Warning: This story will have Yaoi (BoyxBoy love). If that isn't your fancy or you just hate this couple Kindly either:

A. Hit the back Button

B. Be brave, read the story and try your best to ignore the yaoi-ness

C. Understand it's my story and that no matter what you say, I won't change my story to match your views

D. Have an awesome day and NOT flame/troll

E. Do all of the Above but A

Author's Note: It's been over a year since the last update! I apologize so much! I've been having so much stuff go on with my life and I just don't have the time to write as much as I'd like too. I really would love to write my own original books and even have them all planned out – I just need to sit down and write them. I sometimes wish we had more hours in the day because then, I might be able to write more. I hope in the future I'll have more time. Thank you all for following this story for so long and dealing with my very infrequent updating. Truly, I don't deserve your support throughout all the years yet you all do continue to do so. Thank you so much and I hope you all are doing well! I hope you all enjoy this chapter too!

Ending of a King's Reign

Chapter 21 – Burnt: Month 2 of 4

Silence was looming all around Red. Wherever he went, he couldn't truly hear anything. His eyes seemed to be dazed, missing everything around him. He wasn't concentrated on anything in the world, but Green. Green was the only thing that captured his attention fully. Red would sit for hours upon hours at the hospital, holding Green's hand. He'd caress his hand, kiss it all over and squeeze it. He wanted his love to warm Green's body and remind Green why he had to come back to the conscious world.

Red needed Green to live. Red needed Green to truly experience life. Red was nothing without Green.

Red was slouched over at his desk. He wanted to be by Green's side, but work had called him in. He knew it was about Maria and how her being alive was a huge 'security risk'. She needed to be found and either silenced with a lot of money or by an early grave- the latter being what Maria would get for sure. Red knew she wouldn't take some large sum of money in place of her parents and the other victims death's. Maria would go down fighting before she was 'put down'. Red sighed, laying his head down onto his desk.

If only he could have killed her along with her parents, she wouldn't be here today ruining his life.

"Red, you're not ignoring me, are you?"

Red jumped in surprise and raised his head, meeting the cold eyes of his boss, Giovanni. Red shook his head.

"Sorry, sir. I must have dozed off." Giovanni ignored his response and seated himself in the nearby chair, crossing his legs and he reached into his one coat pocket, pulling a cigarette out and lighting it. He took a long drag of it.

"Maybe you should sleep more instead of visiting that man. Not like he's going to wake up anytime soon. Or ever." Giovanni callously rambled, focused watching the smoke from his cigarette dissipate into nothing. Red balled his hands up – pure anger was pulsating through him. Green was going to wake up one day. Red just knew it. Red glowered at Giovanni and he scoffed in reply. Giovanni flicked his cigarette causing ashes to fall to the floor.

"What? Don't like what I have to say? After everything I've done for you? I think you'd be more appreciative, especially since you can't hold up your end of the deal, Red. This little Maria girl is the biggest problem for us in a long time. I don't think I should have to hold up your end of the deal for you. Now, how do you plan on fixing this, Red?" Giovanni spat out, staring straight into Red's eyes. Red adverted his gaze and relaxed his hands. No matter how mad Giovanni made Red, Red couldn't fight Giovanni's words. Giovanni had put a lot on the line for him and he knew it. He had to bite his tongue.

"I'm sorry sir. I don't mean to disrespect you at all. I appreciate everything you've done for me and I greatly apologize if it seems otherwise. I'm currently having teams search the nearby areas for Maria. She couldn't have gotten far on foot. Viridian City is filled with Team Rocket members and they all knew about her being wanted, shortly after Green and Dylan were admitted to the hospital."

"You haven't found her yet? It's been two weeks, Red. There should already be a bullet in this girl's head – or worse."

"We believe she's hiding out somewhere. We're just not sure yet where. We have people looking in every nook and cranny. She'll turn up soon, Giovanni. A little girl like her can only make it so long on her own." Giovanni, scoffed and rolled his eyes. He took another drag from his cigarette and then crushed it into the nearby ashtray. He stood up and slammed his hands down on Red's desk, glowering into Red's eyes. Red maintained eye contact, but wanted to look away. Pure and utter anger was radiating from Giovanni's eyes.

