Inside Wes' room at Eagun and Beluh's house in Agate Village, Rui sat by his bed and gently brushed the sweat off of his forehead with a wet cloth as Plusle sat on her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek sadly. It's been almost two weeks since Wes put his body and life on the line to protect her from Nascour. She thanked her lucky stars that the doctors were able to save him but he was now in coma and nobody knew when he would wake up.

After he received medical treatment he was taken back to Agate because Beluh was a skilled healer and was more than capable of caring for the injured boy. She had cared for several people who were injured way worse than he was. She even saved the lives of some trainers who were severely injured during the raid on her village ten years ago. After Wes was brought to her she spent the next several days doing everything she could to improve his condition. The only thing that could be done now was change his bandages that covered him head to toe every day and wait for him to open his eyes.

Rui has not left Wes' side since she brought him to his room almost two weeks ago. She has taken care of him and had stayed by him the entire time Beluh had treated him holding his hand and begging for him to wake up. When her grandparents had asked her what happened she refused to tell them. She didn't want to remember the loud scream of Wes after he was hit by the hyper beam or remember the images of him falling to the ground. Rui sighed and stared at the boy that lied before her. He looked so peaceful and relaxed like he was merely asleep for the night. Rui only wished that were the case.

Even though Wes was safely away from death now it wasn't always like that. She didn't want to remember how scared he had made her a few days ago, but the memories played in her mind anyway.


"Wes!? Wes whats wrong!?" Rui asked worriedly even though there would be no answer.

Wes panted heavily and he began to shake violently. Rui quickly pulled the covers off of him and saw that his body was drenched in sweat. She gasped when she saw tears flowing down his cheeks and started to make broken quiet cries. He looked like he was in serious pain.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" Rui shouted as she raced out of the room and down the stairs as fast as she could. "Grandma! Grandpa! Something wrong with Wes!"

Both of the Elders gasped and Beluh chased after Rui with incredible quickness for a woman her age. Eagun moved just as quickly and when he got upstairs he saw his granddaughter standing outside of Wes' room looking at the face of the boy with with eyes of worry.

"Eagun go downstairs and get a bowl of cold water and a rag!" Beluh ordered. "Wes has a high fever and is having a panic attack!"

Rui gasped as Eagun bolted down the stairs as fast as he could.

"Rui come here I need your help!" Beluh ordered to her as she had one hand on Wes' shoulder and the other on his leg as the boy tried to fight free.

The young girl immediately went inside. She went to Wes' side and put a hand on his forehead only to immediately pull away. He was burning hot to the touch.

"Grandma what can we do!?" Rui asked with panic in her voice and with her eyes not leaving Wes.

"Rui you need to remain calm." Beluh said. "Now I want you to hold down Wes' shoulders and I'll hold down his legs. We need to prevent him from injuring himself further."

Rui nodded and quickly took hold of Wes' shoulders. The boy began to struggle and squirm as his cries became more audible.

"He's in pain and his panic attack is getting worse. We need to try and calm him down." Beluh said worriedly before looking at her scared granddaughter who was attempting to comfort and calm her friend.

"Wes It's alright it's me, Rui." She said as calmly as possible to him. "It's okay your safe now."

Wes continued to groan in pain as tears came to his eyes.

"Shh..It's alright now." Rui said softly as stroked his shoulder.

Wes' struggling began to subside and his body eventually relaxed. However his heavy breathing began to increase.

Eagun returned to the with a large white bowl full of Water. Beluh had him put at Wes' bedside table. Beluh went over to the bowl and dipped a white cloth inside for a moment before taking it out and ringing the excess water out of it. She then folded it and put it on Wes' forehead. After a moment she left the room only to return with a thermometer in her hand she put it in Wes' mouth and waited for a moment. She then pulled it out and observed his temperature.

"I need both of you to listen to me." Beluh began as she turned to her family. "Wes' fever is far worse than I thought. It's increased and it's become high enough that he could die."

Rui tensed up violently and tears stung her eyes at those words. Beluh fell guilty, she didn't want to say that in front of her granddaughter but she needed to understand the situation. After a moment Rui let out a shaky sigh and Beluh continued speaking.

"We need to keep a constant eye on him. We have to keep his room as cool as possible and make sure that every fifteen minutes we soak the cloth in his forehead. I'm going to make a medicine that will bring down his fever but even then we must still keep an eye on him."


Rui was relieved that Wes' fever dropped significantly after Beluh had gave him the medicine and she was thankful that it didn't creep up again. She placed a hand on the side of the sleeping boy's shoulder and rubbed up down with her thumb.

"Wes when will you wake up?" She asked him softly. "Don't you know how worried and scared I am and how lonely I am?"

Rui eyes widened at her own words.

"Wait, why am I saying these things!? I'm not the only one that's worried about him."

Looking at the clock on the wall she noticed what time it was and saw that it was time to change his bandages. She pulled the covers off of him and revealed the bandages that covered his chest and stomach as well as his arms. Very carefully, she picked up Wes' upper body and held him in the crook of her arm. She then began to unwind the bandages. As they came off she took notice of the burns and bruises all across his body. The very sight of them made her upset. This shouldn't have happened to him.

