Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its affiliates. I do, however, own my OC's and the story surrounding them.

[POV: SSG Wolfe]

[Why did you take her from me!]

{She's not the one meant for you.}

Wolfe was lying prone on top of a hill, looking through his optic at a couple men shaking hands on an airstrip, about 1,600 meters away. Next to him was his spotter, another Staff Sergeant whose last name was Hendricks. Wolfe felt him tap his shoulder.

"If you have the shot, you're green," he told him.

Wolfe didn't make any outward motion, so his shot wasn't thrown off, though he replied softly, "HVT in sights. Mark the shot."

Wolfe settled his crosshairs on the back of a man in military fatigues, who matched the description of his target. He made a slight adjustment to account for the wind, then steadied his breath. "Shot," he said, before squeezing the trigger.

He felt his rifle jump back into his shoulder, followed by a loud bang, signifying that the round left his barrel. A split second later, he saw the bullet impact the military man, before the man collapsed.

"Good hit," SSG Hendricks told him.

"Copy," Wolfe replied. Then he moved his crosshairs to the secondary target, another man in fatigues, who was checking the downed soldier. "Shot," he said again, and squeezed the trigger. The rifle jumped in his shoulder, and the second man went down.

"Good hit," Hendricks said. Then he activated his radio. "Charlie one, this is Charlie two. HVT's are down, send in your squad," he said into it. Wolfe heard the crackle of his earbud coming alive as they got a response. "Charlie two, this is Charlie one. Moving in, stand-by to assist."

"Copy," Hendricks replied. Then he turned to Wolfe. "Good shooting, Zero," he told him. Wolfe grinned at the use of his nickname.

"Thanks bud. Call my targets as needed," he replied.

"Copy that."

Wolfe watched through his optic as the enemy force responded to the other teams assault, ducking behind concrete barriers to shield them from Charlie one's fire. He counted a total of 24 enemy combatants, though he had suspicions that there was probably a counter sniper team hidden from view, most likely looking for him and Hendricks. That wasn't his immediate concern though.

"Heavy gunner, top of catwalk," Hendricks told him. Wolfe found the mentioned man in his sights, before replying, "Got him. Shot." Then he fired, and the man went down.

"Good hit. Marksman, behind hanger," Hendricks told him.

"Copy. Shot."

"Good hit. Stand by."

Suddenly Wolfe saw a flash out of the corner of his eye, followed by dirt being kicked up in front of him. A moment later he heard the counter sniper's rifle ring out.

Wolfe didn't wait to be told, he saw the flash. He found the sniper team, who were in ghillie suits about 600 meters to his left, on a hill adjacent to him. He put the shooter in his sights. "Shot," he said, before firing. The shooter went down, and his spotter started to back up quickly, attempting to escape. Wolfe didn't give him the chance. "Shot," he said, and the counter sniper team was eliminated.

"Good hits, back on site," Hendricks told him, not missing a beat.

"Copy." There wasn't any time for chit chat. This was all business. Every second wasted was another second a comrade could die.

"Another gunner, below the catwalk."

"Copy. Shot."

"Good hit, stand by."

At this point, most of the enemy forces had been wiped out, leaving only six remaining. They were stationed centrally near the hanger, pinned down by Wolfe's comrades. He knew they weren't going to survive much longer if they didn't surrender, and they knew it too.

"Duo behind the transport," Hendricks told him, sounding urgent.

Wolfe found them in his sights and immediately saw why he was sounded urgent. One of them was on a radio, speaking rapidly.

"Shot," he said. Then he fired, and the man holding the radio flew back. The other man, who was providing cover, then jumped on the radio himself. "Shot." Then that man fell too.

Hendricks didn't take time to compliment his shooting, instead he immediately jumped on the radio. "Charlie one this is Charlie two. Be advised, possible reinforcements or indirect fire inbound. Recommend you pull back."

"Copy that, we're pulling out. You two get your asses out of dodge," the team leader told them. Wolfe then saw more transports coming down the road towards the airport.

"Charlie one, you have enemy reinforcements coming in from the east road. Get out of there, we'll stay and cover for you," he told them.

"Copy that," the team leader said, although he didn't turn off his radio as he spoke to his own team. "Ladies, it's time to double time and get out, we have enemy reinforcements coming up on us. Our angels of death are covering for us, so move your asses! Charlie two, try not to get yourselves killed."

"Copy that," Wolfe replied. Then he set down his radio, and turned to Hendricks. "Grab your rifle and get set up over in that tree line. I'll stay here and wreak what havoc I can."

The other man nodded. "Got it. Glad to have you covering me Zero, otherwise I guarantee that today would be a whole lot worse."

Wolfe grinned at him. "And don't I know it. Now hurry up!"

As Hendricks took off, Wolfe settled his crosshairs on the road. There's a turn coming up for them, then they'll be coming right at me, he thought. He grinned. It was these moments that he lived for, moments where he had an opportunity to save his buddies asses, as well as take out some of the enemy. He steadied his crosshairs on where the drivers' heads would be when they rounded the corner, and waited.

