Heeeeeere I am...and...stuff. w00t. I just spent roughly eight and a half hours sitting on my butt staring at a TV watching anime. X_X Yes, this is how I spend my days off. :P Bleh. At least my foot is feeling somewhat better, but I still can't really move my toes...thanks to people who expressed sympathy. ^.^

My brain is so fried right now...so I'll just get on with the chapter. And hope I get lots of candy hearts tomorrow. –drool- That is the TRUE meaning of V-day...candy hearts. I think I have a box in my room...muhaha. Okay, I'll shut up now.

~Chapter Twenty-Four~

All three of our mouths dropped open as Steve and Ivy turned to look at me with happy shock. I was still attempting to register what Mom had just said.

We were moving back to Johto? But why now? Was it because of my being in a coma? Or...something else?

As soon as it did hit home, though, the first thing I thought was, 'YAAAAAAAHOOOOOOO!' I mean, after all, when I wasn't with Darrell, I thought of Johto and my best friends nonstop. When we moved back, I could pretend these past few months had never happened.

But on the other hand...how could I do that? I found Darrell here---someone that I could love, and he would love me back. There's was no one like him back home. If he came to Johto, then it would be fine, but otherwise...

I came back to life when Ivy poked my arm. "Lindsey?"

"I think she's in shock or something," Steve muttered.

Mom suddenly got all worried---I guess such shocking news after recovering from a coma wasn't such a good idea. "Lindsey, Lindsey, are you okay?!" she cried, gently shaking my shoulders.

"I...I'm fine..." I stuttered. "I just...can't believe it..." I looked up at her. "We're really moving back?"

She sighed, put on a fake happy face, and nodded. "In about a month. We would go back sooner, but we have to give a little time for the rent-ins to find another place, and plus, I just paid my fees for that upcoming show and I don't want to miss it." She stared at me. "You can go...celebrate. I'll take you to the ferry so you can get back to Johto," Mom nodded at Steve and Ivy, and then trudged outside.

The three of us stood there in silence for a minute until Steve let out a very loud, "YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Steve, I'd like to be able to use my ears," Ivy muttered.

"Who cares about your ears right now?!" Steve cried happily, suddenly wrapping me up in a hug. "She's moving back! It's about time!"

Ivy hugged my other side, also suddenly crying out happily. I made no move to hug either one of them back, though---I was still somewhat in shock. Of course I was happy about the news I was moving back to Johto---I mean, isn't that what I had wanted these past months? But if I never saw Darrell again…it would be too much to bear.

"Well, like your mom said, let's go celebrate!" Ivy grinned, letting go of me. "How about a few songs at that karaoke place again? The ferry doesn't come for a few hours, and I don't know about Steeeeve, but I'm packed."

"When are you ever not prepared?" he muttered. Too late he noticed he was still hugging me whilst Ivy had let go, and as I looked up at him, he quickly released me.

"Yeah...um, well..." he stuttered, but then frowned. "Are you alright Lyndsey? Do we need to go back to the hospital or something?"

I blinked and slowly shook my head. "No, no...I just...can't believe it."

Ivy stopped hopping up and down and stared at me with a serious grin curling up on her face. "Oh, I get it," she hid behind a smile.

"What?" Steve asked.

"It's Darrell," Ivy sighed dramatically. "Lindsey has finally found her handsome true love dressed in black after fourteen long years of searching, and now she must depart from him." With a flourish, she drew her hand to her forehead and proceeded to "faint" onto the floor.

Drama queen.

"Fourteen years isn't long," Steve continued to frown, and rolled his eyes.

"But isn't that it Lindsey?" Ivy asked, getting up. "Why else wouldn't you be jumping up and down like an idiot like us?"

I sighed. "Yeah...I guess you're right. I dunno. I haven't even talked to him. Maybe he can come travel to Johto and search for his Dragon Pokemon..."

I knew right away I shouldn't have said that. Steve got this pissed off look on his face and was on the verge of yelling again.

"It was because of a DRAGON POKEMON that got you into that coma and worried us all to death for two weeks!" Steve cried. "And you still want him to find one? Geez!"

"I was trying to get the Dragonair for him," I blurted out.

Steve was silent for a minute. "Okay. So even though he keeps becoming the subject of these stupid fights we keep having, even though the Pokemon he wants to hunt down caused you to fall into a coma, and even though he might just forget about you all together when you move back, you still wanted to get it for him?"

