Yumichika had his back to the living room as he watched the water boil in the pot, picking the pasta box up and dumping the contents in, silencing the liquid. He didn't bother to look over his shoulder as Ikkaku joined him in the cramped kitchen, opening the fridge and rummaging for something. He smelled like … sex.

While he would never tattle on his own partner, Yumichika did wonder if the relationship between Ikkaku and Clementine had evolved since they had been employed by her. It was obvious for a while now that Ikkaku felt something for her and Clementine felt something for him, but as far as Yumichika was aware they never took it past the passing flirtatious comment.

He had his reservations at the idea, not only because of their employer's volatile nature but of Ikkaku's own flaws as a man. He never was one to settle down, always absorbed in his work to the point of driving him into the floor-he just never had the time for women that they expected of him.

And maybe that was still true, the only difference being that Clementine actually was his work now. But with that came the question of how healthy it was for a person's work to be their lover, constantly within reach and constantly on a tumultuously different power dynamic.

"You think he planted these here to test us?"

Stirring the pasta around in the pot to keep it from sticking, lavender hues cast over what Ikkaku was referring to. An open box of beer sat in the fridge amongst the rest of the stock-lunch meat, orange juice, hot dogs, juice boxes, flavored water, eggs, salad mix, some fruits and vegetables. He arched a well-plucked brow in response, making a face that said all he needed to, returning to his pot of macaroni. Setting the spoon across the pot, he crossed his arms and leaned against the sink, now looking at Ikkaku fully.

He wasn't sweaty, but his clothes were disheveled. But maybe he had just been relaxing upstairs with her; while he wouldn't ever tell Kenpachi or Ikkaku, there had been times when she begged him to just lay with her so she wouldn't feel so alone. Now that he thought about it, those times were only when Ikkaku wasn't around…

The bald man tensed at Yumichika's gaze, taking a beer and making his way from the kitchen and plopping back in the recliner, attempting to ignore the tension in the room.

"What?"

"Nothing. You can have my bed after your watch. Kenpachi will take the other, I'm sure."

"There's a loft upstairs, I'll just crash on that couch."

Yumichika nodded slowly, his answer in return to more than one question, so far as he was concerned. "You think that's a good idea?"

Ikkaku opened his beer and took a drink, glaring in his partner's direction. "Is what a good idea?"

A dare to start this argument.

"Ikkaku, please. Don't insult me by playing dumb," Yumichika turned, making his way through the rest of the process of his macaroni and cheese. He heard Ikkaku scoff in annoyance as he mixed the cream, butter and noodles.

While Yumichika was still waiting for a response, he knew that the conversation was over.

Tonight wasn't going to be the night they would have this argument and he wasn't sure if they ever really would have it. Maybe he was being too pragmatic about it. He was startled at the thought, not used to being the person who wanted to put a stop to the fun of two teenagers in love. But then again, they were adults and this was a situation that would get messy far quicker than anyone could possibly anticipate, the consequences affecting not just the two involved.

A shiver went down his spine as he collected a bowl of his creation and retired to his bedroom down the hall, Ikkaku refusing to look in his direction as he downed his alcohol.


Eyelashes fluttered open, looking at the empty space in the bed next to her, sunlight filtering in through the blinds at her back. Her hand flopped out, attempting to find Ikkaku in the bleary image she could make out, listening for the sound of the shower, disappointed to realize he wasn't there either.

Clementine slowly worked herself up to a sitting position, pulling the covers to her chest and looking towards the end stand, frowning at the lack of her cell phone. A quick recap of the previous night made her realize she had fucked Ikkaku and went straight to sleep, not even unpacking any of her things which sat next to the door right where he had placed them, biting the skin on her lower lip in thought.

Was she a bad person?

It was an omnipresent question swirling in her mind, looming in the darkness and poking its ugly head out whenever she made a questionable decision. Some things were never strictly right or wrong, but at the same time, wasn't there a touch of right and wrong in everything?

The redhead shook her head, slinking to the other side of the bed and to the floor, making notes of the purpling skin on her hips and the bite marks on her chest as she did so. To her surprise, her phone was still alive and even buzzing for attention when she found it, scrambled in the contents of her clothes and other useless items within her duffel. She was a collector on good days and a hoarder on bad ones, and overpacking seemed to be a side effect.

There were two new voicemails waiting for her to check and a text message as well, but what caught her eye was the news notification in the top banner.

