Stars decorated the black vast sky, welcoming night as its majestic sight. Many were asleep in their houses and nests and holes and caves. Some were awake and on the prowl, wings flapping and legs dashing through the many woods and cities.

The city of Goldenrod shined brightly, boastfully declaring their title as the most beautiful city in Johto. Their building twinkled like the stars above. Many lights coloured the wide area, shades both dim and bright. A tall apartment stood proudly in the middle of the city. And on top of it all, a fabulous yet quaint penthouse became the building's pride.

Lights flickered open as Kotone entered her room. A knapsack was carried over her left shoulder, careful not to drop the contents in it. Her lips remained quiet since they left the hospital. Her eyes were drooping red as well, preferably from all the sleepless nights she went through. Slowly she dropped the sack near her closet, eyes blankly staring without a sound.

Silver followed suit, silver eyes calmly staring at her. Finally after being held in the hospital for six days since his relief from the coma, Silver was allowed to return home. That news alone should bring a sense of joy and serenity.

But ever since their brief yet passionate reunion, Kotone became tight-lipped like a mute child. And unfortunately, worry dominated what was supposed to be the happiest moment of his life.

He watched as Kotone walked – slumped – to her dresser. He saw her face, crestfallen and sullen as if all hope was lost. Her eyes were overtaken by colours of broken red. Her cheeks were thin and pale. He glanced down her body. Though torso being clad in quite a large shirt and sweatpants, he could still see the bony features that were present on her arms and legs.

A frown curved his lips. He knew she still felt guilty. He knew she was still beating herself around the bush.

Pain was inevitable in her bones, and he could feel it as well.

She didn't turn around. Her back faced him. Her head was down, avoiding the shattered images in the mirror. Without a sound, he took a few steps forward, walking toward the woman he swore to love as if she was a life of his own. Arms reaching slowly, Silver took one sharp breath.


"Kotone…"

His voice hauled her back to reality. His touch was little jolts of comfort, stabbing every inch of her bare skin. Kotone looked upwards, hazel eyes on the mirror in front of her. She saw as Silver wrapped his arms around her delicate arms. She blinked as the tall man placed his shut eyes on her shoulder. Muffled sounds came from his mouth, making no sense to the lady's ear. She pursed her lips, confused on whether to say a peep or not.

"Damn it…" Finally an understandable word entered her ears, though not the ones she preferred to hear. Silver looked forward; eyes meeting her averting hazels in the mirror. "Why can't you look at me?" Slight agitation bit his tongue. However, he knew better than to make his woman sadder than she already was. The idea was to make Kotone happy – not the complete opposite.

She didn't say a word, only breaths of both humans became their communication. Eyes sliding to the left, her fingers nervously fumbled against one another.

A heavy sigh hissed through his lips. "Okay then." Standing up straight, Silver held her shoulders and turned her around. "Look at me," he murmured gently, voice calm as a flowing river. To his dismay, she did not comply. "Kotone…" Silver whispered again, legs bent and head tilted to try and meet her gaze. "Look at me…"

Finally, the corners of her eyes took a peek at his face. She heard and saw the full concern conquering his voice and expression. It both made her heart flutter in love and stomach churn in guilt. No matter how many times she convinced herself, a tiny part of her wouldn't shake off the fact that she brought pain – near-death – to him. Quickly she looked away, lips trembling as she held back the need to cry.

Though there were no sounds of sobbing, Silver could perfectly hear the sounds of incoherent mumbling.

And believe it or not, Silver actually thought that it was the cutest thing he had ever seen.

Just like that, with a sneaky grin, he hatched a plan. "Guess you don't love me anymore huh-"

Well that worked better than expected. "I LOVE YOU!" Kotone screamed out of reflex, hazel eyes wide as plates and fists close to her beating chest. Compared to minutes before, Silver felt like a spotlight had been shone above him, the light being her beaming eyes and full attention.

Kotone froze as she realized what she had said. Immediately her face was heated in bright red, colour rising up to her forehead. She looked away, fists cupping her mouth. She stammered and swayed around, panic beginning to act as direct impulse.

Silver merely stood there in shock, mouth forming a dumb, confused grin. Kotone continued to fluster dumbly, eyes shooting left and right and right and left; anywhere that didn't mean meeting his gaze.

A few turns of her head later, his dumbfounded twitch turned into a curling smirk.

