For reasons I can't quite explain (since I don't know either), I'm liking Black & White more and more and more. So here's a Black & White. For 3 chapters in a row. … Cross your fingers, folks, and hope that there is no doom.
Primary: Black & White.
The Debt:
Aspertia City, Unova, 1 pm…
Black got off his Braviary and took a moment to balance himself on his feet. It hasn't been that long since he was freed from the Light Stone. 2 years… he was in that thing for 2 whole years. Understandably, his body didn't cooperate from time to time.
White had suggested that he stay home until he rested enough. And he heeded her advice. For a few days, he just stayed home, catching up with his friends and finding out what he missed in the years he was gone.
Except today, he got a message from White, saying that she wanted to talk to him face to face in Aspertia City Outlook. She sounded rather… nervous. He figured that she had something very important to say, so he quickly flew all the way over to Aspertia City.
Black wasn't familiar with this city, so he didn't know where this outlook was. Luckily, Cheren was now a Gym Leader here, so Black asked him over the Xtransceiver, and with his help, was able to find the outlook rather quickly.
Black steadily climbed the stairs, staying close to the handrails in case his legs forgot how to climb while in the middle of climbing. Though it took him a minute or so, he was able to reach the top of the outlook without falling. And on top, he spotted White leaning against the guardrails while looking off into the distance of Route 19.
He slowly approached her. The girl didn't seem to notice his presence yet, as she didn't move an inch and simply stared ahead. As he walked towards her, he took a moment to look at her from head to toe. He missed her so damn much… For the 2 years he was trapped in the Light Stone, he wanted to see her so much. And when she finally saved him, he was able to see her at long last. But she had… changed. She was just as beautiful as before. If anything, she was more attractive than ever. But she looked… different. She looked older and… tired. And he knew why.
After he got sucked into the Light Stone in front of White, she had spent so much time and effort to try to save him. And all that strain, stress, and worry had affected her quite a lot. Her eyes were much sharper now. She reacted faster and more aggressively. And she didn't smile nearly as often as she did before.
He figured that she'd need to rest up as well. Now that he was free again, White could spend time relaxing and not stress over anything. Black made a mental note to himself to suggest a relaxing vacation.
"Hey, Miss President," he said once he got next to her. "Did you want to talk to me?"
White quickly looked over at him. Again, she looked rather tired, but far less than when he first saw her again. So she had been resting a little bit.
"Black… how are you doing?" White asked with a feigned smile.
Black shrugged a bit. "I'm still a little… stiff, I guess. My arms don't move nearly as fast as they used to. I can't climb the stairs as fast as I could before. But I'm getting there." He looked into her deep blue eyes, noting the fatigue in them. "How are you doing? You still look really tired…"
White nodded. "Yeah… for the past two years, I just… worked so hard to find you… But now that you're free, I guess I should take a break from time to time."
"Yeah. Go to a spa or something."
"… Later." White looked into the distance again. "… Black, listen… I'm sorry for calling you all the way here."
"It's okay. I can use the movement practice."
"But I wanted to tell you something… important." White slowly lowered her head and stared at the guardrails. "… I'd appreciate it if you don't say anything and just listen to what I have to say. I needed to tell you this for two years now… I need to get this off my chest…"
"Uh… okay."
White took a deep breath. "… Do you remember what you asked me two years ago? … Before you got sucked into the Light Stone?"
Black thought about that incident. And he remembered the question. But he didn't say anything, as White had requested.
"… You asked me… if you had worked off all of your debts." White let out a shuddering sigh. "… You did, Black. All your debts are paid off. And… truth be told… they were paid off a while before that… I was just… afraid to tell you."
Black turned to face her completely. She was looking away from him now, as if she was afraid of facing him. "… What do you mean?"
"… Do you remember why you traveled with me in the first place?" White asked, her voice shaking. "… It was only because I paid for the equipment you destroyed. … And you said that you'd stay with me until the debt was all paid. … But… during our journey, I… fell in love with you. And as you worked off more and more of the debt, I was more and more afraid that you would just… leave me once all the debt got paid. And… when you repaid all of the debt, I… was just so scared…"
Black gently put a hand on her shoulder. White trembled a little as she put her hands over her face.
"I don't want you to leave me… but… if you stay with me, you… wouldn't be able to reach for your dreams as quickly as you'd like…" She suddenly let out a short sob. "You have no idea how stressful the past two years have been for me. I could've done something to save you. … But I didn't. I had to get you out no matter what, but… you had paid off all your debt. Would you leave me? If I got you out, would you leave me? But I had to get you out… but I didn't want you to leave me!"
Black slowly rubbed her back. So that was why White looked so… tired and stressed out. She wanted to save him and she knew she had to save him. But she was so afraid that he would end up leaving her if she did. That turmoil and stress… every day for two years… Completely unnecessary turmoil, however.
"I – I can't keep this inside me any longer. Black… go live your dreams. You paid off all your debts, so… you… you don't have to stay with me any longer. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before. Maybe if I told you earlier, you wouldn't have gotten trapped in the Light Stone…" She began to sob now as the pent up feelings for two years began to break free. "I'm so sorry… because of me, you wasted two years of your life… Your dream got delayed so much because of me…"
"Miss President," Black started nicely, gently turning her to face him. She still had her hands covering her face as she trembled. He gently embraced her and patted her on the back. "You didn't have to worry about anything. There's no way I'd just leave you."
