and nodded. However, his smile quickly faded and he asked, "Grace, can I tell you something?"

Grace knew something big was wrong without so much as a single glance through Seth's emotions. "Of course, you can tell me anything, you know that."

Now it was Seth's turn to take a deep breath. He closed his eyes and said, "When I was angry like that…I honestly wanted nothing more than to kill Thantos. And I mean I wanted to be the one to do it. Whenever I looked at him, or when he spoke, I saw new ways to kill him, and each time, all it made me do was want to kill him even more. There was nothing that I would have rather done than tear out his eyes and shove them down his throat so they could watch themselves burn." Seth's breathing became ragged once more, but Grace looked deeply into his eyes and he managed to calm down enough to continue. "I've fought before sure, but I've never actually wanted to kill somebody…not like that... I've never wanted anybody to suffer like that. It made me feel like a monster…like…like…it made me feel like my father."

Grace quickly recalled the memory of how Seth's father brutally slaughtered his mother. "Seth-" Grace started, but Seth was too far gone into his story so Grace stopped and listened.

"When you touched my shoulder, I felt all the rage that was pent up in me dissipate, and all that was left was the desire to kill Thantos. My anger no longer had any influence over my wants. I wanted to kill Thantos of my own free will. I couldn't look you in your face, it was too horrible. I was not the man you loved, I was just another of my father. Then, when I let go, that desire left me, and all that is left now is me…and I don't feel any better."

Grace finally could not take any more. She put a finger to his lips when he opened them to speak again. She kissed his cheek and set her chin on his shoulder so that he mouth was right by his ear. "Seth, I want you to know, that I don't think any less of you for that. I think I would've been more upset had you not wanted to kill him. I know it's a horrible thing to say, but maybe we're horrible creatures, but I really don't care. I love you with all of my heart, and nothing you do could ever change that."

Seth hugged her close and just enjoyed the sheer tenderness of her heart. He felt it beat in time with his and he closed his eyes, beginning to rock back and forth silently. The two were locked in an intimate embrace and they could not think of being anywhere else but right with the other. "Grace," Seth whispered.

"Hmm?" she responded, enjoying the slight rocking motion. It was as if she was on a boat sailing gently down a calm river, only made better by the fact that she was with Seth.

"I want to make love…right now."

"I think you just read my mind." Grace let go of Seth and laid down on the bed, pulling off her gloves one at a time, very slowly, teasing Seth as he quickly discarded his jacket and shirt. The hotel room was warm and felt good on Seth's chest as he lay down next to Grace. He placed a hand on her face and kissed her with all of the passion he could muster. Grace returned the kiss with equal intensity pushing so hard into Seth that she could have become one with him.

Seth gradually began to move down Grace's body, hands massaging every inch of it. Grace groaned quietly and suddenly, she was nude having teleported her dress off of her. She blushed slightly, as she always did. Seth's hands were now free to caress his mate's lovely form. He ran his hands up her smooth, silky legs and over her midriff, causing her to giggle at the ticklish feeling. Seth felt his bottom half suddenly feel very empty, a sign that Grace had done the job of removing his pants for him. His member was already erect and ready, pressing up against Grace's nether regions.

Grace, continuing her relentless kiss with Seth, also made much use of her body. She moved her body as close to Seth's as she could emanating nothing but the greatest of joy and love, and she felt the same return to her from Seth. She lifted up one of her legs and placed it on top of Seth's, an invitation to enter her whenever he wished. She made shapes with both of her hands on Seth's back and sent goose bumps, which seemed to afflict her as well, all over Seth's body. He shuddered at the sensation.

He broke the kiss just long enough to look at Grace's face. He white skin seemed to be a beacon of radiance, illuminated by the full moon, basking the lover's in a silver light. The light blush that accompanied her giddy smile only added to her beauty. Her hair fell over one of her fiery red eyes, so he pushed it out of the way so he could see both of the gleaming gems. His fingers brushed Grace's breasts as he moved his other hand down her body, over stomach, and down in between her legs. He rubbed her entrance ever so slightly. He knew not to go too far with this due to Grace's nerves, but he knew just the right amount to give her plenty of pleasure without crossing the line.

