Author's notes: This was actually going to be a short story; I was going to leave it as it was, but a couple of people said I should continue, and I have more ideas for it, so it's going to be a few chapters long. The chapters will be fairly short, as will the story itself. The only thing is that I think with the new content, I'll have to change the rating from PG to PG-13.
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My eyes got bored with the view of the ceiling of the lounge and closed; my mind drifted lazily and I didn't want to think about anything anymore. He was gone, and I didn't stop him. No matter how much I tried to block it out, my thoughts kept returning to those ideas... Maybe if I had stayed instead of running away after I kissed him... Maybe if I came back... Maybe if I didn't kiss him at all. Maybe if I didn't take off my mask and continued as if I wasn't phased by what he said... Maybe he would have stayed. But I didn't do any of that. I made those mistakes, and I had to pay for them.
I had been on the couch in the lounge ever since I left the dorm. I set up for the night there, but I didn't sleep. And so I saw Roy leave in the middle of the night. I pretended to be asleep so he wouldn't notice me, but he seemed to, anyway. He stopped for a moment in front of the couch... I closed my eyes when he came close, so I didn't know if he did anything or not. I watched as he walked out the front door, though, knowing that it would be the last time I saw him.
It had been almost twenty-four hours since the incident; it was dark out and I hadn't done a thing all day, spare listening to the rain hit the roof above me. I decided that if I wanted to take my mind off of Roy, I should check out the battles that were going on. I withdrew myself from any battles that day, so why not see who took my place?
I got onto my feet for the first time in hours and headed through the empty building; everyone must have been at the battlefields. I went through the housing part of the building and into to arena. I could already hear shouts of the combatants and the other fighters, cheering them on. I entered the stands of the Jungle Japes replica, where Fox was facing Mewtwo. An interesting match, but it just didn't seem to interest me.
I stepped up to the small glass room that stood at the edge of the stage, where Mario, the leader of the organization, looked through a handful of papers. He heard me enter, and looked up from his papers. "Oh, I see you're up and about. Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm all right," I mumbled in reply. "I guess I just wasn't feeling good earlier. What are you doing?"
"Well," he muttered, pulling his hat off and scratching the top of his head and searching through the papers again. "I'm trying to arrange the next two battles, but one of the combatants seems to be missing," he looked back to me. "You haven't seen Roy anywhere, have you?"
I closed my eyes and let out a small sigh. I had hoped he wouldn't mention him, but I guessed that I was probably the only one who knew what happened. "You should just take him off the list," I exhaled, then opened my eyes to him. "He's gone. He left last night."
A puzzled look crossed Mario's face. "I'm afraid that's impossible."
"What do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Well, no one can leave the grounds without clearance, and I'm the only one who can open the gates. There's no other way to exit. He must still be on the grounds somewhere."
Those words caught my attention, causing me to perk my head up. "So you're saying he's still here?"
"He has to be," he concluded. "I can understand why he would try to leave after what happened yesterday. Poor kid... I just hope he didn't go and do something stupid," he shuffled back through his papers, seemingly uninterested in the conversation anymore.
His last statement hit me harder than what he had said before. I hadn't considered that he may have done something to himself... I shook my head, trying not to get lost in my thoughts, and I hurried from the arena and headed out the back doors. If he left the building but couldn't leave the premises, he was probably in the courtyard somewhere. The rain was pouring down and it was too dark to see much, but I had to find him nonetheless.
I ran through the courtyard and began calling his name, hoping for any sort of response but also knowing that I wouldn't get one, even if he could hear me. The rain beat down on me, stinging as it hit my face, but I ignored it and pressed on. I came across one area that I hadn't yet seen; a small collection of bushes and a large tree looming over them. If he was out there at all, he would probably be in there.
I knelt down and made my way through the tangled, wet brush, searching for some sort of opening where he may be. After searching enough, I found a patch of grass between the bushes. I pushed the branches in front of me to the side and tried to see anything that may be in that opening. But it wasn't anything I saw that caught my attention first; it was the heavy, quavering breathing that filled my ears. I turned my eyes to the source, and saw him leaning against the brush, holding himself and trembling.
My eyes grew soft and sympathetic upon seeing this. I crawled down into the patch of grass beside him, but he didn't seem to notice. "Roy..." I whispered to him, getting his attention. He lifted his head and peered through the mess of wet hair that hung over his eyes. His face was pale, and he looked almost terrified. I didn't know what had made him that way, but the thankful look in his eyes made me forget about it. He seemed relieved, almost happy, to see me there. That was the most emotion I had ever seen from him.
His lips shivered, as if he was trying to say something, but nothing came out. After a few seconds, he almost collapsed against me, pressing his fingers into my tunic and burying his face in my shoulder. I was taken aback slightly by his affection, but didn't bother asking questions and embraced him, offering him at least some sort of support. I reached my arms around him and allowed him to lean on me, forcing myself not to focus on the soft skin of his arm that was less than inches away from my lips. "I couldn't do it," he whispered, his voice shaking violently.
"Couldn't do what?" I questioned, slightly confused. He didn't answer me; he just continued trembling. "Couldn't do what, Roy?" I was becoming more worried as to what he meant. He burrowed his face farther into my shoulder, seemingly trying not to cry. I rubbed my hand over the back of his neck to comfort him. But when I reached farther to his throat, I felt something over his skin that was thicker than rain water. I lifted my fingers and tried to focus my eyes through the dark. As the rain washed over the substance, I was able to determine that it could only be one thing: blood. I finally realized what he meant when he said he couldn't do it. I shut my eyes and had to stop myself from crying upon that realization. I placed my hand back onto his neck and held him tighter. "Oh God, Roy..."