"She was an orphan for years, living on her own and taking care of herself. You're underestimating her, you idiot," Giovanni yelled, sliding his hands aggressively across Red's desk, throwing all his stuff off his desk. Red flinched and adverted his eyes, closing them in fear. "I want her found. The longer she's out, the possibility of her speaking out against us rises. Find her and get rid of her so she can stop being a damn thorn in my side. If she's not found, Red, everything you've worked for will be blown to smithereens. And don't think for a second that I wouldn't let you be blown up with it."

Giovanni turned and stormed out of Red's office. Red opened his eyes, tears quickly releasing themselves from them. He bawled and covered his face with his hands. He had to find Maria. He had to put her down. There was no way around it. She had to die so he could have a future with Green.

A future with Green was all he wanted – and he was willing to do anything for it.

(POV Change: Maria)

Maria hadn't seen the sun in a few days. She was in the middle of some isolated cave in Viridian Forest and couldn't leave it. The nearby area was swarming with Team Rocket members. If only she hadn't been slowed down by the wound on her back. It was throbbing and oozing pus. She had tried to keep it clean with water, but something must have been in the water. It burned more and hurt even worse every time she tried to calm and soothe it with water. She knew it wasn't helping as she had hoped, but at the same time she was hoping that it was alleviating some of the infection – even if it was just a pipe dream of hers.

Maria pressed her back against the cool cave wall and sighed in relief. The coolness helped numb her back for a while. Helped her forget the pain and made her feel better, even if it was just for a few minutes. She desperately wanted out of this cave, but knew she had to wait until the time was right. Running out while Team Rocket was still swarming the area would be nothing short of a suicide mission. She had to wait for something to go down to distract them.

Maria peeked her head out of the cave every once in a while to check on her surroundings – and there was always some Team Rocket member around. Every single time she saw one, she'd feel her heart sink a little lower. Was she ever going to leave this damned cave? She had dove into after being chased by a pair of Team Rocket Grunts. They had lost sight of her because they simply couldn't keep up with her. They were a heavier set duo that just didn't have the speed of a slim and trim thirteen year old. She thought it'd be a quick hide out spot for only a few hours.

She had hid out in Viridian City for about a week, trying to sneak into the nearby clinic to get supplies for her wound, but the opportunity never came. She was then almost caught by Team Rocket. Nothing was working out in her favor and she was getting sicker by the day. She knew this wound was probably starting to affect her body in ways she didn't want it too.

If only she hadn't have been so dumb as to carelessly throw a knife in her backpack, she could have been miles away from this place. Somewhere safe and away from Team Rocket. She just wanted to see her Mom and Dad again. Tears welled in her eyes and she pulled out the picture she had of her and her parents. She brought it to her lips, kissing the photo as she cried to herself. She had the gut feeling of wanting to die. She wanted to be with them so badly, but she knew they'd want her to live.

Maria weeped into the photo, hugging it desperately for some type of comfort – like a warming hug she'd never get from her parents again. She suddenly heard footsteps and froze. She stood up abruptly, feeling dizzy and leaned into the wall, barely holding onto the photo. The footsteps got closer. She had to run. But to where? Deeper into the cave only to maybe get lost? Maria wanted to run, but her body refused. It was screaming in agony for comfort. She pressed harder into the wall. It was so soothing. The footsteps stopped in front of her.

She could barely make out who it was, but the long bright red ponytail was a great hint.

"J-Jesse? What are …. you doing here?" Maria slurred out. She was feeling hot. Like she was boiling alive. Jesse shook her head and walked over to Maria, hugging her. Maria threw her arms around Jesse and started to sob into her. Jesse shushed her and Maria looked up.

"How did you find me?" Jesse rolled her eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"How could I not? You were crying so loud! I was surprised no one else had found you sooner. You're damn lucky it was me who happened to be patrolling this area or you'd be a goner, Maria." Maria sniffled and wiped her tears away. She turned around and lifted up her shirt. Jesse gasped, throwing her hands up to cover her mouth.

"You wouldn't happen to have any type of medical supplies on you, would you? I really fucked myself up, Jesse." Jesse sighed as Maria put her shirt back down and turned to face her.

"I don't, Maria. I'm on a search and destroy mission. Well, at least that's what they told me to do if I found you. To hell with that though. I can see if maybe James can get you something later. He'll be patrolling this spot tonight. Do you think you can hold out till then?" Maria felt happy yet sad. Happy to have an ally, sad that she couldn't treat her wound right now. Maria smiled sadly and nodded.