As soon as the first transport rounded the corner, Wolfe steadied his breath, and squeezed the trigger.

[POV: Lura, 910 BBF]

When Lura woke up, she was in a clearing surrounded by trees. It was still night time, and everyone was still sleeping. Everyone, that is, except for Wolfe, who was sitting on a stump next to a small campfire. He had his shirt and armor off, and when Lura looked around, she saw them hanging on a rope that was tied between two trees. Oh, she thought. He must have washed them.

She turned her gaze back to Wolfe. Something had obviously happened to him in the three and a half years it had been since she last saw him. It didn't appear to be anything good either. She slowly stretched, before padding up to him to ask a few questions.

"Good evening, Lura," he said as she got close to him, though he didn't turn his eyes from the fire.

"But isn't it morning?" she asked. He laughed lightly.

"It was, about ten hours ago. You've been out for around 22 hours," he told her. Lura let out a little squeak. I was out for that long! Why, she wondered. Then she shook herself. "Was I the only one to pass out?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, they all did. Believe it or not, you are actually the first to wake up. Otherwise, it was just Gabe and me."

"Oh," she said. She went to his side, and sat down in front of the fire as well. She had a question burning through her mind, but she didn't want to ask it for fear of what answer she got. As she struggled internally, she felt Wolfe place a hand on her side. Then he began to stroke her gently.

"Lura, I think now would be a good time to talk," he told her. She swallowed hard and nodded, though she didn't look at him. Then he removed his hand from her side and said, "Actually, it might be best if I just showed you."

After that, the clearing was filled with a dark flash, followed by nothing. "Lura," Wolfe said. "Look at me."

She did and immediately felt her jaw drop in surprise. Standing on the stump where Wolfe had been, was Zero!

"B-but…" she started before breaking off. She tried again. "H-how…" again, she broke off.

Zero grinned at her, that familiar grin that always made her blush. Then he jumped off the stump and sat next to her, laying his tail on her back in the process. "Surprise," he said.

Lura just stared at him, completely dumbfounded. "W-what happened to Wolfe?!" she asked him. He kept smiling at her slightly. "Lura, I am Wolfe. Have been the entire time. If you think about it, I'm sure that you'll see that some things make more sense now that you know."

She kept staring at him, and he frowned. "Lura, I realize that I'm very attractive, but there's really no need to stare at me so hard or so long," he told her. Lura blushed brightly.

"But how!?" she demanded. "You're so different from each other! How can you be the same person?"

He shook his head. "Actually, we're not. You've only just known me as Wolfe when I was on business trips, not personal ones. As for how, that's a long story." He faced the fire again.

"Can you tell me then? And is that why you can understand pokemon as a human?" she asked.

He looked up at the moon for a moment, before sighing and smiling slightly. "I suppose I do owe you some answers, don't I? Yes, that is why I can understand pokemon as a human. It's because I am one. That's also why I straight up refused to harm an eevee or any of our evolutions with any of my contracts. As for how this can be, that answer is both very simple and very complicated."

He turned to face her, red eyes staring into her dark ones. "The reason for me being able to be a pokemon, as well as me being immortal, is that I'm already dead."

Lura froze.

He turned to face the fire again, before continuing, "My name was Aurumn Wolfe. I was a simple soldier, with a few problems. I was too skilled at what I did, and I was too self-sacrificing as a person. Now, this is where it starts to get complicated. You see, I'm not actually from this world. I'm not from your world, Lura. Where I'm from, pokemon don't exist."

He looked at Lura, who was simply staring at him in shock. "I'm from a world at war. So obviously, I was bound to die at some point. It just so happened that I died when I was 23, which is very young for a human. But it was commonplace in my world. I was on a mission with some other men, providing long range support, when the whole thing went to shit. Enemies just showed up, and kept coming, no matter how many I killed. There were simply too many of them."

He shook his head sadly, and turned back towards the fire. "You see, in my world, we didn't fight with bow's or swords. We fought with weapons that could kill from a distance, a distance far greater than any bow could hope to shoot. My weapon could kill from even farther than that. I don't know how to explain them to you, Lura, as there is nothing like them in this world. At least, not now. In Memoria, they are experimenting with the basics of black powder, which my world's weapons used a form of. Think of a metal pipe, that, when activated, sends a projectile flying through the air far faster than any arrow. Some could even tear men in half, as if they were paper. I know. I've seen it. Hell, I've done it to a few men myself."

He went quiet for a bit. Lura took this time to process what she was being told. She just couldn't believe what he was telling her.

He turned and grinned at her. "Hard to believe, I know. But it's true."

Lura was shocked again. "How did you know that I didn't believe you?" she asked him. He grinned and moved his tail along her back, and down her own tail, causing her to shiver in delight.

"You're marked, remember? If I'm touching you, I know what you are feeling, even if you yourself aren't aware," he told her as he winked at her, causing her heart to beat faster as she blushed. He chuckled. "Such a naughty little vappy. And here I thought that you were so innocent. Who knew?" He shook his head in amusement. Then he continued with his story.