After a moment she threw away the old bandages and began to apply the fresh new ones. She started with his arms and quickly wrapped them up. However when she was about to start his his body she froze. Her face turned a shade of pink, even when it was bruised and burned his body was still toned and muscular. He wasn't as musclebound as several other people but he looked very buff for one so skinny. Rui wanted to continue her admiration of Wes' physique. Realizing what she was thinking about she quickly shook her head of theses thoughts.

"What the heck is wrong with me? Why do I keep thinking these things?" She asked herself. "I know Wes isn't bad looking and his smiles are very cute...Gah! Get a hold of yourself girl! He's your friend and he's in a coma! Now is not the time to think about how cute he...No! Stop thinking these types of things!"

After finishing her argument with herself, Rui began to wrap Wes' body in new bandages. When she was finished she very gently laid his body back down on the bed and pulled his covers over him. Suddenly he heard his door squeak. Quickly turning around she saw Espeon and Umbreon entering the room. The two Pokemon jumped on the bed and stared at their master sadly. Umbreon laid down beside his hand and licked it. Espeon on the other hand carefully maneuvered around Wes' shoulder and nuzzled his cheek for a moment before going to lay on Rui's lap. Rui could have swore that she saw tears in their eyes. She felt so bad for the two Pokemon that were Wes' oldest friends. They tried to protect their master but had failed miserably and now he was lying in a bed seriously injured.

Rui looked down at Espeon and stroked her head before Umbreon came over and she did the same thing for him.

"It's gonna be alright you two." She said sweetly to the Pokemon. "I know your worried about him. I am too but we just have to remember that he will wake up eventually. So don't be so sad you know he hates it when we are."

The two Pokemon looked up at Rui and smiled. Umbreon licked her hand and Espeon nuzzled her cheek for a moment before leaving the room. She was glad she was able to cheer them up. After they had left she turned her eyes back to Wes.

"Do you now know how much we all miss you?" She asked him softly. "Please Wes, please wake up soon I can't stand seeing you like I miss you so much I miss your smile and your spirit. You make me happy and give me hope. So please come back to us, come back to me."

Suddenly Wes' eyes opened but he had a far away look in them, he wasn't truly there.

"...ui...r..." he muttered in almost a whisper.

Rui could tell he was trying to say her name. She felt tears come to her eyes as she gave a sad smile.

"Hi, Wes..." She said sweetly yet with a hint of sadness.

"...ru..i...rui..." he uttered once more.

"I'm right here" Rui said softly.

Suddenly Wes' hand came off of the bed and towards her. She felt it softly touch her cheek and her body froze up for a moment then quickly relax. She looked down at the boy in a semi conscious state as she place a hand hand on the one that was on her cheek. Even when he wasn't in his right state of mind Wes was still trying to comfort her and be there for her just like he has been since the day they met and started this journey together.

Eventually his eyes closed and his hand fell back on the mattress as his chest began to slowly rise and fall. Rui put her hand on the cheek that he had touched for a moment. She had never noticed how soft and comforting his touch was. She then began to softly stroke his hair but soon she found her head coming towards his. It wasn't long before she could feel Wes breathing on her neck. She closed her and placed her lips softly on his forehead for a moment but then she realized what she was doing and sat back up.

She felt her face heat up and turn red. Even though it was just on the forehead she didn't mean to kiss him at all. What was going on with her? She was seeing and thinking about Wes in a different way that before. Growing scared of her own feeling she left Wes' side for the first time since coming back to Agate and ran out of the room to get some air and clear her head.

She raced down the stairs and barely noticed her grandparents.

"Rui, wha-" Eagun was cut off but the front door to the house closing quickly.

The elderly man looked at the door for a moment and then at his wife.

"I wonder what's wrong with her?" he asked.

Beluh simply smiled. For the past two weeks she had been keeping her eyes on not only Wes but Rui as well, and as time went on she began notice how her granddaughter was starting to act around Wes especially when she demanded that she be his main caretaker.

"I think I know what's wrong." She said before getting of the couch. "I'm going to have a little talk with her."

She then went outside and left a confused Eagun all alone.


As Rui had ran out the door she began to ask herself questions.

"Why am I running away from Wes? Why did I kiss him like that? Why am I getting so flustered and nervous? Is something wrong with me?"

As she walked she noticed Hariyama nearby. He looked like he was practicing his punches. She also noticed Typhlosion sleeping near Wes' motorcycle as if he was guarding it He must have been protecting it for Wes. She smiled at the fire Pokemon but when she looked back at Hariyama her smile faded away. The Pokemon was striking the air relentlessly but he looked exhausted. He continued to punch the air for a few seconds before panting heavily.

"Hariyama are you okay?" Rui asked worriedly.

The Pokemon heard her voice and looked her way.

"Your training yourself aren't you?"

Hariyama nodded.

"Don't you thinking taking your training a little too far. I can tell how tired you are I'm worried you might hurt yourself."

Hariyama stared at her for a moment and then looked back towards her house. Rui noticed that the side of the house she was at was the side with Wes' window. Now she knew what was going on.

"You're worried about him aren't you?" Rui asked.

