Chapter 2: Cave

He asked everyone he knew.

Green was too busy, but honestly what did he expect?

Blue and Ruby had given him a hundred and one ideas and none of them seemed even slightly feasible (how in Darkrai's name was he going to get Yellow into that elaborate dress? Did it even have holes for her arms to go through?).

Asking Gold opened up a landmine of raunchy stories Red had staunchly refused to listen to, but Gold had shared anyway. Red could still hear the damn Breeder's laughter trailing behind him while he ran away.

Emerald flushed red and purple before turning around and completely ignoring him. Red was slightly offended by that; he thought they were good enough friends that the gadgeteer would want to help him out with his love life. Although, thinking about Sapphire and Ruby and what their relationship issues must be like... Well, can't say he can't sympathize.

Moltres would freeze over before he asked Silver.

Crystal tried to be helpful, if not totally uncreative and cliché ("Do what comes naturally to you. It's the thought that counts." Pfft. Yeah, right).

Sapphire was surprisingly the most helpful.

She was hanging upside down from a tree branch he was sitting on when he explained to her his predicament. Toro crouched upon another branch not too high above them, his calm gaze sweeping over the two of them like a sentinel. Pika launched himself off Red's shoulder and landed easily next to the larger blaziken, squeaking amiably. Toro nodded to the small rodent pokemon before offering its shoulder for Pika to climb on. The electric mouse happily accepted the offer.

Typical of Sapphire's personality, all of her pokemon were out of their pokeballs below them. Phado reared back on its hind legs before pushing Rono to the ground in a playful show of strength. Pilo was coiled up beneath the shade of the tree, a resting gallade sat peacefully beneath its leafy wings.

Red watched the happy pokemon fondly, admiring how Rono managed to tuck and roll on top of Phado, an agility that was not usually seen in steel-types. But the rough-and-tumble way the large pokemon played reminded Red of his own team back in Pallet Town. He only saw them once in a while when he would request Oak to transfer his pokemon to him for an exhibition battle. His schedule was too crazy and too stressful for large, active pokemon such as the ones Red had. He missed them a lot. Pika was always great company, but it got lonely sometimes when it was just the small rodent and himself.

Sapphire joined Red in watching her pokemon for a moment before turning her gaze onto the companion sitting upright on the branch next to her.

"So you're tellin' me," she began as she righted herself to sit more comfortably on the tree branch, "that ya wanna ask Yellow to be your girlfriend. And ya think I'd be helpful?" Red closed his eyes in embarrassment. He must be really desperate, asking someone four years younger than him to help him with his relationship issues. She cocked her head at him, genuinely curious. "Wouldn't Ruby be a better choice to ask about this?"

Red passed a hand over his face, suddenly feeling extremely tired. "Already asked. Too extravagant."

"Ah," she said, nodding her head in understanding.

There was a beat of silence. Above them, Toro and Pika were having the time of their lives swinging from branch to branch. They landed roughly upon the branch Sapphire and Red were on before launching themselves back up to the top of the canopy. Red laughed while Sapphire yelled good-naturedly at their rough-housing.

His spirits lifted at the sight of them, which gave him the courage to ask her, "What did Ruby do to ask you?"

"Me? He never asked."

Red blinked. "What? But Ruby is all about that stuff!"

Sapphire shrugged as she kicked her feet back and forth. "Dunno. We just kinda woke up and were together."

It took a moment as he processed her words. Realization dawned on him. "Wait, you woke up and you—"

She slapped her hand over his mouth, shaking the whole tree as she did so. Toro let out a surprised yelp at the sudden disturbance, but quickly righted himself. Pika squealed encouragingly.

Her face was bright red. "No, ya idiot! Nothin' like that!" She slipped her hand off his mouth and continued, "I was sleepin' over at his place, askin' his old man about some battle strategies. When I woke up, he was next to me and I had a ring on my finger and that was that."

Red's eyes widened. "He proposed?! Aren't you guys only fifteen?"

"Nothin' like that! Nothin' like that!" she kept saying, her cheeks blushing a deeper red, if that was even possible. "Ugh, this is such a stupid conversation! I'm outta here."

Sapphire was about to jump off the tree, hands poised to whistle Toro to her side, when Red grabbed her arm before she could. "Wait! I'm sorry. I won't jump to conclusions again. Tell me what happened."

She eyed him suspiciously before yielding. "Fine. But I'm only tellin' 'cause you're my senior."

