This story is rated T for some blood and mentions of death.

Far From Yesterday is a completed fic, which I will be updating three times a week.

The art I'm using as a cover was made by my friend Modeststroke.

Chapter One

"Mairin," Alain hissed through gritted teeth. "Didn't I already tell you to leave me alone?"

Mairin paused, hesitating. She had been hoping to silently approach Alain, but as always he just seemed to know when she was around. She shifted, gulping as she tried to speak.

"If you'd just tell me what's wrong then I could help you," Mairin said softly, taking another step towards him.

The park around them was silent, empty due to the lateness of the night. She saw Alain tensing as she spoke, refusing to turn and face her. It was hard to make out his whole figure, his dark clothing blurring into the shadows. The nearest light came from a lamp post, the edges of its glow barely reaching Mairin.

Alain was sitting on a park bench, his back towards Mairin. His hands were curled into fists, his jaw gritting together as Mairin took another step towards him. Again she stopped, patiently waiting for him to speak once more. She hated it when Alain got like this– acting as if something could only be handled by him. Because every time he got this way it meant there was something that he needed help and support with– which was what she wanted to give!

"I don't need 'help', Mairin," Alain's voice was a growl. "I need space– something you seem incapable of doing!"

"That's because I know when you get like this the last thing you need is to be alone!" Mairin cried, taking another step towards him. "Didn't we promise not to do this again– not to keep things from each other and to help each other?! What happened to that, Alain! You're my best friend– and I just want to help!"

Alain stood up, and for a moment Mairin relaxed as he turned to face her, finally thinking she had gotten to him. That relief quickly feld when she his expression, even through the darkness of the night. Alain glared at her, blue eyes flashing, a look of pure outrage on his face. Mairin's eyes widened slightly, and she took a step back.

"Since when have you ever given help?" Alain spat, voice tense, yet controlled. "Do you think constant pestering is 'help', Mairin?" She opened her mouth to reply, but he kept talking. "You're eighteen, so one would think you'd finally grow up after all this time– but instead you keep acting like an insistent toddler."

Mairin took in a slow breath as he turned away. "I... I just want to be there to talk, Alain, th-that's what people need sometimes..."

"And sometimes we need to be left alone!" Alain roared, rounding on her. His voice echoed through the park, and Mairin couldn't help but stumble back in surprise. His tone was gruff, full of frustration and anger. "But you can't even understand something as simple as that– no matter how many times someone asks that of you! Instead you follow me about, ignoring the meaning of privacy, doing whatever you simply please!"

Mairin knew that he was upset, and knew he was just acting on that anger, but still the words hurt. She stood there, tears piercing her eyes as he continued, his frustration pouring from him.

"Is that your definition of 'best friend'?" Alain asked bitterly. "Chasing someone until they grow weary of sending you away? Never minding your own business and always getting in the way?" Alain spun so his back was facing her. "There– you got your precious chance to talk to me– now go mind your own freaking business."

With that Alain collapsed back onto the park bench, breathing heavily.

Mairin opened her mouth, but any words she attempted to speak remained in the back of her throat, choking her as she tried to force them out. Mairin only managed to make a small sputtering sound, her mind still reeling at his words. She stood there for a moment, hands shaking as she tried to gather herself.

Then without saying another word she turned on a heel, running out of the park with tears running down her face. A heavy feeling settled in her heart, Alain's harsh cries still echoing in her mind. She tried to tell herself that he didn't mean it, that whatever he was dealing with was clearly weighing him down– but it didn't help. There had been a truth to his words, which was only feeding Mairin's doubts.

Had she overstepped her boundaries? Pressed someone when she should've left them alone? Did... did Alain really feel that way? What if his harsh words weren't results of his frustration, but rather what he truly wanted her to hear?

Tears blurred Mairin's vision, but the streets of Lumiose were well lit, and she knew the way back to the lab. It wasn't long before she was pushing her way through the front gate of the lab and towards the front door. She barely seemed register what she was doing, hands fumbling for the door as she pulled it open. Professor Sycamore looked up as he entered, Garchomp by his side.