Grace moaned a little as she felt Seth's fingers dance along her slit. "Seth…I love you so much," she whispered as if the walls would betray their secret if she spoke loud enough.

Seth didn't speak in response, but rather removed his hand and engaged in another loving kiss. He then pressed the tip of his manhood into her entrance, causing Grace to gasp slightly, but instantly return to the kiss. He pushed slowly, trying to maximize Grace's pleasure, not his own. Finally, he reached his limit and then pulled right back out. He continued at a slow and steady rhythm. Tonight was not a night just for fun; it was a night to forget all the pain, to remind those involved of the good in the world; that there is true love, not just hate. And to remind them, they would always have each other.

After several minutes Grace moaned out, "Seth, please, faster, I can take it!" Seth was only too happy to accommodate his mate's wishes. He began to thrust faster and faster until he reached the limit that he knew Grace could handle. "Yes!" Grace cried out in a hushed voice. "Right there!"

Seth was beginning to grow tired, the long day taking its toll on his stamina, but he kept up the pace for Grace. "I love you, Grace," he proclaimed, out loud, not caring who heard him. Finally, the two lovers reached their peak and began to climax. Grace cried out loudly in sheer pleasure as he walls began to hug Seth's member. Her hips bucked wildly and The Mark on her arm glowed a bright pink, a sign of love. Seth grunted as he shot his seed and Grace milked him for all he was worth, his own mark a passionate red.

After about ten seconds, the two finally managed to calm down, but they both were breathing heavily. Seth rolled next to Grace and planted a kiss on her cheek. She turned and rolled onto her stomach and put on arm on Seth's chest. He grasped her hand gently and kissed it, right where the scar from Thantos was. Grace closed her eyes peacefully and shuffled as close to Seth as he could, kissing him on the lips one last time before saying, "Seth, I love you, don't you ever forget that."

"I won't," he whispered, using his powers to pull the blanket over both of them. A cloud had passed in front of the bright moon, allowing the two to sleep soundly.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Daron yawned widely as he walked through the hotel lobby, Abbey in tow. He pressed the button outside the elevator doors and stepped back to wait for it. As he waited, he absentmindedly scratched Abbey's head. Abbey always enjoyed it when he did that. He didn't even think twice about it, he just did it because he knew it made her happy. She purred appreciatively and Daron flashed her a smile. She always loved when she could make him smile, whether or not she was being goofy. Lately, it seemed that everything Daron did made her happy, and vice versa. She moved closer to Daron's leg, taking in his wonderful natural scent and secretly wishing she could be with him. She was falling for Daron whether she liked it or not. He could be a bit harsh on the exterior sometimes, but she always could see the golden heart of his.

"Damn, how long does it take for an elevator to get here?" Daron asked nobody in particular. He looked at Abbey and shrugged in a silly manner. Abbey giggled and Daron knelt down to her level. He wrapped one arm around her and gave her a small hug, not noticing the blush on her face.

A ding informed Daron that the elevator had finally arrived. He stood up and entered with Abbey right behind him. As he turned to face the door, he saw a man waving the Daron down to stop the elevator doors which were closing. Daron put his boot in between the doors and they opened back up. The man who flagged him down scrambled into the elevator and was a little out of breath. He was fairly well dress. A white, button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a red tie. His pants were solid black and he wore expensive looking fancy shoes. He looked to be in his older thirties to low forties. His hair was brown and slick and he had a bushy, but well groomed beard.

"Thank you, lad," the man said in between breaths. "I'm not as young as I used to be!"

Daron nodded politely and responded, "It's no trouble."

The doors closed and Daron pressed the top floor button while the well dressed man pressed the one two floors below it. The gears groaned as they began to lift the elevator up. Abbey watched as the numbers on an electronic screen slowly increase every time they would pass another floor. However, she was soon aware of the man in the elevator with them staring at her with disdain. She pawed at Daron's legs and he looked down. "Sol!" she said glancing at the well dressed man.

Daron looked over and saw that he was indeed staring at Abbey; he had a look on his face like he was revolted. "Do you need something with my Absol?" Daron questioned, annoyed by the look on the man's face.

"Are you aware that your Absol has some quite…undesirable qualities?" He said the word "undesirable" as if it were an understatement.