Red nodded in thanks as she settled back onto the tree branch.

"It's just a couple ring. It's what school kids do in Hoenn. Couples wear matching rings when they decide to go out. Ruby thought it was sweet, so he got one for me and one for himself. We both wear 'em." She pulled off the glove on her right hand and showed off the silver band she wore beneath it. "We just hide it under our gloves."

Red eyed the simple band, surprised. "It's surprisingly simple. I thought Ruby would get something a lot more… I dunno. Complex?"

She scowled, pulling her glove back over her fingers. "He said if he got something fancier, I'd just ruin it since I'm a barbarian."

Red looked away, thoughtfully. "That probably wasn't the case."

"Whatcha mean?"

"Nothing," he said, before going back to the matter at hand. "So, you're saying that Ruby got you a ring, put it on your finger before you woke up, and when you did wake up, you were a couple?"

"Well, he said he liked me first. Then, we became a couple."

"He said he liked you."

"Mm-hmm."

"Just like that?"

"Yup."

"Are you fine with that?"

The brunette girl just shrugged, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "Well, I was never into that fancy schmancy stuff, anyway, so yeah. I guess I liked it just fine." She looked up at him, eyes wide and full of joy. "I mean, we're together now 'cause of it, right?"

Red nodded slowly as pieces of a plan began to form in his mind. His lips curled into a smile. "Yeah, I think I got it now."

Suddenly, his pokegear beeped. He looked at the number. Davy.

He cursed. "I forgot I told Davy I'd be back in two hours." He jumped out of the tree and was about to sprint away, but he turned around and waved at Sapphire still sitting on the tree. Pika jumped off of Toro's head and dashed onto Red's shoulder, his perpetual seat.

"Thanks, Sapph! You were really helpful!"

He dashed off. One week left.

He hadn't even called her yet, what if she was busy? Even worse, what if she was out of town? But he told her one month, didn't he? He even gave her the date. He called her for Arceus's sake!

Red took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was panicking, stressing out for no reason at all. Beside him, Pika nudged at his leg, concerned by his Trainer's nervous behavior. Red bent down to pet him affectionately. "Sorry, Pika. I'm just beyond nervous."

On his belt was the familiar weight of his full team, six shining pokeballs right at home upon his hips. His fingers brushed against each and he smiled, feeling a little less nervous knowing his friends were with him, encouraging him in their own way.

He pulled out his pokegear and stared at it for a while. He steeled himself. "It's now or never."

He dialed her number.

It rang once before she answered. "Hello? Red?"

His heart rate skyrocketed at the sound of her voice, a knee-jerk reaction that brought all the nerves fluttering back into his stomach. He swallowed against a lump in his throat as Pika nudged his knees again. He scooped the small rodent into his arms, allowing himself to breathe with the comforting warmth of Pika's body against his chest.

"Hey, Yellow." Her name upon his tongue felt like honey. "Are you at home?"

"Yes, I am. Why?"

He grinned. "Because I'm outside!"

He heard crashes from her end and he called out to her in concern. "Yellow? Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah! Sorry! I didn't…I didn't think you'd be so early!"

Red chuckled. She sounded frantic. "If you need some time to get ready, I can just wait out here."

"Oh, no, feel free to come inside! I'll be down soon!"

With that, she hung up. Red shrugged and proceeded to let himself in.

"Yellow? I came in!"

"Hi, Red! I'm almost done, just wait a few moments, okay?"

Red smiled at the sound of her voice. Her real voice, and not through a pokegear; the quality was distinctly different. More angelic. Though, of course, he was biased.

Inside her home, he greeted her pokemon. Chuchu was especially excited to see him, throwing herself at his chest to land in his arms and pushing her snout into his chest before jumping off to greet Pika. Her other pokemon were happy to see him as well, gathering around him to nuzzle him gently. It was like Yellow, to have small pokemon so they could easily fit within her home. Dodosuke and Golsuke were the only large pokemon she had, but she had so much room in her living room, they fit quite comfortably.

Looking around, Red wondered if Yellow ever felt lonely. Ever since Fisherman Wilton died three years ago, she almost never stayed home. Unless it was raining, she was always out and about, spending time in Viridian Forest, going to town visiting friends, helping Professor Oak or Gold in his day care. Red wondered if she even called this place home anymore.

"Red?"