"Did you find him, Mairin?" Professor Sycamore asked softly as she closed the door behind her, but paused when he saw her tears. He swiftly stood up from the table he had been at, making his way towards her. "Mairin? Is everything alright?"

"A-alain..." Mairin managed to say as the professor laid a hand on her shoulder. "Alain... he wants to be alone right now!"

The words rushed from her all at once, and she pushed past the professor. He stared at her, but didn't go after her as she hurried up the stairs of the lab. She quickly made her way to her room, opening it and locking it behind her. She pressed up against the door, trying to get a hold of herself.

"Quill?" A voice asked, and Mairin looked down to see a Quilladin running up to her.

"H-hi Chespie," Mairin muttered, kneeling down so she was on his level. She threw her arms around her starter. "I'm fine... I'm fine..."

Chespie scowled up at her doubtfully as she said this, crossing his stubby arms. She looked at him for a moment, before wiping away the tears from her eyes.

"A-alain... yelled at me," Mairin said slowly, flinching at the memory. "B-but it was my fault– I was pushing him when he wanted to be alone and– and..." She closed her eyes. "I'm fine Chespie, it just hurts, b-but I'm fine."

She honestly didn't know what to feel– the things that Alain had said to her dug deep into her heart, and she just wanted to break down and cry. But at the same time she recognized that she had been the one to push him to that state, and hadn't given the space he had asked for. It wasn't the first time Alain had said hurtful things, she knew that this needed some time...

But it was the fact that he was willing to say those things to her that really hurt– true or not.

She was crying again, Chespie rubbing up against her as the tears came. She wrapped her arms around the Quilladin, trying to get ahold of herself. She didn't know how long she sat there at the door, struggling to gain full control of herself, but eventually the tears slowly came to a stop. Mairin had her eyes closed, taking in slow breaths.

"I need to sleep on this," Mairin told Chespie softly– both she and Alain did. It was late, they were tired, and clearly both of them had a lot weighing down on them. She'd talk to him tomorrow... or whenever he was ready to. They were both adults, she didn't need to break down crying like a child...

She flinched as Alain's words returned to her mind.

She'd apologize, for pushing him and not giving him the space he had clearly wanted. Everything would be fine, she just needed to sleep on this and not let a two minute conversation takeover her mind.

"Din?" Chespie asked as Mairin pushed herself to her feet. She went over to the wardrobe in her room, smiling towards Chespie. She had been living and working here at the lab for several years, ever since she and Alain had quit journeying.

Mairin focused on her breathing as she got ready for bed– she and Alain had been through worse before. Clearly something big had happened, and she just needed to accept that he wasn't ready to talk about it. Her overwhelming emotions drained from her, and by the time she crawled into bed she was much more relaxed.

Yes, Alain's words had hurt her, but she realized that they were both in the wrong. They just needed to take this one step at a time, and she was sure that she'd soon have her best friend back into her life. Mairin gave one small smile to Chespie as he curled up on his own bed in the corner, before turning off the light.

Then Mairin curled up, ready for darkness and sleep to overtake her.

Mairin woke up feeling light.

A content sigh escaped her as her consciousness slowly drifted to the surface of morning, her eyes remaining closed as she snuggled deeper into bed. She was warm, and even with her eyes shut she could make out a gentle light coming in through the window, and she didn't want to move. Her mind didn't seem to quite yet remember what had taken place the night before, nor notice the warm arm draped around her.

She simply snuggled closer to the warm figure behind her, warmth radiating from them. This resulted in another arm wrapping around her, fingers sliding between hers. Mairin let out another soft sigh, mind not quite realizing that she wasn't alone. The figure's breathing was steady, suggesting that they were still half asleep like her.

It wasn't until the figure pressed her against their chest that Mairin realized that there was someone else in her bed.

Mairin's eyes snapped open, wide as her heart started racing, and she looked down. Sure enough there were two arms around her, the hands wrapped around hers. She stared down at the way her fingers were intertwined with the unknown hands, gleaming with silver, and she quickly tried to pull them away.