"Such as?" Daron countered, knowing exactly where he was going to go.

The man huffed and said, "For starters, she's missing a horn, and her hair should not be like that, it's not natural." Once again he glared at Abbey like she'd done something wrong. "Wouldn't you rather have a more perfect Absol? I am a breeder of them and I have several that I think would be much more suitable than…this…" At this Abbey began to weep, two tears falling onto the carpeted elevator floor. She looked up at Daron who gave her a reassuring smile.

"No, frankly, I like my Abigail the way she is. I find her much prettier that way anyway." Daron responded in a comical manner.

The man's face turned a deep scarlet and asked, "Why would you settle for such imperfection? You can afford a top floor suite; you can afford a better Absol!"

"What kind of human lets a Pokemon go to fend for itself, and then has the balls to go and BUY another?" Daron countered, becoming agitated with the man's ignorance.

"She is just so ugly! No horn, wrong fur, and I can even tell that she's infertile! What kind of Absol is that?" the man spat. After hearing that the man could tell she was infertile, Abbey turned to the corner and began to cry full throttle.

Daron sneered at the man, who quickly became intimidated. The doors opened on the breeder's floor and Daron pointed out into the hallway. "Get your ass out of here before I kick it out!" Daron's eyes narrowed to slits and the man quickly exited the elevator. The door closed and Daron turned to Abbey who was facing the corner with her tail tucked beneath her and her head hung so low that Daron was worried that she might fall over any second. He placed a hand on her back and she jumped up, whirled around, and growled.

Her fighting stance dropped when she saw Daron's eyes. They were blue as a crystal pond. They washed away any feeling of inferiority in Abbey. In Daron's eyes, she saw herself, but instead of seeing herself as an imperfect abomination, she saw herself how Daron saw her, a great, cute friend. "Absol," she said quietly putting her paws on Daron's shoulders and giving him the quadruped version of a hug.

Daron didn't say a word and hugged her back. The door opened on their floor and Daron, surprising Abbey, lifted her off of the ground and said, "You get to go in style!"

"Ab!" Abbey yipped, giggling joyously. Daron walked down the hallway, past Seth's suite and over to his own door. He put in the key and entered, setting Abbey down as he did so. He pulled out Umbra and Lars' luxury balls, but merely set them on the desk. They had gotten into a fight in the restaurant that had culminated in the Tenebraes owing the hotel a new grill and half a week's worth of banana cream pie. He had sent Dusk over to Sarah for a little so he could be with Dawn and Sunny. That left only him and Abbey for the night.

Daron slipped off his boots and sock and threw his overcoat on the desk's chair. He then ran up and jumped on the fluffy comforter, feeling the fabric between his fingers. Abbey hopped up and joined him happily. She lay on her back and panted expectedly at Daron. She yipped quietly, aware of Seth and Grace who were probably both asleep by now in the next room.

Daron chortled and sat up, stretched and teased, "I don't feeeeeel like it tonight." He began to scratch his own stomach and stuck his tongue out at Abbey playfully. Abbey gave him a critical look and he caved, once again to her looks.

Abbey panted happily as Daron crawled over and began to rub feverishly over Abbey's stomach. It was her favorite spot to be rubbed and she really only trusted Daron to do it after all that she had been through with other humans. "Absol sol!" Abbey barked in gratitude as Daron got a small spot that she particularly enjoyed. It was right next to her bottom right leg and whenever he hit it just right, her leg started kicking uncontrollably, the same as it was doing right then. Daron laughed heartily and Abbey joined, however, it was cut short by a familiar plague happening all over again.

Once more, Daron had gotten a bit too low and he felt his fingers touch something warm and wet, Abbey's untouchables. Daron and Abbey shared an equally large and embarrassed blush, but rather than recoiling instantly like the two had done last time, Daron left his fingers there and Abbey did not move. There in that instant, the two felt something, it was some sort of spark…like something was telling them what to do. It seemed like an electrical love surged through them as Daron looked at Abbey.