At the sound of her voice, he and the other pokemon turned toward the stairs. He froze. Yellow was wearing a simple white dress, tied at her waist and simple brown boots. She let her hair down and her hair was long. He never knew how long her hair was; it was always in that perpetual ponytail. Words bubbled up his throat and died before they came to his lips.

Yellow's pokemon shifted as though pleased. Pisuke seemed especially excited, flying around its trainer in looping circles. Yellow laughed before reaching out her arm so Pisuke could land upon it.

Her gaze shifted from her butterfree to Red, who was definitely gawking at her. She fingered the hem of her dress. Suddenly, it seemed as though the floor was the most interesting thing in the world, despite butterfree's attempts to convince her otherwise. "Blue made me promise to wear this today…"

There were a thousand things he could say at this moment, but he chose just one:

"Wow."

Yellow looked up, a hopeful look shining in her eyes. It gave him the courage to say more. From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Pika sparkle happily, as though proud of his trainer.

"You look really beautiful, Yels."

She blushed, a lovely red hue gracing her cheeks. He wanted to hold that color in his hand, stroke it away from her skin. A nervous giggle escaped her lips. "Thanks."

"Well, you ready to head out?" Oh, good. His words were back.

At the mention of going out, the nervousness melted from her face almost instantly and a brilliant smile bloomed on her lips. "Yeah! Let's go!"

The morning summer sky was an endless clear blue stretching miles over their heads. The heat of the sun beat mercilessly upon them and he was beginning to regret the black shirt he always wore. Sweat dripped down his back.

But Yellow was humming cheerfully next to him, head tilted back so her face shone under the sun. Her white dress swished in the soft breeze blowing through the path, billowing playfully about her knees. Smooth skin stretched for miles beneath her dress. Her long hair swayed in the wind. He wanted to run his fingers along it and press his lips against a golden strand, make her blush with that lovely crimson adorning her cheeks. He'd press his lips onto other places, too, if only to see her blush more deeply.

Red shook his head, feeling a little scandalous with his thoughts. This was Yellow; sweet, innocent Yellow. Not some hussy from the red light district in Saffron.

"So, Red, where are we headed?"

He couldn't help the wide grin stretching across his face at her curious question. He reached toward his belt grabbed Aero's pokeball. With a majestic roar, his aerodactyl materialized in light in front of them. Red winked at his lovely companion before hopping on and holding out a hand of assistance for her. "I'll show you!"

Yellow's face lit up as she grabbed onto his hand and swung herself up behind him. She wrapped her arms securely around his middle, pressing her whole torso against his back, legs straddling either side of him. The softness of her curves molded gently against the lines of his back. She rested her chin on his shoulder.

"You ready?" he said as much to Yellow as to his aerodactyl.

Aero shrieked in affirmation. Yellow nodded eagerly. "Yeah!"

"Alright, then!" Red clutched onto Aero's powerful shoulders as he braced himself for the launch. "Aero! To the Seafoam Islands!"

Aero's powerful wings launched themselves up up up into the air to streak violently across the sky. Wind blew forcefully against them; Red would occasionally place a hand on Yellow's arms wrapped tightly around his middle to make sure she hadn't somehow fallen off.

"Why are we going to the Seafoam Islands?" Yellow asked over the sound of the roaring wind.

Red grinned impishly at her. "You'll see!"

The flight took about an hour and a half and Red asked her twice if she wanted to stop to get off and stretch her legs, but she only shook her head vigorously and pressed her body more firmly against him, holding him tight. Red's heart jackhammered in his chest at her affectionate touch.

"No," she said into his ear to make sure he heard, "I'm comfortable just like this."

They touched down in front of the entrance of one of the smaller islands of Seafoam archipelago. Red jumped down from Aero first before reaching up to lift Yellow easily off his pokemon. Briefly, he caught a flash of two smooth, shapely thighs as her dress billowed around her hips. A slight blush crawled up his neck as he recalled that for an entire hour and a half, he had been between them.

He shoved that thought away so viciously he almost bit his tongue. What was he thinking?! Maybe Gold was rubbing off on him. Red was horrified at the thought.

Yellow smiled in thanks as he set her down. The two of them faced the entrance of the cave as Red recalled Aero back into his pokeball. They released their pikachu, with Yellow opting to release Ratty. She bent down to give the overgrown rat an affectionate scratch behind its ears. Ratty closed its eyes and shuddered in contentment.