The figure behind her let out a quiet laugh, the sound quite warm, but it only sent chills down Mairin's spine. The hands clasped around hers tighter in what seemed to be an affectionate manner, and the arms brought her into a close hug. She felt her back being pressed up against someone else's chest, the top of her head resting under their chin.

"Good morning, honey," A soft voice whispered in her ear, and Mairin stiffened.

Because she knew that voice.

A startled whimper escaped her mouth, and she tried to pull herself away. The arms tightened for a moment as if giving her a hug, and then loosened as she pulled herself free. She rolled away, heart hammering as she tried to understand what was happening. This was not her bed– this one was clearly much larger as she rolled away. She stopped on her side, wide amber eyes peering back at the man that had been laying next to her.

Alain.

His soft blue eyes flickered open, a small smile on his face. She stared at him, eyes lit with panic as she realized she was laying in the same bed as her best friend. Alain was shirtless, his muscular figure visible for her to see. She stared at him, mind racing as she tried to understand what was going on. Alain watched her for a moment, a frown crossing his face as he noticed her panic.

Mairin quickly sat up– and to her relief she was wearing a tanktop and shorts– but she also knew that those were not the clothes she had gone to sleep in. Her head quickly whipped around the room, trying to take in her surroundings. She was in Alain's room at the lab, she recognized it right off, yet unfamiliar features kept catching her eye. A pink hairbrush on the desk, a green jacket that clearly belonged to a female draped over a chair, an unfamiliar poster hanging on the wall.

The queen size bed they were laying in.

"Mairin?" Alain asked in a gentle tone. "Is everything alright?"

A part of Mairin wanted to cry out, but her panic had gagged her. She stared down at her hands, trying to remember how she got here. She had gone to sleep in her own bed last night, she remembered that. She had been in her own bed, she hadn't gotten up at all... Did that mean that Alain...?

She flinched as her mind turned towards the words Alain had screamed at her yesterday.

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder. "Mairin, honey, what's wrong?"

She recoiled as Alain touched her– pulling back and quickly stumbling out of the bed. He was sitting up, watching her in utter confusion as she staggered away from him in pure panic. Her eyes swept the room, trying to understand what was going on. He stood up, a concerned look on his face as he watched Mairin. He was only wearing a pair of basketball shorts and some socks, and he held his hands out towards her.

"Don't touch me!" Mairin cried, stumbling back farther.

This time Alain was the one to recoil, jerking his hands back as if she had just burnt him. He stared at Mairin, confusion and hurt on his face. He glanced down at himself, then up on her.

"M-mairin? Are you okay, what's–?"

She didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence, stumbling towards the door and jerking it open. Mairin staggered out into the hallway, nearly tripping over her feet as she swiftly made her way through the lab. Her heart was racing, mind too panicked to even know where to begin with the mess of information running through her head.

"Morning Mairin," A voice said, and Mairin froze in her tracks. Sophie was standing at the end of the hallway smiling at her. Mairin relaxed slightly upon seeing the lab assistant, though she was far from calm. "Um... is everything okay?"

"Everything's great," Mairin squeaked out, not even knowing what to say. Should she tell someone? Had... anything happened last night? How had she even gotten there? Why had Alain been so... calm? "I– um– sh-should get downstairs."

Mairin slipped passed Sophie, bolting towards the stairs.

"Mairin?" She stiffened as she heard Alain calling after her.

"Is she okay?" Mairin heard Sophie ask Alain as she ran for the stairwell. "She looked pale."

"I have no idea..." Alain began, but his words were lost to Mairin as she bolted down the stairs. Her feet flew across the steps, and soon she was in the main area of the lab. She paused to catch her breath, tears running down her face.

What was going on... what was going on...?

"Morning, Mairin," A jolly voice said, and she looked up in time to see the professor coming down from another hall. He smiled at her as he headed towards the kitchen. "You're up earlier than usual, want me to make you some breakfast?"

"Y-yes," Mairin whimpered– anything was better than this confusion. Professor Sycamore was someone she could trust, maybe he could help...? But what was there to help with– what was even going on?!