"When I died, I found myself floating in a void that was filled with nothing. No sight, no smell, no taste, just nothing. Then, a voice spoke to me. It said that I was too good a person to have it just end like that, with no reward. It asked me what I wanted, and I told them a second chance. And then I was here, in your world, with abilities I know others don't have. For instance, my ability to transform into a pokemon, and my ability to mark people and pokemon."

He grinned. "Also, I can't die. At least, not permanently. If I am killed, I stay dead for a certain amount of time, just to let my body heal. Then I'm back to wherever my body is at."

He frowned again. "I found that out the hard way. You remember Luna, the umbreon in the painting at my house, right?" he asked her. She nodded. "Well, I suppose that you could say we were mates at one point. She found me when I first arrived in this world as an eevee, if you can believe it. She was an eevee as well, and apparently I just appeared in her home, right in front of her. When I woke up, I started spouting stuff about me being a human, and she didn't believe me. But it didn't matter. We were fast friends, and she showed me how this world worked. One night, about a year after I arrived, we went out to look at the moon and the stars, and I just couldn't help but think how beautiful she was to me. That's when I started glowing brightly, and suddenly I evolved! Into an umbreon no less. After she saw that I had evolved, she knew it was because of her, and she evolved as well." He smiled sadly. "And then I kissed her."

Lura felt another jolt of jealousy, but she shoved it down. Hard. Zero chuckled at her. "Don't worry about it Lura. You can't help what you feel. Any case, when I kissed her, apparently some of my memories transferred over to her. She just went still for a few moments, before she started kissing me back. She called me Zero, and told me that she saw some of my life from before, such as that nickname. She believed every word I had ever told her after that."

He looked towards the fire once more, and Lura saw tears in his eyes. "And then they killed her. Her and me. Unfortunately, I didn't stay dead. But she did. When I came back to life for the second time, I was a human again. And she was dead. She's the reason that I fought against the Memories with such zeal, for it was them that killed us, just because we were dark types. I didn't know about my ability to mark those that I care about yet. I found that out with Gabe and his mate, who helped me through the time after Luna's death."

He shook himself, before smiling at her brightly, all traces of sadness gone. "So that's my story. Believe it or not, you're only the third person that I've told it to."

He removed his tail from her back and took a step away from her. Lura was hugely conflicted. How can I believe him, she thought. But he looked so sad… I've never seen him that sad before. "How do I know that you're telling me the truth?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I don't exactly have a way to prove it to you. It happened in the past," he told her.

That was when Lura remembered something that he had said. She immediately blushed and hid her face behind her tail. Then she steeled herself, and said, "But didn't you show Luna?" she asked him. "Would that work again?"

He didn't respond, and when Lura finally couldn't take the silence anymore and peeked out from around her tail, she saw that he looked dumbstruck. It was almost comical, if it weren't for how nervous Lura was, she probably would have laughed at him.

He blinked slowly. "Uhh… are you asking what I think you're asking?" he asked.

She blushed even deeper, before nodding.

He blinked again. Then a grin crossed his muzzle. "You know, I didn't expect you to ever suggest something like that. You're filling out Lura, in more ways than one." Then his grin faded, and he looked concerned. "Lura, are you sure that you want that?"

She hid behind her tail again. "It's not like it will mean anything. It's just so that I will have proof," she told him. And herself.

He nodded, although he still looked uncertain. He walked close to her, and gently pushed her tail down with a paw, staring into her eyes. "Last chance to say no Lura," he told her. "Are you sure you want this?"

She nodded. "I'm sure."

He nodded understandingly. "Alright. Just close your eyes, alright?"

Lura nodded, and did as he told her to. She was very nervous, as she had never done anything like this before. She wasn't sure what to expect, and hoped that he would guide her through it. He did.

"Open your mouth a little," he murmured. She could feel his warm breath on her muzzle as he spoke, and felt her nervousness build to a peak. However, she did as instructed. "Now just relax," he told her.

Then she felt him close the gap between their muzzle's, and he kissed her, sending her head spinning.

He started out slowly, being gentle with her. He soon became slightly more forceful, although nothing to aggressive. She smiled into their kiss, and was about to press back when her mind went blank and she swirled into his memories.

[Wolfe's Memories]

She was laying down on a hill top, holding something in her hand that she somehow knew was a rifle, though she wasn't sure how she knew that. She had her sights trained on a strip of black in the distance that she knew was a road. There were large vehicles driving on it, which she recognized as troop transport trucks. She knew that she had to take these out.

As the first truck rounded a corner, she held her breath and squeezed the trigger of her rifle. The rifle jumped in her shoulder, and she heard a loud bang. She watched through her optic as the bullet found its way through the skull of a man driving the transport. She then saw his head literally explode, and felt a sharp jolt of satisfaction. With no one controlling it, the truck started to swerve from side to side, before it went off the road and into the ditch, leaving half of it on the road.