Kotone froze as she felt his fingers on her chin. She felt his thumb gently caressing her soft skin. Slowly he propped her chin up, giving her no choice but to face the tall redhead. Before any words could be voiced by any of them, Kotone felt his lips tenderly pressing against hers.

Both eyes fluttered to a shut, wishing that the absolute moment would be frozen still. Her lips were tender cold, gently pressing against his warm mouth. She heard and felt as Silver took one sharp breath, a lustful growl emitting as he kissed deeper. His hands slid to the back of her waist, pulling her closer like his life depended on it. A quiet squeak purred from her mouth as Kotone felt his fingers slyly slipping and dancing into her huge shirt.

His touch, oh how much she missed it. Her skin, oh how much he craved it. His closed eyes were scrunched tighter, remembering the pain of almost losing her forever. Their lips were apart for a few seconds, heated breath slapping each other's noses. "Kotone…" Before she could have a chance to respond, Silver pressed his lips against hers again. His hands were already snaked to the back of her neck, the shirt being pulled up until it almost revealed her breast.

His breath was getting heavier. His hunger began to churn violently in his stomach.

Her breath was low and shaking. Her body began to shudder in tempted desire.

Suddenly, Silver broke the kiss, though mind urging him to linger a little longer – or bring it further. Showing acts of hesitance, he forced himself to remove his hands from inside her shirt. Silver took a deep breath, nostrils inviting the scent sweet of her hair and skin. Her scent was making it hard for him to think rationally. Though it wasn't much of a worry to him on most days, tonight, he had something else to focus on. Opening his hungry silver eyes, he stared at Kotone, whose face was still crimson as tantalizing flames.

Two heartbeats later, Kotone slowly opened her left eye, looked up, and meekly peeked at his face.

Good Arceus if she kept that cute act up, Silver was afraid he might really lose it and ravish her right on the spot.

"Kotone…" He sighed a long sigh, releasing all the pent up emotion that was bottling inside his heart. "I… Come here." Taking her hand, Silver gently ushered Kotone to sit on the bed. Both laid their bums, side by side with fingers intertwining against one another.

Silence became their atmosphere. Kotone glanced by her side, seeing as Silver nervously fidgeted in his seat. His lips were sucked and puckered a few times. His eyes were down on the carpet, mind however obviously not about complimenting the bright choices of her furniture. His right hand firmly gripped her hand, and his left hand was tapping the bed with uneven taps.

"Silver…?" Kotone broke the stillness. Slowly she bent forward, eyes trying to meet his gaze. "Are you okay?"

She froze as her question was answered with another. "Remember when you said… When I asked…" A heavy breath exhaled through his mouth. "When I asked… How can you even love a monster…?"

He knew her eyes were widening to hear such a question. He felt her grip on his hand tightening, as if giving him the assurance he needed. "Silver, I-"

"I know what you said," he replied, cutting her off with a dry chuckle. "You never saw me as a monster. You said that you never see me as something so inhuman. Nobody's perfect, right? People change and all that jizz." His grip loosened as he looked down, eyes dimming a sullen glow. "But I lie if I say that I don't see myself as a bad guy anymore."

She remained silent as he explained. "You saw everything years ago. You knew stuff about me that I'm not very proud of until this day. You can say the only person that knows me better is you." His hand slid away, palm frailly placed by his side. "And yet, I… I didn't tell you the exact truth." His fingers bent into knuckles, nails digging inside the cotton bed sheet. "All this while, I hid the only thing that I'm scared of. I thought that maybe, maybe, if I keep it quiet and pretend like it never happened, maybe it can leave me alone and I can finally start something new."

His fists clenched tighter, as if ripping the cotton in his grip. "But look what it brought us. I had you either targeted or brainwashed. I died-" Silver stopped for a brief moment as he realized his choice of words. "I almost died. Got in a damn hospital twice and made you worry like hell."

A gulp slipped down his aching throat. He needed not to see her face to know that she was feeling utterly crestfallen. "So like it or not, even if you do see me as a good person, I'm still a bad person. I'm like bad luck." Rueful silver eyes stared at his palm. "And like all bad lucks, I always bring the ones I love to despair."

Her body shook and trembled. Tears streamed down her cheeks once again to hear such a heart-breaking confession. She hated seeing him suffer. She hated seeing him being in a state of depression. Silver had had enough. Ever since birth, fate had painted him a cruel, unforgivable colour. Oh how she wished she could erase it and rewrite anew. Oh how she wished she could help Silver in seeing the good in life, even if it meant blinding him from the monstrous images of reality. Anything. Everything. She wished she could turn back time. She wished she could remove the pain that scarred his fragile heart. She wished-

"But every bad luck has its good luck."