"So, Red, what's in there?" she asked, standing up again. At their feet, Ratty approached Pika, its nose twitching in greeting.

Said man lightly grabbed her hand. He felt the smooth touch of her palm against his own calloused one and wondered briefly if she minded. He glanced at her face. From the gentle smile quirking her lips upward to the bright curiosity shining in her eyes, he knew she didn't.

"Let me show you," he said, pulling her gently as he started moving toward the cave entrance. Seeing their movement, their pokemon darted forward into the cave, excitedly."And the path isn't going to be rough at all, so you don't have to worry about your dress!"

He led her deep into the cave, down and down and down until the light from the cave entrance no longer pierced the darkness. In front of them, Pika and Chuchu's faint electric glow illuminated some of the path, but not enough to really make it useful. Ratty, at home in dark places sniffed around restlessly, intrigued by the smells of the cave, so different from the aroma of Viridian and the Forest.

The path was relatively smooth and walking was easy, but the lack of light made her wonder if having Pika use flash would be a good idea. She suggested this to Red.

Red only shook his head, though he knew she couldn't see. "No. There's no need. Just trust me."

He squeezed her hand reassuringly as he led her deeper into the cave. They walked for another five minutes when Yellow began to see some sort of light glittering off in the distance. She squinted her eyes to try to see better, but soon found herself looking at not one glittering light, but two, then four, then ten. As the pair walked further and further down the path, the whole cave lit up around them from what looked like crystals embedded in the walls.

Yellow gasped in delight. Beside her, Ratty and Chuchu also looked around as though mesmerized.

But Red squeezed her hand, gently interrupting her exclamations. She turned toward him and was delighted to see that the light was bright enough to illuminate his face that she could make out the pleased curve of his lips. "You haven't even seen the best part, yet!"

The two kept walking their pokemon paces ahead. Soon, the glittering light of the crystals disappeared, plunging them into an inky darkness even deeper than it seemed not ten minutes before. It was so deep that whether Yellow closed her eyes or not, the darkness was the same.

It was completely silent save for their footsteps and light breathing echoing off the cave walls. Yellow walked a little closer to Red's side, not out of fear or nervousness, but to enjoy the feeling of his warmth washing over her. It felt like they were the only people in the world. Feeling brave, she dared to move her palm against his hand so she could intertwine their fingers more firmly against each other. She pressed her body against him, her free hand moving to embrace his limb against her chest.

She was so close. Butterflies fluttered in the pit of his stomach; he wanted nothing more in that moment than to take her into his arms and wrap his arms around her. He wanted to bury his nose in her hair and inhale the scent of Viridian Forest wafting from her body.

His heart hammered in his chest as he belatedly realized that her torso was pressed firmly against his arm such that he could make out the soft, gentle curves of her chest. Red had never cared much for the bodies of other women; he had seen many jaw-dropping beauties throughout his travels that he had grown somewhat de-sensitized to the charms of the opposite sex. Yet, Yellow never failed to get a rise of out of him. Was it because she meant that much to him? Or maybe it was just one of her charms?

The softness of her chest was undeniably feminine. Red had to suppress the urge to press her more firmly against him.

How would she react? Would she lean into him? Would she smile sheepishly at him from beneath her long eyelashes? Would she blush endearingly, biting her lip with adorable shyness?

Red shook his head. Thoughts like that were a definite no-no. First, he had to confess to her.

The pair walked in silence in the darkness of the cave until, in the distance, Yellow saw more shimmering lights. She lifted her head in anticipation as they moved toward the source. Ten more paces and they found themselves at the entrance of a great cavern with hundreds of thousands of crystals dotting the cave walls, shining with the brilliance of stars. In the midst of the cavern was a quiet lake. The surface of the water reflected the light of crystals, so clear and smooth with hardly a ripple to break the surface.

Yellow slipped her hand out of his as she stepped forward in wonder. She was speechless, her mouth hanging open in awe as she spun around once, twice, drinking in the view. Chuchu, Pika, and Ratty all darted forward soundlessly. Ratty curiously came up to a glowing crystal embedded in the wall. He nudged with his snout, sniffing. Chuchu joined the raticate, pawing at the glowing thing before grabbing ahold of it and attempting to rip it out of its foundation. The two pokemon were joined by Pika who also contributed his efforts.

The shuffling of the pokemon were the only sounds echoing around the chamber. Yellow just stared, mesmerized, only moving when Chuchu and Ratty had successfully removed the crystal from the wall and laid the still-glowing material at her feet. Yellow picked it up and examined it, giving an affectionate pat on her pokemon's heads before looking back at the sights before her.