Then she readjusted her sights to ready herself for the next vehicle, which was rapidly slowing down so as not to hit the first one. She didn't give him the chance. Another shot, and the second man lost his head, which sent it slamming into the back of the first vehicle, effectively blocking the road.

She let out a slight grin. She wasn't known as Zero for nothing. She watched as the other trucks slammed on their breaks. She fired one more shot, taking out a third driver and causing the pile-up to grow, before she pushed a button on the side of her rifle to reload it. Then she put in a fresh magazine. She had a total of four remaining, including the one she had just put in.

That's 48 shots, she thought. I'll make every bullet count. Then she settled her sights back on the pile up on the road. Troops were streaming out of the trucks. She counted 86 troops in total, split between six trucks. Not good odds. She didn't care though. She had comrades to protect.

That was when she heard another shot coming from over her right shoulder, and smiled as she saw Hendricks drop a man. Help was always appreciated, especially from the second best shot that she knew. She was the first, of course.

She saw one of the soldiers trying to get everyone under control and put them in a position where they would be able to advance. She wouldn't let him do that, however. Her next shot tore the soldier in half.

Over the next few minutes, she and Hendricks fired round after round at the soldiers, who had finally gotten under control and were bounding in teams towards her. Every shot she took signaled the death of another enemy. Hendricks wasn't that far behind, missing only a few here and there.

The enemy started firing in her and her brother's direction, although they obviously didn't know their exact locations. After five minutes of steadily piling bodies, she heard a shot come very close to her, followed by a few more. Looks like they found me, she thought. She still didn't panic. She just targeted the soldiers firing at her. Then she heard her radio crackle to life.

"Wolfe, I'm low on rounds. If you want me to cover you as you pull back, now is the time," Hendricks told her. She risked a moment to reply.

"You just pull back when you have five rounds left. Don't worry about me, they don't call me a demon for no reason. Once I've thinned their numbers, I'll pull back," she told him.

"You're a crazy bastard Zero. About 50 seconds, then I'll have to pull out."

"Copy that, do what you have to."

She went back to her rifle, and immediately picked up where she left off, stacking the enemy. After she had fired six more shots, the enemy's rounds were finding their way towards her bit by bit. That's when she knew they had found her.

Not even a second after she realized that, she felt three separate, searing pains strike her body. One in her left shoulder, one in her left leg and one in between her shoulder and her hip on her left side. She growled in pain. Then she heard her radio spring to life.

"Wolfe, I'm spent. I have my sidearm, but we need to get gone," Hendricks told her.

"Go," she said shortly.

"Wolfe, don't be stupid!"

"Just go damn it! I'm already hit, I'm not going anywhere fast."

The radio was silent as she kept firing. Then it turned on again.

"Stay alive Wolfe. Just stay alive."

I make no promises, she thought. She fired her last four rounds and slung her rifle on her back. Then, ignoring the pain, she started crawling backwards, drawing her sidearm as she did so. When she reached the tree's, she got onto her feet and limped back towards where her pick up point was. Then she heard the crack of machine gun fire and felt something impact her back armor plate. She fell forward with a gasp, feeling her vest heat up behind her. She wished that her vest had bullet proof plates on its sides as well. Then maybe she wouldn't be in as much pain.

She rotated onto her back and fumbled for the release strap on her vest. She found it and gave it a sharp tug, causing her it to fall apart. Now that her back wasn't burning so bad, she could actually concentrate. She slid her back up against a tree so that she was sitting. She heard twigs cracking, as well as people shouting in a foreign language. They were getting closer.

She reached into her pocket for her pack of cigarettes, grabbing her lighter in the process. She put one in her mouth and lit it. Then she closed her lighter, and put it back in her pocket. She just dropped the empty smokes pack. Then she grabbed her sidearm, and placed her knee so that it would steady her aim. She knew that this was the end of the line for her.

As soon as she saw an enemy soldiers head peek out from behind a tree, she aimed and shot him in the head. 15 yard shot, she thought. Not bad. Then she heard more shouting. They were coming towards the sound of her shot.

She grabbed her radio with her left hand, before talking into it. "Charlie one, this is your angel of death. I'm hit bad, and I know I'm not going anywhere. I have 15 more rounds in my pistol, other than that I'm out. Lost my vest, it got hit and was starting to burn. Me and Hendricks took down about 65 of the enemy, but there's still around 20 left." At this point there was another soldier coming up on her. She raised her pistol and shot him, not bothering to release the button on her radio. She heard a thump as he fell. "Make that 19. I'll do what I can to thin their numbers even more." Then she released the radio and let it fall. Her vision was starting to get blurry.

Her radio sprang back to life. "Angel one this is Angel two. I told you to stay alive damn it." It was Hendricks. She smiled and grabbed the radio again, shooting another soldier as he appeared. You'd think they'd learn not to all come one at a time. "Angel two, you know damn well that my call sign is Demon one. And last I checked, you don't outrank me. I don't have to obey you."