He had known for quite some time that he was attracted to Abbey. She was funny, goofy, and just a playful kind of creature that everyone should have the pleasure of meeting. However, she could also be serious, wise, and a good Pokemon to talk to. She was exactly what Daron wanted….and needed. Other than that, she was intelligent and if he had said she was gorgeous, it would have been an understatement. He never really talked about relationships that much, especially one that he felt so intensely about. Most of his involved one night stands with random girls that said they could "make him feel better." Now however, he felt something for Abbey. Despite what triggered it being dirty, the emotion was not. He wasn't sure if he truly loved Abbey like Seth loved Grace, but he knew damn well that he was attracted to her.

Abbey was feeling almost the same way. She felt so strongly attached to Daron, as if they were supposed to be together. She didn't mind if she was destined to be with him or not, but she did care if he felt the same way. Despite being cold and hard on the outside, inside, Daron was just a teddy bear that had never been truly loved in the last few years. Other than his kind nature, Abbey loved his art. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before. She'd seen art in human cities before, but Daron's was different. It was filled to the brim with color and each color meant something different. Some were just to add realism; some truly had meaning behind them. She loved just looking at the paintings, sketches, and everything else he made and just try to figure out what he meant by it. Was it just a painting for fun…or was it something more? It always intrigued her and the more she saw in his art, the more she saw in him.

As if driven by a primal instinct, Daron and Abbey mechanically sat up and faced each other. Daron was on his knees on the bed and Abbey was seated on all fours. They stared at each other's faces, trying to read one. Daron saw a curiosity in Abbey's eyes, one that wondered what he would do next. In Daron's eyes, Abbey saw desire, not a sexual one, but rather a desire just to be loved and to love. The two slowly moved closer together until they were mere centimeters apart. They're lips seemed to moisten, they expected so much of what was to happen, but at the last second, the duo pulled away and looked away from each other.

After several minutes, Daron managed to speak to Abbey. "What are we doing?" Abbey cocked her head in a confused manner. "I mean…do you think this is real…or are just being influenced by Seth and Grace?"

Abbey opened her mouth to speak but then closed it. Daron was right! What if all of this was a cruel lie, played upon them like a bad orchestra? "Absol…" Abbey murmured dejectedly.

Daron couldn't stand to see her like this. Steeling his nerves he suggested, "How about this, we will…kiss…and see what we feel. Fair?" Daron waited anxiously for Abbey's response, a pit of despair forming in his stomach.

Abbey finally looked up into Daron's sky blue eyes and nodded, confidently. Daron seemed to light up as did Abbey. The two moved close once more, an awkwardness filling the air with tension. Finally, the two were in the same position they were a few minutes beforehand. This time, however, their lips connected. When they did, the same jolt of passion flowed through them as when Daron had inadvertently touched Abbey. The two quickly melted into the kiss, Daron wrapping his arms around Abbey and intertwining his hands in her soft fur.

The last bit of ice seemed to thaw from Daron's heart and it shone through what was once a dark and twisted shell. He had finally found someone who cared about him, outside of his family, somebody who didn't want him because he was rich, or because he would paint them in every pose imaginable. He had found that one special person, that one special being in the universe that would love him unconditionally. He found Abbey.

The two broke and so did the tension in the air. Abbey just stared at Daron, amazed at how he truly had feelings for one as imperfect as her. Not only that, it was because of her imperfections that he loved her! "I love you, Daron," she whispered, but quickly remembered that Daron couldn't understand her. She cast down her eyes, but Daron just smiled.

He kissed her cheek and said, "I don't need to understand you, I know what you just said. And…I love you to, my dear." With that, Daron shut off the light, got back into the bed, and patted a spot next to him under the covers. Abbey immediately took the hit and settled into the little area next to Daron. She moved her head onto Daron's shoulder and laughed as her long white fur began to get tangled with Daron's long black hair. Daron kissed Abbey on the lips one last time before closing his eyes. The last thing he saw was Abbey's beautiful face form a small yawn that made Daron smile.

A/N: This is probably one of my favorite chapters that I've written so far. It also only took me one day to write. I had a rough chapter, but when I was about to post it, I got a huge hit of inspiration, deleted it all, and re-wrote it like this. I'd like to thank you all for being patient with updates, and if you're interested, take a look at my SSB fic, Parallel of Love and Madness.