Red watched her silently. He watched as the light of the crystals illuminated her skin like a halo. Her hair shimmered strands of gold and her white dress glimmered like pearl. She looked like an angel; Red thought he might see wings sprout spontaneously upon her back.

"It's beautiful here, Red," she exclaimed, awe lacing every word.

He grinned. "I found this place a couple of years back. No one else knows about it. Just you and me."

"Just you and me, huh?" she repeated. "I'm so happy."

Their voices echoed in the chamber, a disturbance in the gentle quiet. The lake rippled slightly, distorting the mirror image of the cavern lights into a blur.

A thought struck him and he reached into his pants' pocket, pulling out the simple white box he had taken so much time and care in procuring and holding it out for her. She looked at it quizzically before reaching to take it out of his hand. Red's face burned to the tips of ears.

Yellow opened the box and gasped, unwinding the necklace and holding it up in front of her. The pendant was of a silver Viridian flower, the same one tucked securely behind the ear of her beloved Chuchu. It glinted under the light of the crystals. She glanced the black-haired Trainer. "Is it really okay for me to have this?" Putting the box down, she held the pendant in her palm as though cradling a sacred treasure. "It looks expensive…"

"It was worth it," he said with conviction. Because it was. She was worth it.

Wide eyes looked at him, inquisitive. "So I can really have this?"

Red couldn't help the grin growing on his lips. "I got it for you."

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, slipping the chain over her head and letting the pendant rest comfortably on her bosom. She clasped her hands over the silver flower and held it close to her chest. "It's beautiful. I love it."

He swallowed against a growing lump in his throat. She was an angel and he…he was a predator. A perverted, battle-mongering warrior. What was he doing? He didn't deserve her. He could never deserve her.

In the swirling mist of his doubts, it was Yellow's smile that cut through his thoughts like sunshine breaking through clouds. She walked back to him, a sway in her hips that Red could not help but notice. She grasped both hands in hers. "I'm so happy to be able to share this moment with you." A blinding grin stretched across her face and it lit up the whole cavern. "My heart feels so full! I feel like I got the best present in the world!"

Red's breath hitched at the sight of her smile. The way her hair fell like a frame around her face. The way one side of her lip quirked up just a little bit more than the other. The way her green-yellow eyes sparkled with an indescribable gentleness.

This was Yellow. The girl who rescued him, time and again from his own recklessness. The one who grounded him, who calmed him. The girl whose smile could outshine the sun and whose hair had luster to rival gold. This was the girl who cooked him pancakes the next morning every time he spent the night. This was the girl who could lift up his spirits with a simple glance from her leaf-yellow eyes.

Yellow was comfort. She was quiet beauty. She was home.

Suddenly, the pokemon stopped in their playing and looked up at Red, as though sensing something important was coming. Their gazes fell heavily upon him as though encouraging him, cheering him on. Red drew strength from their faith in him.

The words tumbled from his lips as naturally as water falls from Indigo Plateau. "I love you."

The utterances of those three syllables opened the floodgates to more words as every repressed feeling Red has ever experienced came flowing out in rapid fire, tasting like honey straight from the comb.

"When I left Pallet Town for my dreams when I was ten, I always knew and believed that I was saying goodbye to my hometown forever. With no parents, no guardians or family, I thought I had nothing to come back to. I'd always figured that I'd live my life as a Trainer and travel from one region to the next. It made sense to me. It felt like my destiny. But when I think of you..."

Yellow was the Forest, always in the same place, never moving and everlasting. She was the one he could come back to after years of training. She was the face he imagined as he fell asleep alone, and the first face he thought of when he woke up.

He wanted to say that. He wanted to say that and so much more, but words were dying as they bubbled up his throat and all he could choke out was,

"You're my home, Yellow. And I love you."

Tears slid down her cheeks. "Red…" she whispered. "Do you mean that? Do you really love me?"

He wiped away her tears with his thumb, letting his hand linger against her smooth cheek. "I do. I love you, Yels."

She fell forward into his chest and his hands moved automatically to embrace her. Her arms snaked up and around his shoulders as he held her and he felt whole, complete.

"Me, too, Red. Ever since we were kids. I've always loved you."

They shared their first kiss in a cavern of stars, shimmering light above and below and all around them.