"Demon one this is Charlie one. We're at the pickup site. Angel one is here, we're waiting on you."

She started to laugh despite the pain. They knew she wasn't going to making it out alive. That's the only reason that they were breaking protocol. She pressed the button so she could speak. "Charlie one this is Demon one. Copy your last, but I'm already there."

It was at this point that even more soldiers started to appear, surrounding her in the process with all of their weapons trained on her. She pressed the button one last time. "This is Demon one to all call signs. My apologies for having to go, but I must entertain a couple guests. Might as well increase the count that I bring to hell, right? This is your Zero, signing off." Then she dropped her radio, and before it hit the ground she was moving.

She sprang to her feet and rolled, firing as she did so. Three shots, three bodies on the ground. Damn I'm good, she thought. Then she sprinted around the outside of the circle of men, who were all staring in shock at what had just happened. She fired what rounds she had remaining, killing seven more men, before she was down to her knife and her hands. The soldiers couldn't shoot for fear of hitting their own men, so she made great use of that by staying as close to the men as possible.

She stabbed one in the throat, then pulled her blade out as she rolled again, and slammed her knife into another man's skull from below his jaw. Unfortunately, her knife got stuck and she was left with nothing. But that didn't stop her. What ended up doing that, was three more rounds all placed in a tight group in her chest.

She coughed, spitting out a little blood as she did so, before she took a few more steps forward. More rounds entered her body as she was shot again and again. Still she walked. Finally, her body just couldn't take anymore punishment and she collapsed. She tried to get back up again, but found that she couldn't. The enemy soldiers started to approach her cautiously, as she fumbled through her pockets for her very last weapon, one that she had almost forgot about.

Slowly, so that the enemies couldn't tell what she was doing, she pulled a grenade out of her pocket. She moved it so that it was under her body, and slowly depressed the spoon, before she gave a sharp jerk on its pin, removing it and allowing her to press the spoon down the rest of the way, arming the grenade. She guessed that all of the remaining men were within five feet of her. She grinned weakly. This'll show these bastards not to tangle with a demon, she thought. That made her laugh loudly. Then she heard one of the enemies speak English to her.

"Why are you laughing Demon," he asked. She kept chuckling as she raised her head slightly to stare at the speaker.

"Because you fuckers are about to die," she said as she released her grip on the grenades spoon, starting the timer. The men stared at her in confusion, before she quickly rolled onto her back and held the grenade up in the air. "I'll see you bastards in hell!" she shouted, before the grenade went off, killing her and the remaining enemies in a fiery explosion.

[POV: Zero]

As he was kissing her, he felt her body stiffen for a moment, just like Luna's had. Then she was back to normal and returned his kiss. While it wasn't supposed to mean anything, he knew it meant something to her. He could feel it, and not just because of his abilities. He could feel it in the passion with which she kissed him. So he kept kissing her for as long as she wanted.

'Awh, now that's sweet,' Gabe sent him. 'I wake to find you two locked in a sweet embrace. How beautiful.'

'Fuck off, Gabe,' he sent back. 'Why the hell are you awake anyway?'

'Dunno, just woke up. Oh, just to let you know, Tal's awake. He's looking at you two right now.'

'Well shit.'

'No kidding. He seems just slightly upset. You are kissing his girl, after all.'

'Hell no I ain't. They didn't hook up while I was gone, so she obviously doesn't feel a whole lot for him.'

'That's just how he sees it, my friend. He's coming towards you two.'

'Keep him away from us. This doesn't concern him.'

'You got it boss.'

'Also, make it so he can't speak for the moment. I don't want Lura to feel bad, and him shouting at us will definitely do that. Plus, people are sleeping.'

'Already did that a while ago. See, I'm smarter than you give me credit for."

Zero smiled slightly at his partner's comment, which made Lura smile as well. He returned to focusing on kissing her.

After a solid minute long kiss, he finally pulled away, smiling at her. At least she wasn't uncomfortable anymore. He just hoped that she wouldn't fall for him too hard. He didn't want things to turn out like his past relationships. She deserved better.

"Uhm… wow," she said breathlessly. He winked at her.

"Glad you enjoyed it sweetheart. Do you believe me now?" he asked.

She nodded. He wasn't even touching her and he could feel the waves of happiness coming off her. He felt slightly uneasy because of that.

'Oh no,' he sent. 'She's fallen in love with me.'

'Well no shit, especially after you treat her to that,' came Gabe's reply.

'I should really learn to not flirt so much. People always think that I'm serious.'

'It's your own fault.'

'Never said it wasn't.'

"So, what did you see?" he asked Lura.

She frowned slightly before replying. "I saw how you died the first time."

He nodded understandingly. "Ah, operation shit-storm. I loved that mission right from the start. Eliminate two high value targets, and then check to see what sort of deal they were making. I don't even know if the other team got what they needed, so I may have died for nothing."

"That's not true! You saved your comrades lives! That's definitely not dying for nothing," Lura exclaimed.