"You have no reason to stay with me," White said as she slowly lowered her hands. "I know you. I know your dreams. The longer you stay with me, the more your dreams are delayed."
Black looked into her watery eyes and wiped away a tear rolling down her cheek. "After everything we've been through, I don't need a reason to stay with you, now do I? I want to stay with you."
"What about your dreams?" White asked. "You still haven't won the league in front of everyone, thanks to Team Plasma. Staying with me is just going to delay that dream. I can't let you waste any more time because of me…"
Black gently rubbed her cheek. "Is it too much to think that I care more about you than my dreams because I love you too? I mean, yeah, I want to achieve my dreams, but if it means I can't stay with you, then I don't really care about it. Besides, if I stay with you, it doesn't mean that I won't be able to reach my dreams, right? I mean, it'll take a bit longer than just rushing towards it, but it's much more enjoyable if you were with me."
White reached up and held his hand, but still shook her head. "… Black… I can't tell you how relieved I am to hear that… But… you have no idea how bad I felt for the past two years. Because of me, you wasted two years of your life. I could've saved you…"
"No, you couldn't," Black said. "Miss President, if you tried anything, you would've been sucked in with me."
"I still could've saved you sooner," White said, more tears falling from her eyes. "… I can't let you stay with me. I won't stand in the way of your dreams. I can't stand knowing that I'm holding you back any longer! If you love me so much, you'll understand me. Just… live your dreams. I'll be waiting for you…"
White broke free from Black's embrace and quickly walked down the stairs. Black tried to follow her, but his legs forgot how to walk and remained rooted in place.
"Damn it, there must be a solution…" he muttered as he looked off into Route 19. "Maybe if I owe her again. But I shouldn't purposely destroy filming equipment and put her in financial troubles… I need to think…" He crossed his arms and focused. 'Miss President stressed out so hard over the past two years, trying to save me. She felt so guilty because of me, that she doesn't want to drag me down any more. But… I want her to be with me. She's not dragging me down… Why is she even thinking like that? … The past two years must've been absolutely horrible for her… She really changed… She won't let me stay with her. I have to convince her… but how?'
Black managed to think of a possible solution. He forced his body to listen to him and steadily headed down the stairs. He spotted White sitting on the bench by the stairs with a hand over her face. He made his way towards her and sat down beside her. And to ensure that she didn't run off again, he grabbed her by her wrist.
"Miss President, listen to me," he said nicely. "… I'm so sorry."
"For… for what?" White asked as she slowly lowered her hand and looked at him.
Black let out a sigh. "I tell you, I don't know how I'm ever going to repay you." He gave her a faint smile. "I mean, because of me, you… wasted two years of your life. You spent so much time and energy looking for me, stressing over what happened to me. You could've spent all that time working towards your own dreams. So… I really owe you, huh?"
"… What?"
"Miss President, I wasted two years of your life. That's like… I don't know. How much money would you have made in that time? I think my last debt is like… trivial compared to the money you lost thanks to me for the past two years! I think I have to work under you for like… 10 years to make up for everything."
"But… your dreams… I know how much you…"
Black put a hand on her leg near the knee. "Miss President, you know my previous dream. You see, I'm already the League Champion, even if no one really saw that. So beating the Elite Four and the Pokémon League in front of everyone isn't that high priority anymore. My current high priority dream is to… pay off all my debts. Think about it. I've been in serious debt for like… 3 years in total. I really want to pay it all off."
White's expression darkened a little. "Paying off all your debts, huh?"
Black gave her a smile. "But who knows what'll happen in the meantime! I think I may be destined to owe you forever. I ended up destroying a bunch of equipment that you had to pay for on the day we met. And even when we were separated for the past two years, I ended up costing you a lot money. So who knows what happens, right?"
White managed to smile. It was a genuine smile, and not a tired or feigned one. "Yeah…"
"And I think the first step in paying off my debts is to… get you rested up," Black said. "Not just financially, but I know I stressed you so much for the past two years, so… it's my responsibility! I'll take you on a relaxing vacation. What do you say?"
White's smile grew bigger. "… Yes… I'd like that very much."
"And once you're all rested up, we can begin working on expanding your company! Maybe even to the other regions!"
White let out a short laugh. "Oh, I would like that a lot." She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Thank you Black. I feel so much better now." She smiled brightly and gently massaged his shoulder. "I'll take you up on that offer for a relaxing vacation. I think we both need a good long rest."
"We sure do. I think a good cruise on the Royal Unova would be perfect. What do you think?"
"Isn't that a bit expensive?" White asked. "Are you trying to increase your debt?"
Black laughed. "No, no. I'm paying, remember. This is my gratitude gift to you. And while I don't have that much money, I think I'm the freaking League Champion! I think I can ask them for a favor." He gave her another smile. "And besides, if they don't help me out and I end up borrowing money from you… that's a good thing, isn't it?"
White giggled a little bit. "On normal circumstances, no. That's bad. But for us… I think it's good."
I feel that this is a realistic possibility of Black and White's reunion in BW2. White would be afraid that Black would just leave now that all the debt got paid off. And then Black would come up with some adorable bullsh*t reason to stay with her longer.
Next up: Black & White. More. MORE. … Must… not… hammer the sh*t out of them…
Ah, this is like watching Black and White skipping in a flowery field while holding hands and laughing and giggling and whatnot and I'm behind them holding a sledgehammer, contemplating whether I should just swing or let them be.