Hariyama was a bit hesitant but he nodded his head. He looked down at the ground sadly.

"I think I know why your training so hard. You were beaten by Nascour's Nidoking and you couldn't protect Wes. Now you think it's your fault that he was injured and now you want to get even stronger so you can better protect him."

Hariyama simply nodded.

"Hariyama, it's not your fault that Wes is injured, none of you are to blame. I know you all want to get stronger but think about how worried Wes would be right now."

After a moment Hariyama stared the ground and sat down.

Rui placed a hand on his cheek and turned his face towards her.

"Promise me that you'll get some rest, can you do it for Wes?" She asked sweetly.

Hariyama nodded.

Rui smile and hugged the big Pokemon for a moment before heading towards the Relic cave. She thought about what she had just told Hariyama. Wes would be concerned for his Pokemon but he would be just as concerned for her especially with how she's acting around him right now.


Rui went inside the Relic cave and towards the cave where her parents were buried. She always felt so relaxed in there which made it the perfect place to sort out her thoughts.

"Why do I feel so strange around Wes now? Why do did I feel like I should be the one taking care of him, Grandma more fit to take care of him than I am. Did I just want to stay by his side? Why do I feel like like the only place I should be as of late is with him? Is it because he's protected me? He rescued me when I was in trouble and has saved my life twice now. Is it because he's been there for me in the good times and the bad? I mean he comforted me when I told him the story about Mom and Dad and I was there to comfort when he told me about his parents. But all of this doesn't explain why I'm thinking about how handsome he is and it doesn't explain why I kissed him on the forehead without realizing it.

"I knew I would find you here."

Rui yelped and quickly turned around she was about to call an attack for Plusle to do but then she noticed who was walking towards her.

"Grandma!? Why are you-"

"I decided to come with you after you ran out of the house like that. I knew you would came here because I would often come here to think and your parents would come here when the wanted a little privacy."

Rui turned away from her grandmother and looked down at the graves.

"I really wish they were here right now grandma. Maybe they could tell me what wrong with me."

Beluh couldn't help but chuckle as she stood behind her granddaughter and put her hands on her shoulders. This was something she did often when Rui needed someone to comfort her.

"Nothing's wrong with you sweetheart. In fact I'm quite happy to see you act like you have been these past two weeks. I was hoping I would still be around to see my precious granddaughter fall in love."

Rui's eyes went wide as saucers and she stepped away from her grandmother.

"W-What did you say fall in what!?"

"Fall in love child. And I must say you've got quite the eye because Wes is quite the looker." She said teasingly.

"EH!?" Rui shouted she felt her face heat up and go and even deeper shade of red than it was when she kissed him on the forehead was her grandmother saying that she was in love with Wes!? "N-No grandma I'm not-I-I mean it's not like- I mean we're just very close friends! That's what we are yeah! We're just very close friends!"

Beluh sighed and shook her head with a smile

"You've always been so stubborn just like your mother was. She often said the same thing about your father when she fell in love with him. She always said to me that he was like a brother to her but when they got married she had never felt so glad to see him as more than that."

Rui's face was still red as she shook her head. Her thoughts began to go to Wes. She always felt so happy when she was around him. He always made her laugh, he stayed by her side when she cried protected her when she was in trouble even going so far as to put his life on the line. Thinking about all the things he's done for her she can't help but wonder if it's really true. Has she fallen in love?

"Grandma I can't be in love with Wes!" Rui said.

"And why not dear?" Beluh asked sweetly.

"I-I don't know.." Rui said sadly.

She fell to her knees and the realization of how she truly felt about her best friend began to hit her like a truck. She was in love with Wes.

"When you brought Wes home to us and I saw you smile. I had never been so happy. That was the first time in ten years that I had seen a true genuine happy smile on your face. That was something no one else could do not even your grandfather or myself." Beluh said. "I knew it was Wes was the reason you were so happy. Your smile was the same one your mother had when she fell in love with your father. I knew then and there that Wes was meant for you."

"G-Grandma I...I..."

Tears began to form in Rui's eyes. She had never been in love and she didn't know what to do. Beluh noticed this and knelt down beside her granddaughter. She put and arm around and rested her head on her shoulder.

"This is the first time you've fallen in love Rui. It's alright to be scared."

"But what do I do grandma I can't be thinking about being in love with Wes when he's in a coma or when we're trying to stop a group of psycho's from making a world filled dangerous Pokemon."

"Love is a great yet mysterious thing Rui. You'll soon see that you won't have to do anything when it come to love. The first thing that has to happen though is for you to admit your feelings to yourself. You'll see that the rest will come naturally" Beluh said softly.

Rui couldn't help but smile a little bit at those words.

"Now admit your feelings to yourself. Tell yourself what your heart truly feels."

Rui closed her eyes and squeezed Beluh's hand and said the words she never thought she would say.

"I'm in love with Wes."

Author's note: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

I apologize for the long delay It's been crazy few weeks and things are finally starting to settle down. Thank you all for being so patient with me.

Rui's admits to herself how she truly feels about Wes. Whats going to happen next? We will soon see.

I'll see you all next chapter. :)