He shushed her. "Shh! People are sleeping you know. Oh, that reminds me. We should probably get to bed as well. I haven't slept in two days, and you were out all day. So, if you want to stay up for a while longer, then be my guest. I'll see you in the morning."

"That's alright, I'll go to bed too," she said in a quieter voice. Then she seemed to hesitate. Zero rolled his eyes.

"What?" he asked her. She nodded to herself, and then asked, "Would it be alright if I were to… erhm, sleep with you?"

'Yeap, she's in love with you,' Gabe told him.

'Told you.'

To Lura, he shrugged. "I don't see why not. You can keep me warm," he said with a wink. Inwardly, he laughed as she blushed. She really is stunning when she does that, he thought.

'I heard that.'

'Get out of my head.'

He led the way over to the tree line, where he laid down under a tree. He gestured with his tail for her to lay down next to him. She laid down a little ways away from him, although he could tell that she wanted to be closer to him. He sighed internally, although externally nothing changed. He put a foreleg over her side, before pulling her in towards him.

"I told you that you could keep me warm," he murmured. He felt a glow of happiness coming from her.

'What do you want me to do about our furry jolteon friend,' Gabe asked him.

'Put him to sleep, I'll deal with him in the morning.'

'Got it. You realize that he hates you again, right?'

'Meh, who cares. He can't harm me and he certainly wouldn't harm Lura, so I don't give a damn.'

'Thought you didn't love her.'

'You know damn well that I probably wouldn't even know if I was in love. If the time comes, I'll ask you. It's what I did with Luna.'

'You need to figure out your emotions.'

'But that's what you're here for.'

'Yeah, yeah. Go to bed, demon.'

'You're the boss.'

He buried his nose in Lura's fur gently, holding her body so that it fit perfectly with his. The humans called this spooning, but he didn't need to let Lura know that. He stroked her stomach lightly, causing her to murr in delight. He didn't know why he did these things to people. They just sort of happened, and he couldn't stop himself. He didn't mean anything by it, but they always read something from it.

"Goodnight, Lura," he told her softly.

"Goodnight, Aurumn," came her soft reply. He felt a slight jolt in his heart as she said that, yet he couldn't explain why.

Who knows, he thought. Maybe I will one day.

[POV: Lura]

Lura slept wonderfully that night. She just felt so… safe and comfortable. She didn't know why he made her feel that way, but he did. And really, she wasn't going to complain. If something makes you feel good, and it's not harming anyone, then why fight it?

Her dream that night was very peaceful, among other words. She didn't remember most of it, but she didn't need to really. All she knew is that she was happy. She was still slightly out of it when she woke up in the morning, however. She was just a little slow escaping her dreamscape. This caused her to do something slightly stupid when she was woken up.

She felt someone nudging the back of her neck gently, trying to wake her. She murmured softly and snuggled back into the lovely warmth behind her. The nudge became slightly more insistent, followed by a dreamy voice saying, "Lura, it's time to get up." She blearily opened her eyes and turned her head to face the voice.

There she saw an incredibly handsome umbreon, who was staring at her with kind eyes. She smiled at him, and before she could really comprehend what was happening, she pushed her face towards him and found his lips with her own. Zero's eyes widened in surprise.

Lura was jolted out of her stupor by Rio, who poked her back. Then her eyes widened and she broke away, blushing brightly. "I-I-I, uhh, s-sorry!" she stammered. She jumped to her feet and ran to where the campfire was the night before, before hiding her face behind her tail. This is so embarrassing! She didn't really know how she could come back from that.

"Uh, well that was interesting," Stephen said. Then Lura lowered her tail slightly to peak out from behind it. They were all staring at her, with Tal looking furious. Then Stephen cleared his throat and turned to Zero, who still looked dumbfounded. "You might as well turn human, so that you can tell the rest what you told me."

Wolfe shook himself and nodded. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated. There was a dark flash, and suddenly Wolfe was human again, still missing his shirt. He shook his head and blinked a couple times. "Well, alright then," he said.

Tal and Rio stared at him in shock, jaws open slightly. Wolfe winked at them. "Surprise guys, it's me," he told them with a grin. Then his face turned serious and he turned to Lura. She flinched slightly, thinking that he was going to be upset with her.

"Stop that, Lura. I'm not mad at you, just a little surprised. But no matter, come over here, all of you," he told them. Lura made her way over to the group, still feeling self-conscious as Tal turned his glare on her. Wolfe noticed this as well. "Tal, stop that. It doesn't concern you. Now, listen up everyone, this is important," he said.

Everyone turned their attention to Wolfe as he began to speak. "I'm going to tell you all now that we'll be living out here for a while, so we need to start making ourselves comfortable. Start building a home among other things," he started. Tal interrupted.

"Why?" he asked. Wolfe looked at Lura sadly.

"Lura, do you remember a few years ago, when we first met, how you told me that your miltank Bertha had died of some sort of sickness?" he asked her. She nodded.

"Well, it turns out that she had a form of the plague. A deadly form. Your family brought it with them to Nor, the largest city in the region."