Avoiding the news like the plague had been Clementine's motto since she had become champion because while there were always nice articles on what she had been up to, there were at least three bad ones, or the comments upon the articles themselves were horrifying. She was fragile, she could at least admit that to herself, and reading those types of things would only send her into a spiral of self doubt that would ultimately end with a quick retirement. Her bodyguards couldn't shield her from everything, despite their best efforts.

Still, her curiosity got the better of her as she read the title: Mystery Vandalism in the Dragon's Den, Johto Region.

The articles about vandalism and crimes against the trainers employed by the Pokemon League were only getting worse as time went on. Despite her reluctance, a morbid curiosity on what exactly had happened won her over. A timid finger tapped on the notification to bring it up on her screen, sitting naked in front of her bag with her legs underneath her. She withdrew her free hand, putting it to her mouth in shock as her eyes moved back and forth, devouring the tiny words on her phone with an appetite she didn't realize she had.

Fear spread through the city of Blackthorn City early this Friday when their beloved gym leader, Clair, made a shocking discovery. Returning to the gym this morning, archaic symbols and letters were scrawled on the windows and doors in a deep crimson, crude drawings of the Pokemon League symbols and profanities intermingled. Upon further inspection, the dragon master was horrified to discover the markings were drawn in blood from something… or as it turned out, someone. Things only got worse as she hurriedly made her way to the Dragon's Den after calling the local authorities.

As many citizens of the region know, the Dragon's Den went under a short reconstruction period to rebuild the bridge inside of the cavern, a beautiful gathering of the city to commemorate the structure. It was a chilling sight to see pieces of the bridge floating in the water surrounding the main shrine's building, everyone's hard work torn to shreds before the city's very eyes. Things only grew more disturbing as Clair found the watchman of the Den.

The man was found in a pile of blood and tears, his clothes torn to shreds and his bones broken. Thankfully, he was rushed to the nearest Pokemon Center and is expected to make a full recovery, but the scene was enough to push the Dragon Master into action, putting out a statement early this morning to the news outlets.

There was a video linked below the article with Clair standing in front of her gym, her eyes red from rage or fear, Clementine wasn't sure which. Her hair was pulled up into a rather rigid bun, her bangs tore away from her face and gave her a more dominant air than the playful superiority she usually wore. Her gym attire was replaced with a black jumpsuit with a matching pair of boots, her hands clasped behind her back in the picture of business.

Biting the skin on her lower lip, the champion debated on watching the video of Clair's statement, her change in demeanor from her normal self, worrying Clementine even more.

Another text message notification made her jump, looking at the preview and distracting her from the news app.

Mom: Your father was dispatched this morning for extra help. You're staying just across the way in Saix's place, aren't you?

The way her mother referred to Sable Valley almost made Clementine roll her eyes, the redhead glancing at the message above it that had been sent earlier.

Mom: Clementine Blair, did you hear about Blackthorn City? Just awful the way these terrorists are destroying communities!

While normally her mother's dramatics were amusing, this time she did have a point. Things had been escalating and escalating–it was only a matter of time before everything truly exploded. Clementine looked through her other notifications, the two voicemails from Yumichika and Ikkaku respectfully. They were both short, just a quick check in and explanation of where they were headed.

Blackthorn City was probably the toughest place in Johto, not including Mt. Silver and the League's surroundings. Trainers who made it to Clair were experienced in battle, had traversed most of the region, and had a grasp on what it takes to be a skilled trainer. And yet, this organization or group hadn't been scared to possibly take on not only these trainers but Clair herself.

It was scary to think that these people had gone into the city's most sacred place and vandalized it, without any fear for the repercussions. Clementine couldn't keep herself from returning to that fact as she got ready for the day, moving to the bathroom to have a hot shower.

The water's embrace helped mitigate the nightmarish figures she was picturing had done this, trying to ignore the way they loomed over her.

She was a lot of things, especially naive, but the paranoia that came over her after reading the news bulletin was hard to ignore. Such an isolated place, who was to say they weren't making their way to Sable Valley? While it certainly wasn't impossible, crossing directly from Blackthorn to Sable Valley was unheard of. If these people were determined to get their hands on something-or someone-valuable in order to make a point to society, Clementine was in a place she really didn't want to be.

The thought chilled her, turning the heat up on the shower as much as her skin could take.