Her mind reached a silence as he spoke. Quickly Kotone stared at Silver, whose lips were flashing a small, sincere smile. "I have you. You believed in me when I didn't. You trusted me even when I lied. You always cheered me up when I'm down for the count, even when it was you who defeated me in battles." A dry chuckle wheezed through his mouth. The back of his right hand softly patting his left palm, Silver wondered, "Like I said before, you're basically an idiot for sticking with me that long."

Sadness was replaced with slight irritation in seconds to hear his statement. "Hey!" Kotone belted, mouth forming a low frown. She knew Silver said that out of depression, but that still vexed her no less.

But before Kotone could open her mouth and practically nag at his ear, Silver suddenly continued. "But then again, maybe I'm the idiot who doesn't even realize how lucky I am to have you…"

Her expression changed in a blink, shock wearing every corners of her face. Exhaling one slow breath, Silver turned his head and gazed into her shining hazel eyes. "I love you. I always have. I was just scared to admit it. It's just…everyone I love just…disappears like that and leaving me lost like some blind baby Kangaskhan." He held her hand, gently squeezing her palm. Silver scooted a bit closer to the woman, eyes still focused on her. "But I love you. And I'll say this right here right now, Kotone Soul. The last thing I want is losing you." Inching closer, he kissed her forehead.

"I need you." He kissed both the edge of her eyes.

"I want you." He kissed the button tip of her nose.

"I love you." His lips finally stopped to her lips, pressing briefly yet enough to send mesmerizing passion in their bones.

Suddenly, all the romantic atmosphere popped like a bubble once he heard her girlish giggle.

Quite startled, Silver broke the kiss and gawked at the woman in stupor. Kotone began laughing in glee, fingers cupping her smiling mouth. A sudden rush of red painted the man's face. His heart raced faster, threatening to burst out of his chest any minute. "I-I… Stop laughing!" Silver ordered, hoping that his voice sounded convincingly frightening enough.

But instead, it only revealed utter, adorable bashfulness.

That didn't help as it only made her laugh louder. She held her aching stomach, unable to hide the ticklish numbness. Her face was flushed with amusement, cheeks showing hints of roses. Finally, the sound of her angelic voice bounced off the walls. Finally, she was smiling as if there was no tomorrow. Finally, she was back to her old self: Happy, always laughing, and brimmed with sunshine and rainbows.

Even though those are the things that Silver miss the most, he now remembered why he hated expressing any strong emotions. "S-s-shut up!" he exclaimed angrily – which still sounded like a timid squeak.

A few torturing seconds later, finally she calmed down. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Kotone apologized with a single wave of her hand. Silver scoffed in annoyance to hear her insincere apology, seeing that she was still coughing off a few giggles in between.

"It's just, you've changed, Silver. And I'm not saying that it's a bad thing. Trust me. That's great. And no matter who you are, I will always love you." Kotone coughed a meek giggle, eyes peeking at the sulking redhead. Flashing a sheepish smile with cheeks rosy red, she chimed, "I'm so happy to see you like this." She leaned forward and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

Though arms still crossed and lips still pouting, she could perfectly see the face of shock when she kissed him. But thankfully to Silver, she could not see his heart which felt like it was about to explode into a million fireworks.

Looking away with face as hot as the sun, Silver quietly stuttered an embarrassed, "W-whatever…" He continued to sulk as Kotone beamed another ticklish fit of giggles. Soon enough, he himself formed a sly smile. Lightly chewing the inside of his cheeks, Silver added, "There is one thing though that I want to do."

"Oh, and what is that?" Kotone asked in amusement, face radiating such a joyful glow.

But her smile was immediately wiped off her face once she heard, "I need to kick your ass."

Kotone blankly gaped, mouth hanging low. She stared as it was now his turn to laugh in sheer entertainment. "What."

Silver looked to his side, eyeing the brunette who flaunted the most priceless expression. He laughed cheerfully, flashing his white set of teeth. "Remember what I said to you before?" Hands awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, he looked away as a sign of embarrassment. "Well, actually, it was more of me screaming to you… But still!"

Kotone looked at him in confusion. An eyebrow raised on her forehead, showing the exact amount of puzzlement to the redhead.