Lura felt her blood turn cold. "Are… are they alright?" she asked worriedly.

Wolfe shook his head sadly. "No, no they aren't. As I said, they brought the sickness with them. They were the first to fall to it."

Lura felt her heart shatter into little pieces. She immediately ran to him and started crying hard, as he stooped and picked her up into his arms. She buried her face in his bare shoulder and just sobbed. "When did they die?" she cried.

Wolfe stroked her head gently. "Around three years ago, before I went to Nor. I would have told you sooner, but I got sick as well. I was sick for three years myself, before some ass-hat came along and stabbed me. That cured me."

Lura kept crying. All she could think about was that she would never see Gary, or Charles, or his mom, or any of them, ever again.

"So how are things in Nor?" Rio asked.

"The city is in turmoil. Two-thirds of the population are sick, with the other third being dead. The government issued a city-wide quarantine about two years ago, but it was too late. It had already spread. All the townships in Norovia have been infected, as well as those in Widia, Darvia, and Memoria. Taria locked its gates in time, but there have been no reports coming from the city itself. When I went to see how things were last year, I only saw smoke coming from it. Taria has become a city of the dead. The northern part of Foria has also fallen to it, although this has only happened recently, so you wouldn't have heard of it. The government is trying to keep things under wraps. It's safe to say that Forn is the last sickness free township, although that won't last for long."

They all stared at him in shock, though Lura wasn't really listening. She was too caught up in her own thoughts.

The group asked a few more questions, before Wolfe decided that they had asked enough.

"There are a few things that we need to do. One, Gabe can teleport people out of the city, as well as check to see if they are sick. If there is anything or anyone that you want out before it's too late, ask him. Two, Stephen, we need to start building some sort of shelter. We are around two hours from the nearest township, should be more than enough distance to keep us safe from any sickness. Betty, as I said, we're going to be out here for a few years at the very least. At most, the rest of your lives. You have some farming experience, so you will need to start working on that. Stephen and I can hunt, but that will only support us for so long," he told them.

They all nodded. "Alright, now I'm going to go for a walk with Lura, you all know what needs to be done."

With that, everyone split off to do as they were told, mostly grouping around Gabe to tell him what they need. Wolfe, still holding Lura, headed into the forest.

After a little while, her sobs started to die down, and she just simply gripped him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered to him.

"I'm sorry that I had to be the bearer of bad news, Lura."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault that they died. There's nothing that you could have done. I should probably be thanking you, if I had stayed with them here in Foria, I would probably be dead as well."

"Well, I'm glad that you don't hate me," he told her.

I don't think that I could, she thought, though she didn't say anything, as she watched the trees pass by. After he had walked for a while, they reached a little spring, filled with clear blue water. Just looking at it made Lura feel a little better.

"This is a hot springs," Wolfe told her. "I figured that since you're a vaporeon, a water type, that you'd like this. The water is a lot warmer than normal, due to some scientific bullshit that I can't remember off the top of my head. Anyways, I think that you'll enjoy it here."

With that, he set her down. She smiled up at him slightly. "Thank you. I haven't been in water for I don't know how long, except for bathing."

He nodded with a smile. "I thought you'd like it."

Then she turned back towards the springs and padded towards them. She glanced back over her shoulder at him. "Are you joining me?" she asked.

He grinned and nodded. "Just give me a moment, I'll change." Then he closed his eyes and concentrated again, before there was another dark flash and he was an umbreon again.

Then he shook himself, before giving Lura another grin. Then he ran past her and jumped into the water.

Lura smiled slightly. Then she dove into the water as well. She immediately felt a wonderful warmth surround her entirely, and couldn't help but feel happier. She twirled in the water, before she tried to find Zero. At first, she couldn't find him, and was slightly worried, until she felt something poke her side. Then she twisted and saw him floating right next to her, still wearing his cocky grin.

'While I can't breathe underwater, I can hold it for around two minutes,' a voice said in her head. She flinched, not expecting that.

'Don't panic, I'm just using telepathy. Any pokemon that can learn the move psychic can use it, although not all take the time to expand that technique. I, however, had training from Gabe,' Zero told her.

She frowned, not sure how she would respond.

'You're marked, so you should be able to reply to me. Just try talking to me in your head.'

'Can you hear me?' she tried.

'You got it! Now, let's swim for a bit.'

Lura nodded. They spent the next couple hours at the springs, in which time Lura almost forgot about the Peterson's deaths. They would occasionally take breaks on the shore, mostly because Zero couldn't breathe under water. Lura didn't have that problem, but she joined him anyway. She wished that she knew why she liked being around him so much. She had a suspicion that she was the only one who didn't know though.

She asked him during one of their breaks as they both laid down to stare at the water. However, it did make her slightly nervous. "Wolfe," she started. He looked at her curiously. "Can… can you answer a couple questions for me?"

He shrugged. "Ask away," he told her.

She gulped. "Can… can you tell me why I feel different when I'm around you?"

He frowned. "Feel different in what way," he asked.