"Uhh, Steve, shut up," Ivy muttered. "We don't want her having a near-death experience again..."

I suddenly felt like I had no energy to stand up and plopped onto the floor. "Okay, well so what if you're right?" I cried. "Yeah, he might forget about me or whatever. But I don't really care. I…I don't know."

Steve and Ivy plopped down next to me, and Steve rested his head my shoulder in an apologetic way.

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I don't know...yeah, I do know. I'm sorry I keep making all these assumptions and crap about him. If he's your friend, well...yeah."

I clunked my own head on Steve's and let out a breath. "Yeah, well, you guys are my best friends, no matter who else comes along."

Steve lifted his head up and gave me a teasing grin. "That's right!" he exclaimed. "Remember, I'm practically your brother, so I have permission to NOOGIE you!"

"AHHHH!" I cried with a smile, eyeballing Ivy. She dashed into the rec room while Steve captured me and attempted to give me a noogie. Just in time, Ivy came out with pillows in her hand and whacked his head.

"ARRGUH!" he cried in mock pain.

I raised an eyebrow, slowly standing up. "So what do you say we hit that karaoke place?"

"HELL YEAH!" Ivy grinned, punching the air.

Steve sighed. "I might as well get used to it, seeing as how you're moving back and I'll be able to climb up to your window again..."

I grabbed Steve and Ivy's arms. "Off we go!" I winked.

~*~

It was late at night, hours after Steve and Ivy had gotten on the ferry back to Olivine City. Mom and Dad were dead asleep, but of course I was off to the beach.

To my surprise, Darrell was already there. Umbreon was chasing the waves, and Absol was snoozing near Darrell.

I sighed and slowly jogged to him---I was still feeling kind of weak from my coma. I walked up next to him and sat down without any greeting and watched the waves---but somehow, it was enough.

It seemed like five minutes had passed before he spoke, but when I glanced at my watch, it had really been an hour. I hoped Kitsune wasn't mad I didn't bring him.

"So you're back," he finally said quietly.

I closed my eyes for a second, realizing how much I had missed that deep voice of his. "Yeah."

I opened my eyes fiercely, suddenly mad, and spun my head towards him, causing my ponytailed hair to flap against my shoulder. "So you did notice I was gone for practically three weeks?! Could've fooled me."

He sighed deeply, still not looking at me, but up at the night sky. "Mochiles probably would've bitten my head off if I came to visit you," he said. "But really, did I need to be there in person? You wouldn't have noticed me there anyway." He finally looked at me. "I would always be there in your heart if the coma didn't take away your memory of me."

I stared at him in shock. He had never said anything...so compassionate. "Darrell," I whispered.

He didn't let me say anymore, because be both leaned forward and our lips met again, finally.

Oh man. How could I tell him I was moving away now?

He was still closing his eyes when we pulled back. "Do you have something to tell me?" he asked.

I blinked. Okay...so that's how I would tell him.

"Uh..." I started. "Actually...yeah. How did you know?"

He shrugged, opening those dark, dark eyes of his. "I just do."

I sighed and leaned against his shoulder. "I don't know if it's because she's scared I'm going to go in another coma, or what but...Mom told me this morning that we're moving back to Johto in about a month."

Darrell didn't react right away, so I continued: "It's so weird. I think we would be moving back sooner, but she made up all of these excuses and stuff. I don't get it. First she drags me from Johto, and now from Hoenn and from...from..."

Darrell suddenly surprised me again and put an arm around me, causing me to fall into his chest where I could cry freely. "I don't want to leave you," I sniffled. "You're all I have in Hoenn, but it's...enough."

He held me near him for another few minutes until I stopped crying. "Lindsey, don't worry about it," he soothed. "Go on home. Be ready to leave. I'm sure you'll be eager to see Ivy and Mochiles regularly again."

He helped me up while I just stared at him in disbelief. "What's that supposed to mean?!" I demanded to know. "You're not going to miss me at all? Where's the love in that?"

Darrell just shook his head and returned Umbreon and Absol to their Pokeballs, then shoved his hands in his pockets. "I told you not to worry about it. Now go home. It's late."

"Darrell..."

But before I could say anything more, he was gone.

~*~*~

My. Brain. Is. Fried. _

-falls over-

If I recover by Tuesday, the next update will be then.