"I can wait, Jesse. A few more hours won't kill me. Hopefully." Jesse rolled her eyes and placed a hand on Maria's shoulder.

"I know you're tougher than a nail, but you need to be more careful. After tonight, James and I can't help you much anymore. You know I'm pregnant and can't risk my baby's life anymore than I have already." Jesse frowned and crossed her arms, trying to act tougher than she was. Maria smiled faintly.

"You think of any names yet? For your baby?" Maria asked, trying to change the subject to a lighter one. Jesse hummed on the idea, tapping her fingers against her arm and looking up to the ceiling of the cave."

"No, I haven't gave it much thought. I still have months to go before the baby is due. I think I'll wait till I found out the gender of the baby. It'll be easier, I think. Well, at least I hope so."

"I think you'll pick the perfect name once the time comes. I wonder if they'll have your hair color or James. A mix of color would be beautiful as well." Jessie chuckled.

"You think so? I hope they get James' hair color. It's much more cooler and I love his hair color. Isn't so outlandish like my red hair." Jesse smiled at Maria and Maria returned the smile. "I'll make sure James brings you a med-kit and some food to go with you. He'll get you out of Viridian Forest and then, well, make sure you stay safe. It's a dangerous world out there, Maria."

Jesse waved goodbye and started back out the cave. Maria sighed and slid down the wall. She needed to keep her emotions on track. She was damn lucky that it had been Jesse who had heard her cries and not anyone else. Maria looked back at the picture of her parents and kissed it again, putting effort into it. She was going to live now that she had sought out her revenge.

She was going to live for herself now and make her parents proud of her.

(POV Change: James)

James was sitting at home, tirelessly dealing with Red's requests and trying to figure out how to answer them. Ever since Maria went on the run, Red had been really hammering out the orders, especially to him and Jesse. He wasn't sure if it was because Red saw them as his right-hand men or because they were part of his team and he was making them take on some of the problem. Regardless of what it was, James was exhausted from working all the time. He just wanted to have one work free night with his wife and think about their future together with their baby.

Jesse entered the house and James flashed an exasperated grin at her – and she met it with a serious face. James raised an eyebrow as Jesse joined him at their table. She stared him straight in the eyes and James suddenly didn't feel so sleepy.

"What's wrong, Jesse? Did something happen while you were out on your shift?" Jesse seemed to been looking for the right way to say it as she was looking around the whole room for the answer it seemed. James kept his eyes on her as she was pondering over whatever she had to say. He hated when she did this. Took her forever to say what she truly wanted to say because she was always thinking of the consequence of what she could say and how it would affect things. She was always wanting the best outcome, even if it seemed almost impossible to get.

"Will you just spit it out, Jesse, please? I don't really have time for you to do this." James begged, wanting her to tell him what she wanted. Jesse sighed.

"I found Maria." James eyes widened. He had thought Maria had gotten much further away from Viridian City – yet she had been found by Jesse on her patrolling in Viridian Forest. James' face contorted in confusion.

"What did you do?" Jesse stayed quiet, again thinking of what to say.

"I told her that we would help her out one last time and then that would be it. We'd be done with her and she'd be out of our hair." James pushed himself out of his chair and stood up. Jesse jumped a bit in shock.

"Jesse, everyone in the damn sector is looking for her. She is a search and destroy mission at this point. If we interfere -"

"I'm not letting a thirteen year old girl die because we murdered her parents and countless others, James! We took away her family and are now acting like it's completely unfair for her to harm us like this, James! She's not innocent, but neither are we!"

"We have our unborn child to think of, Jesse!"

"I know we do, but I can't let another person die because of what we were apart of. I don't want our child to ever learn of what we did, but I don't want them to ever make a mistake like we did."

Silence filled the air and they both stared at each other, lost at what to say. Tears welled in Jesse's eyes and James went over to her and embraced her, rubbing her back. He leaned back and kissed her forehead. Jesse looked into his eyes, sniffling and trying to calm her tears.

"One last time. That's all we're doing for her." James let Jesse go and started towards their supply room. Jesse followed after him, trying to compose herself.