She looked down at her paws. "Like… I don't know. I'm just a lot happier I guess. My heart goes a bit crazy whenever you touch or smile at me, and sometimes I find it hard to breathe, although it doesn't feel bad. It's like… like a good pain, I'd guess. I don't know, but that's the best way I can describe it."

He let out a slight strangling sound. She turned her attention back to him quickly. He was staring at her with a shocked expression, a red tinge showing through his dark fur. Is he… is he blushing, she wondered?

He then shook his head. "That's… not something you get told every day," he said.

"So, you know why?" she asked.

He hesitated, before nodding. "Yes, yes I do. But, I'm not going to tell you. It's something that you need to figure out for yourself. I will tell you that I am profoundly flattered though."

She frowned. Then he smiled at her brightly, "I think that we've rested enough. Let's go back in."

He didn't wait for a response, and just jumped back into the water. She shook her head before joining him. For the moment, she wouldn't dwell on it.

Around two hours after that conversation, Wolfe decided that they should go back and see what needs doing.

[POV: Zero]

This might be a problem, he thought.

'What might?' Gabe asked.

'Lura just told me that she is in love with me. And quit snooping in my head.'

'Whoa, really? And I wasn't snooping. Something just caught my attention as I was looking through it.'

'That's the definition of snooping in my book. And she doesn't know she's in love with me. She told me all the symptoms though.'

'You know, you make love sound like an illness. It's actually a wonderful thing. You should give it another chance.'

'I'm not against being in love. I'm against people loving me.'

'Then stop being so damn loveable.'

'Can't help my charm. What should I do about Lura?'

'Give it a chance. Wait a week or so, and if she still feels the same way, give her a chance.'

'At what?'

'Loving each other.'

They stopped talking after that. Lura was glancing at him occasionally, wearing a happy smile, seemingly forgetting about Gary. But when he flicked her side with his tail, he sensed that she was still horribly depressed about them.

"You seem happier," he told her with a smile. Hers widened as she nodded.

"I feel a lot happier," she said. He nodded understandingly.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, with Lura seemingly unconsciously walking close to him, so that their sides touched.

When they reached the clearing again, Gabe was gone along with Stephen, and Betty was stacking firewood. Tal was staring into space, in deep thought. When he spotted them, his expression changed into a frown. He made his way over to them, although he didn't appear aggressive.

"So, you're Wolfe?" he asked. "The great war hero, the amazing mercenary, the ruthless assassin and the destroyer of lives?"

Lura frowned, and started to speak, before Zero held up a paw. If he wanted to play, he could play.

"All of this is accurate. Your point?" he asked.

Tal's face grew angrier. "You don't even deny anything that I've accused you of?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Why deny it if it's true? Was there any particular reason as to why you're bringing these things up?"

"I saw you two last night. I was going to stop you, before your psychic friend stopped me."

Zero raised an eyebrow. "Stop me from doing what?"

Tal glared at him. "From seducing her!" he shouted, pointing a paw at Lura, who was speechless.

Zero just shook his head. "I'm not seducing anyone Tal. Point in fact, she asked me to kiss her for a reason. Nothing romantic about it."

Tal stared at him in disbelief. "Then what about this morning?" he asked in an outraged tone.

This time, Zero turned to look at Lura, with a slight smile. She blushed. "That was all her. I was just trying to wake her," he told him.

Then he turned his attention back to Tal, his face losing all happy expressions. "You know, I've never understood jealousy. You can't really own someone, can you? And really, it's their choice who they love and who they don't right? So why make a scene over it? Move on with your life. If you aren't chosen by someone, don't hate them for their choice."

Lura started blushing once he had mentioned love. He guessed that she was figuring out what her emotions were, now that he'd said the name for them. He'd deal with that later. Then he sighed.

"Tal, you're a great guy, but you are way to possessive. Learn to let go. If you end up being someone's choice, great. If you end up being her choice, super. More power to you. But don't get angry for no reason." He poked the jolteon gently with a paw, before leaving him and Lura behind. He felt unusually angry right now. That never happened to him. Then he sighed, and laid down under a tree.

He stayed there for a long time, hearing Lura and Tal talk in the background, though he didn't really care to try and listen to them. That changed, however, when they started yelling. He mentally groaned.

Finally, the two stopped arguing, and went in separate directions. Zero heard Lura coming towards him. She stopped when she was about a foot away.

"Wolfe," she started. "Am… am I in love with you?"

Well, that happened sooner than I had thought, he thought.

He opened an eye to look at her. She was sitting with a lost look on her face. Poor gal, he thought. He nodded.

She was silent for a moment, processing this. Then she asked, "Are… are you in love with me?"

Oh boy, there's that question. She really does move fast, doesn't she? The real question is what should I tell her. Am I in love with her? No. No I am not. But I can't exactly tell her that, now can I? I'm the first pokemon that she's felt this way about. I don't want this to go badly for her.

Wolfe mentally sighed. He knew what he had to tell her.

"Yes, Lura. Yes I am."