A strong gust of wind threatens to tear the clip from Lenore's hair as she stares out at the setting sun. She has one hand resting on the opposite arm and her lab coat billows slightly. Standing on the rooftop of the Hoenn branch of the Pokemon League in Evergrande City, Lenore takes a breath of cool air and allows it to sweep through her respiratory system.
How long has she been standing up here? Truth be told, she has lost count of the hours by now. Her appointments ended at roughly one o'clock today and she finished her paperwork the previous evening. Reading and signing documents proved to a wonderful distraction. So wonderful, in fact, that she only obtained roughly an hour of sleep on her desk before starting work.
Another rush of air sends a chill down her entire form. The setting sun spills orange and violet hues through the sky and across the landscape in a dazzling array of color.
"It'll be night soon," says Lenore softly to no one in particular, "I wonder… If he had a good day." Her eyes close as a variety of thoughts begins surfacing in her mind. "I wonder if she's in his arms right now. Maybe she's commenting on how warm he is… How strong his embrace feels," she says while a streak of red begins forming across the bridge of her nose. A mixture of embarrassment and jealousy washes through her at the thought. She knows exactly how warm and strong the man is, since she has been held by him before.
Yet, the thought of him holding someone else the same way both disgusts and infuriates her Lenore and she feels a strong wave of frustration settle into her brain.
"What good is love if all it does is hurt people and get in the way of what's really important?" questions Lenore to the sun as it begins to disappear over the horizon. Finding no answer in the silence of dusk, Lenore opens her eyes and simply watches the evening give way to night.
Completely swept up in her thoughts and frustrations, Lenore nearly fails to notice the hand that settles onto her shoulder. Whirling around in surprise, Lenore briefly finds herself caught completely off guard by the sight of the person in front of her.
"D-Dr. Kazuma," she says awkwardly.
"Hello, Lenore," he says softly, a smile on his lips. Observing the smile, Lenore frowns and turns away from him. "Come to mock me?" she murmurs with an unintentional streak of bitterness in her voice, "Come to tell me about your great and wonderful day with Hatoko?" Her eyes soften then and the truth of her actions hits her like a ton of bricks.
"Oh… I'm sorry, Dr. Kazuma, I… I shouldn't speak this way. It's not as if she did anything wrong by coming back. After all, you two—"
Finding herself cut off by Kazuhiko's arms wrapping around her waist from behind, Lenore tries to turn, but finds it difficult to do so.
"D-Doctor Kazuma! What in the world are you—"
"I'm hugging you," says Kazuhiko softly, his breath warm and feathery against the flesh of her ear, "Is that alright?" At first, Lenore wants to melt into his embrace and insist that this is just fine and suits her perfectly well. Fortunately, her rational side surfaces and quickly tries to pry Lenore out of the situation.
"You shouldn't be doing this," Lenore says nervously, "She might come up here and see us. I don't want to ruin this for you… Besides, it… It isn't very nice to me, either. I… Oh, nevermind."
"Hatoko won't come up here," says Kazuhiko quite calmly.
Rolling her eyes, Lenore folds her arms despite the arms around her waist.
"And just what makes you so sure of that, Doctor Kazuma? This isn't the greatest hiding place in the world."
"Simple," replies Kazuhiko while placing a soft, tender kiss on the flesh of the woman's neck. This causes her to shiver and an involuntary gasp escapes from her throat. "I told her that I wasn't interested any longer," he admits.
"You… You what?" asks Lenore with surprise, "Kazuhiko Kazuma, I told you not to worry about me! You stupid fool – call her back!"
"No," replies Kazuhiko sternly, "I won't call her back."
"And why not?" asks Lenore with a strong hint of irritation in her voice, "To defy me? I know how much you hate listening to me, even though I'm telling you that it's alright to do what you want to do."
"Because I am doing what I want to do," says Kazuhiko softly, his head moving forward so that he can rub his cheek with her own, "I told her that I'm already in love with someone else. I told her that I'm madly in love with Dr. Lenore Stone, my colleague, and that's all there is to it. I apologized if I hurt her feelings, but she understood. It hurt her, I could tell, but… She understood."
The pair stands there in silence. Kazuhiko looks up a bit to look out over the dark water surrounding Evergrande City. Lenore tries to digest everything that has just happened in a matter of seconds.
"Why…?" she asks at last, "Why did you give her up for me, Kazuhiko? I can't… I can't offer you anything yet. I don't know how I feel – I don't have time, I—"
Her words are cut off when Kazuhiko suddenly brings his face around to place a very deep, but tender kiss on her lips. Her eyes widen with surprise. Tears that had already begun to form at the corners drop as she closes her eyes. Hesitant at first of giving in, Lenore eventually caves and allows herself to be swept up into the moment. The pair of doctors hold the kiss for quite some time and part only when they have to breathe.
"Just being able to be with you is enough for me right now, Lenore," says Kazuhiko after a brief period of silence. He still hugs Lenore's waist from behind, but the woman's hands have slowly migrated down to rest upon his own. She leans back into him slightly. Her eyes, which had reopened following the kiss, close once again and she sighs softly.
"I don't know what will happen as time goes by," she murmurs, "But I… Have learned one thing, Kazuhiko. I shouldn't… Stand by in silence anymore." Her fingers tighten around his hands as she tenses, "…I shouldn't deny what I know I feel deep down inside… If I do, someone else might sweep up my one chance… To be with the one I love."
"Oh?" says Kazuhiko while nuzzling her neck softly, "And just who do you love, Dr. Stone?"
"I don't think you really have to ask that, Dr. Kazuma," whispers Lenore as a very faint blush begins to settle onto her features.
Smiling warmly, Kazuhiko looks back out at the night sky. Lenore does the same, but quietly wishes, deep down inside, that this moment would never end.