Biting the insides of his lips, Silver blew a long sigh and returned her gaze. "When we first met, I said that I am the world's greatest Pokémon trainer. Actually, it was more like a promise than a statement."

His words continued to bring her to a stupor. Still, the memory began to enter her mind, refreshing her of the second time they met. A finger moved to her mouth, tapping her lips as she pondered for a moment.

Just by looking at her face, it was enough to enlighten Silver's mood. The man gave a gentle smile, expression softening to one of endearment. "It's a promise I made to Mama. I once said to her that I will be the strongest trainer ever and I will be nice to Pokémon." A sarcastic, spiteful chuckle bounced off his lips. "Well, that second one was definitely broken."

A heavy sigh replaced his ridiculed tone. Silver eyes glanced at the ceiling, mind wandering off to his childhood. "But I'm going to make that up. I opened up to my Pokémon. I opened up to you. So it won't be that hard to ease up with others, right?"

Silence was all that could be heard from her. But he knew it he shouldn't worry this time, for her silence allowed him the ease the confession that burdened his heart and mind. "And about that first promise…" It was now Silver who redeemed his quiet moment. She saw his hand trembled. She saw his lips being sucked and lightly bitten by his teeth. She saw the slight twitch in the corner of his right eye.

Those acts alone only meant one thing: Silver was getting nervous about something.

"Silver?" Kotone asked slowly, one hand moving to his shaking fists. Slowly she bent forward and met her gaze. The second she did, Silver looked away and averted her gaze. That was enough to strengthen the curiosity peaking in her. "Silver, come on. Tell me. What about the first promise?"

A few ticking seconds later, Silver finally gave in. He let out a long breath, calming the hectic heartbeat in his chest. "I had this thought for a while now. You see," His hands gripped her hand, bringing it right between his cold palms. "I…have complete trust over my team. They trust me, and I know we can work as a team. Plus, with all the battles I had with you – I hate to admit it – but I kinda learned a lot. I finally got to beat you sometimes. And I finally got to defeat Lance and other trainers in Kanto and Johto."

"So that's why, I was thinking, that I should challenge the other Champions in other regions." Those words nevertheless startled Kotone. Her hazel eyes were sparkling round. She knew Silver was a bit – okay maybe extremely – competitive, but never in her mind did it cross about her former rival competing against the other Champions.

"My Pokémon are ready. I will battle all the gym leaders and their Champions. I am going to face Hoenn, Sinnoh, Kanto, even your cousin from Unova," A cocky grin curved his lips, "if she's still Champion of her region, of course."

He gave a small laugh as Kotone playfully slapped her hand. "Unova has a new Champion, but she can still kick your butt, you know."

Silver gave a face of shock as he heard the news. "Really? She was dethroned that quickly?" He burst into another gleeful fit as she gave another childish swat on his shoulder. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry."

"You should be." Kotone stuck out her tongue, cheeks puffing like a little girl.

Once again, his smile curved to sheer affection. "And that also means defeating you too, you know." His voice softened to a murmur, unwarily bringing her hand closer to his chest. "I love you, but I need to bring you down to reach that 'strongest trainer ever' title."

Kotone giggled in bashfulness, as if Silver had just said the most romantic thing ever. "Bring it on, Wolfe." Inching closer, she gave a light peck on his nose, making his face beam bright shades of ebony red.

Realizing that he had stated his promises, Silver swore his heart stopped as he remembered the second phase of his plan. Breathing seemed impossible. Heartbeats fisted his chest like a Hitmontop. Forcing a heavy gulp, the man looked around nervously. "And…um… There is another thing…"

"Oh, what is that?" Kotone asked cheerfully, completely oblivious to the apprehensive reaction he was giving. Suddenly, she stared in confusion as Silver stood up from the bed. The man's eyes were shielded from his red bangs. His mouth formed a straight line, revealing no expression whatsoever. "Silver, is everything alright-"

"In a year, I will have all of the strongest trainers defeated. And when I do, I just have one more thing to do…" His voice rattled like an Ekans. She realized the obvious tremor in his shoulders. Confusion once again parked her mind. Apparently, she soon realized that Silver had been acting quite off since he confessed his promises. "Silvy," Her voice was soft as silk, chiming like the melodious bells of heaven. "What's wrong?"

Her eyes grew even wider and her heart stopped a beat once Silver suddenly went down on one knee in front of her.