He paused as he noticed her wavering voice, turning to face her. He blinked as he saw her tears, and he frowned. "Mairin, are you okay? Did something happen?"

"I..." Mairin began, tears now pouring down her face. "I... I don't know... I was... I was in..."

Her eyes pressed shut, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Professor Sycamore took a step towards her. He put his hands on her shoulders, and brought her into a hug. Mairin allowed him to, and suddenly she was sobbing into his shoulder. The professor held her, allowing her to cry out her frustration and confusion. She had no idea what was going on, she was so confused.

She had been in the same bed as Alain, and had no idea how she had gotten there. Alain had been acting like nothing was wrong– not with them being like that nor with what had happened last night. Mairin had no idea what to do, how to react, or even where to begin.

"Mairin!"

She froze as she heard Alain calling to her, and she peered out from the professor's shoulder. Alain was hurrying down the stairs, now wearing a lab coat he had clearly hastily thrown on, though he still remained shirtless. He was also now looking just as confused as she was, concern in his eyes.

Mairin whimpered.

"Alain," Professor Sycamore said, keeping a protective arm around Mairin. "Do you know what happened? What's wrong?"

Alain stopped on the last step, watching as Mairin shuffled back. There was a look of hurt in his eyes, and he slowly shook his head.

"She... she was like this when she woke up," Alain whispered. "I have no idea..." He looked down at her. "Mairin, what's wrong? Please, you can talk to me!"

"I–" A hiccup escaped Mairin. "I– I–" She pulled away from Professor Sycamore, before stepping behind him. "J-just leave me alone!"

Professor Sycamore glanced between them. "Alain," He asked, voice a bit harder. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" Alain cried. "I didn't do anything!" He looked at Mairin. "R-right? Mairin... if I offended you or something I swear I didn't mean to!"

Offend? Offend?! He had screamed and belittled her for merely trying to comfort him! And then... and then...

Mairin didn't know what had happened– but she most certainly hadn't put herself in Alain's room. A chills ran down Mairin, and she wrapped her arms around herself, eyes pressed shut as more tears ran down her face.

"J-just stay away from me!" Mairin cried, before bolting forward. Alain pressed himself against the banister as she raced up the stairs, storming past him and up towards where everyone's rooms were. Her feet seemed to barely touch the floor, and she vaguely heard the professor muttering to Alain to let her go.

Shivers came across her as she went passed Alain's room, but she didn't have time to dwell on that. Where was her room... where was her room...?

It was strange, she knew the way to her small room, but yet her body acted as if the trek was unfamiliar. She shook her head, before finally arriving at the cream-colored door. She let out a sigh of relief, hand wrapping around the handle. She pressed the door open, quickly stepping inside.

This was her room... she knew it was...

But upon stepping inside she knew that this was most certainly not her room.

The only thing familiar about the place was the shape– every piece of furniture and knick knack of hers gone. Mairin stared, eyes sweeping across the strange and unfamiliar items in the room, before focusing on the two creatures that were staring at her.

The first one rose to his feet upon seeing her– the towering Chesnaught staring down at her. Mairin's eyes widened, impressed at the size of this creature. He was intimidating, but a beautiful Pokemon. He tilted his head as she stared, before letting out a friendly rumble.

A flash of movement caught her eye, and she looked to the other side of the room, where a sleek creature was perched on a large shelf. The beautiful being had pure white fur, and soft red eyes. It stretched, its obsidian dagger-like claws flexing as it studied Mairin. It tossed its head up in acknowledgment, a large horn scraping against the wall.

The Absol was gorgeous– but completely unfamiliar. However a small necklace hung around her neck, and Mairin swiftly recognized the gem at the end. The mega stone gleamed in the light, and the Absol observed her with those crimson eyes, a frown on its face.

"Naught...?" A low rumble took her gaze away from the Absol, and back towards the Chesnaught. It was lumbering towards her, its large arms held out to her. She couldn't help but take a step back, but yet...

She looked up into those glossy black eyes, and a jolt recognition ran through her.

"...Chespie?"