"All she needs a med-kit for a wound on her back and some food for the go. Nothing that will weigh her down. When you go on your patrol tonight, go to the small cave on the right side of the forest. She'll be there. Get her the kit and then lead her as far as you can out of the forest towards Pewter City. Our Intel is saying she's in Viridian Forest. Getting her to Pewter City will give her a lot of time before Team Rocket decides to expand their search."

Jesse and James looked at each other. They both knew helping Maria could very well cost them their lives and even their unborn baby's life – but at the same time, James knew that Jesse was right. They couldn't let Maria be silenced. She had to let the world know what had happened. If she doesn't, it'll be bound to repeat. More families to be separated and erased from existence because of Team Rocket. James packed up everything Jesse told him to and put it aside for when he had to leave for his patrol.

He wanted the world to become a better place for his baby to grow up in. Even if it meant risking his life and going against Team spent the next few hours working on paper work with Jesse, as if their previous conversation didn't even happen. Once the clock hit nine O'clock, he kissed Jesse goodbye and started off towards his post in Viridian Forest.

He was feeling nervous about the whole thing. Everything had to go exactly to plan. Not a soul could see him with Maria. He had to get her out so she could have a chance to speak of what happened. To hopefully make the world know of those who were erased and how it could happen to many others if Team Rocket wasn't stopped.

James was close to the cave. He was following Jesse's hand-drawn map and was growing even more anxious. What if Maria wasn't even there anymore? What then? Just go about his regular patrolling as if he hadn't planned anything at all? What would he tell Jesse then? Would she even believe him if he said Maria was there?

"... James? Pst! James!"

James snapped out of his thoughts to be greeted by a meek looking Maria. James wasn't sure whether to smile or grimace at the state of Maria. She had definitely lost some weight and her skin was even paler than the last time he saw her – and that wasn't that long ago. James hustled over to the cave and went in with her deeper, making sure that no one could see them. Maria's eyes welled up with tears and she hugged him, saying 'Thank you' a million times. James patted her on the back and smiled.

"No problem, Maria. Now, let's get you patched up and get you the hell out of here." Maria shook her head excitedly as she turned around and raised her shirt up. James opened the med-kit and applied a anti-bacterial salve, and covered her wound. He also gave her a few pills to take and some water. He opened up her backpack and put the rest of the supplies in there for her. Maria and James looked at each other and didn't say a word. They knew it was time for the hardest part of this whole thing. Getting past the rest of the Team Rocket grunts on patrol.

They started out of the cave and kept towards the far end of the forest. James stayed ahead of her a few feet to make sure the coast was clear for her to keep going. They were lucking out. There was no one in sight. James and Maria kept pressing forward and the forest seemed to keep on going. James was starting to feel anxious again. How big really was this forest? He knew it was a rather large one, but it was starting to feel endless. He turned back and looked for Maria only to be greeted by emptiness.

Where the hell was Maria?

James started to panic and back tracked from where he had came from – only to bump into Maria. She yelped and he yelled, falling over her. James and Maria were picking themselves up when they heard footsteps coming towards them.

"James? Is that you, buddy?"

James and Maria turned towards each other, panic filling the space between them. James hastily pointed towards the way he had been going.

"Keep going straight and don't stop for anything. This is as far as I can take you, Maria. Go!"

Maria bolted towards the other way and James turned towards where the voices came from and headed over to them. He was greeted by the friendly faces of his co-workers.

"What the heck were you yelling about, James?" They laughed, grinning and poking fun of him. James rolled his eyes and feigned embarrassment the best he could.

"I fell over a damn Metapod. Why the hell one was laying on the ground like that is beyond me, guys!" James laughed out. The guys all laughed with him, patting him harshly on the back. They all started back towards Viridian City and James turned around, looking the way Maria had went.

"Good Luck, Maria."

End of Chapter 21

Author's Note: I hope you all really enjoyed Chapter 21- Burnt: Month 2 of 4. I really enjoyed writing it and I can't wait to eventually get Burnt: Month 3 and 4 done. I also really want to go back and rewrite some of my older chapters as well. I know I've said it before, but now I'm feeling really dedicated towards the idea of actually doing it when I get the time to. Working a full time job and then getting overtime almost every week is literally taking all my time. I do apologize for my, as ever, infrequent updating and I really do appreciate you all for dealing with it. Thank you all so very much! Until next time!

-Love, Twisted List