"Kotone Soul," He took her hands, his palms still icy cold from the nervousness. "Will you marry me?"

Her mouth dropped and hanged. Her eyes were the widest any human could form. Silver looked down, not even daring to look at the baffled expression. Truth be told, he had never been so scared in his life. For a man who was born with murder as a daily activity, had seen many deaths in his life, and also had been dealing with numerous risky situations, one could figure how an anticipating moment like this could be torturing as hell.

She was quiet as a rock, and that didn't help him at all. "I-I know I don't have a ring right now, and this is all too sudden dammit why did I even propose I should have steal- I mean bought a ring dammit! Kotone I didn't mean 'steal' that was a force of habit I-"

He was shushed completely as he felt her arms tightly wrapping around his neck. Being caught off guard, the man landed on his bum. Thankfully, his palms were pressed against the soft carpet, balancing his fall with his lady kneeling between his legs. "K-Kotone…?" Silver stuttered like a fool, heat rushing to his hot face.

"Yes."

For a moment, Silver swore he thought he heard it wrong. "I- What?"

"Yes. Yes Yes!" Kotone cheered excitingly, tears began streaming down her cheeks. "Of course I'll marry you! I love you, you sweet dork! I love you to bits! The answer is yes!" She swayed left and right, zealously shouting her answer in his ear.

Even if he did hear her wrong, he wished he was the one who was incorrect. "Thank you." Silver hugged the brunette's hair, lips gently planting little kisses on her shoulder. "Thank you, thank you, thank you…!" Tears trickled down his cheeks, each drop resembling the magical miracle of the moment.

Both laughed in sheer bliss, cherishing the moment that would remain in their hearts forever. Kotone giggled adorably as Silver tickled her with his teasing kisses. She felt his hug tightening. She felt his heart racing. In fact, she could even feel the traces of his tears dripping down the bare of her neck.

Suddenly, the moment was cut short once Kotone broke the hug. "There is one thing, though…"

It was his turn to flaunt his version of shock. Silver gawked dumbly, his eyes round and soaked. "What?"

Another giggle burst from her mouth, thrilled to see such a genuine expression on his face. Scooting her body closer with hands playfully tugging at his hair, Kotone purred, "Are you sure it's in a year?"

The first minute, he felt like skipping in a field of daisies. The next minute, it was as if he tripped on a rock, causing him to revert back to his old self. Teeth gritting in agitation, Silver posed a hurtful scowl. "Are you saying I can't defeat those asses in a year-?"

"I didn't say that." He froze as her finger touched his lips. Kotone gave a low sigh. Silver will always be Silver.

But then again, those are one of the reasons why she fell for him.

Flashing a meek smile, Kotone gently ruffled his hair. "What I meant was, there is a lot of gym leaders and Champions, you know. It'll take quite a while reaching to each place. Besides, getting to each region takes days. It's not like Kanto and Johto." Her hand moved to his cheek, fingers carefully caressing his soft skin. "I know you can defeat them, Skitty. I never doubted you for a second."

His temper cooled down as if a bucket of cold water had been doused on his head. His scowl turned into a sulk of a frown. His face was hot on her touch. "I can destroy them in a year. Just watch me."

Another chime of giggles bounced off her chest. "How about…" Kotone flashed three fingers in front of his gaze. "Three years?"

His frown grew wider. But this time, instead of anger, stubbornness took over. "Two years," he egoistically refused, showing two fingers.

"Two and a half years." She herself wasn't giving in either. Using her other hand, Kotone flashed her index finger.

Silver didn't refuse, neither did he accept. He wondered for a while, the corner of his lips twitching in thought. Kotone flashed an adorable smile, cheeks shading light colours of pink as she patiently waited.

Silver didn't know how, but his smile was immediately formed the second he saw her radiant smile. "Fine then. Two and a half years, and I will be legitimately yours forev- Whoah!"

He gasped as Kotone pounced him once more for another lovable hug. "I love you a lot, Silver Wolfe." He heard her murmur softly to his ear, causing him to shudder in complete passion and affection.

That very night, Silver had broken out of his vile façade. The mask of torturous despair finally cracked into two and fell off his face, finally revealing the face of the once happy child. His eyes showed pure love. His smile revealed nothing more but blesses and gratitude. Hugging her waist closer to his body, Silver leaned his chin on her delicate shoulder. "I love you too, Kotone Soul. Always have. Always will…"