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My eyes got bored with the view of the ceiling of the lounge and closed; my mind drifted lazily and I didn't want to think about anything anymore. He was gone, and I didn't stop him. No matter how much I tried to block it out, my thoughts kept returning to those ideas... Maybe if I had stayed instead of running away after I kissed him... Maybe if I came back... Maybe if I didn't kiss him at all. Maybe if I didn't take off my mask and continued as if I wasn't phased by what he said... Maybe he would have stayed. But I didn't do any of that. I made those mistakes, and I had to pay for them.
I had been on the couch in the lounge ever since I left the dorm. I set up for the night there, but I didn't sleep. And so I saw Roy leave in the middle of the night. I pretended to be asleep so he wouldn't notice me, but he seemed to, anyway. He stopped for a moment in front of the couch... I closed my eyes when he came close, so I didn't know if he did anything or not. I watched as he walked out the front door, though, knowing that it would be the last time I saw him.
It had been almost twenty-four hours since the incident; it was dark out and I hadn't done a thing all day, spare listening to the rain hit the roof above me. I decided that if I wanted to take my mind off of Roy, I should check out the battles that were going on. I withdrew myself from any battles that day, so why not see who took my place?
I got onto my feet for the first time in hours and headed through the empty building; everyone must have been at the battlefields. I went through the housing part of the building and into to arena. I could already hear shouts of the combatants and the other fighters, cheering them on. I entered the stands of the Jungle Japes replica, where Fox was facing Mewtwo. An interesting match, but it just didn't seem to interest me.
I stepped up to the small glass room that stood at the edge of the stage, where Mario, the leader of the organization, looked through a handful of papers. He heard me enter, and looked up from his papers. "Oh, I see you're up and about. Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm all right," I mumbled in reply. "I guess I just wasn't feeling good earlier. What are you doing?"
"Well," he muttered, pulling his hat off and scratching the top of his head and searching through the papers again. "I'm trying to arrange the next two battles, but one of the combatants seems to be missing," he looked back to me. "You haven't seen Roy anywhere, have you?"
I closed my eyes and let out a small sigh. I had hoped he wouldn't mention him, but I guessed that I was probably the only one who knew what happened. "You should just take him off the list," I exhaled, then opened my eyes to him. "He's gone. He left last night."
A puzzled look crossed Mario's face. "I'm afraid that's impossible."
"What do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Well, no one can leave the grounds without clearance, and I'm the only one who can open the gates. There's no other way to exit. He must still be on the grounds somewhere."
Those words caught my attention, causing me to perk my head up. "So you're saying he's still here?"
"He has to be," he concluded. "I can understand why he would try to leave after what happened yesterday. Poor kid... I just hope he didn't go and do something stupid," he shuffled back through his papers, seemingly uninterested in the conversation anymore.
His last statement hit me harder than what he had said before. I hadn't considered that he may have done something to himself... I shook my head, trying not to get lost in my thoughts, and I hurried from the arena and headed out the back doors. If he left the building but couldn't leave the premises, he was probably in the courtyard somewhere. The rain was pouring down and it was too dark to see much, but I had to find him nonetheless.
I ran through the courtyard and began calling his name, hoping for any sort of response but also knowing that I wouldn't get one, even if he could hear me. The rain beat down on me, stinging as it hit my face, but I ignored it and pressed on. I came across one area that I hadn't yet seen; a small collection of bushes and a large tree looming over them. If he was out there at all, he would probably be in there.
I knelt down and made my way through the tangled, wet brush, searching for some sort of opening where he may be. After searching enough, I found a patch of grass between the bushes. I pushed the branches in front of me to the side and tried to see anything that may be in that opening. But it wasn't anything I saw that caught my attention first; it was the heavy, quavering breathing that filled my ears. I turned my eyes to the source, and saw him leaning against the brush, holding himself and trembling.
My eyes grew soft and sympathetic upon seeing this. I crawled down into the patch of grass beside him, but he didn't seem to notice. "Roy..." I whispered to him, getting his attention. He lifted his head and peered through the mess of wet hair that hung over his eyes. His face was pale, and he looked almost terrified. I didn't know what had made him that way, but the thankful look in his eyes made me forget about it. He seemed relieved, almost happy, to see me there. That was the most emotion I had ever seen from him.
His lips shivered, as if he was trying to say something, but nothing came out. After a few seconds, he almost collapsed against me, pressing his fingers into my tunic and burying his face in my shoulder. I was taken aback slightly by his affection, but didn't bother asking questions and embraced him, offering him at least some sort of support. I reached my arms around him and allowed him to lean on me, forcing myself not to focus on the soft skin of his arm that was less than inches away from my lips. "I couldn't do it," he whispered, his voice shaking violently.
"Couldn't do what?" I questioned, slightly confused. He didn't answer me; he just continued trembling. "Couldn't do what, Roy?" I was becoming more worried as to what he meant. He burrowed his face farther into my shoulder, seemingly trying not to cry. I rubbed my hand over the back of his neck to comfort him. But when I reached farther to his throat, I felt something over his skin that was thicker than rain water. I lifted my fingers and tried to focus my eyes through the dark. As the rain washed over the substance, I was able to determine that it could only be one thing: blood. I finally realized what he meant when he said he couldn't do it. I shut my eyes and had to stop myself from crying upon that realization. I placed my hand back onto his neck and held him tighter. "Oh God, Roy..."