Welcome back, ladies and germs, to the fanfiction! I am your host, Sky and we...uh...wow I am totally at a lost here. Heh... *reads cue cards*...er...Read, review, enjoy!

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(Kate)

Keith landed onto deep in the Vien Forest, around the area where that witch was. His landing was a bit shaky but considering he was transformed into a flygon just moments ago….sigh. Visiting that witch was the worst mistake I ever made. Wait…no. The blue shuppets led me to the witch for a reason. So leave it to me to screw up that reason and have my best friend turned into a dragon.

"Aw man…Keith must really hate me…" I thought.

His look was serious, determined to get back to normal as soon as possible. And I would make sure that would happen. My fault Keith was a flygon. I had to make things right. Even if red would never forgive me; if he hated me for eternity.

"Ok so the house should be around here somewhere." I mumbled, looking around. "Better find it before sky gets dark."

Keith's growl came off as impatient and annoyed. Only natural. I ignored it and kept searching. Hey wait…that rock….I knew that rock! That was where the blue shuppet had appeared! I remembered the trail!

"This way!" I started running, with Keith and the other pokemon following.

Past the trees, over the hills and up to the ledge. There it was. The witch's cottage. Just as I remembered it only some time ago. Why did the air feel mysteriously empty? Nevermind. I slid down the ledge and up to the door of the witch's cottage. Keith flew down with the pokemon on his back.

BAM!

Why bother knocking? I decided to kick that witch's door down and march on into the room. But no witch. The cottage was completely dark, with no sign of that old hag or her murkrow.

"You gotta be kidding me…" I sigh.

FLASH!

As soon as I spoke, the cauldron came to life again. It was glowing a weird neon green. The light bathed the room in a spooky aura. I saw a wooden table (with dragon carvings) stand next to the pot, each holding a vial of strange liquid and a label. A note said to pour the vials into the cauldron, depending on who it was for.

"For customers of the shop" A pink liquid.

"For my 'special' friends" A purple, syrup-like liquid. (I assumed 'special' meant witch)

"For the ranger who bought my spell" A blue, sparkly liquid.

I took the blue one and poured it into the cauldron. The pot rumbled for a split moment, then coughed up a gray smoke. There was a hologram of the witch's head, hovering in air. It seemed to be a recorded message, like those automated phone calls.

"Why hello ranger! Glad you stopped by because there's something I forgot to tell you about!"

To tell me the potion was a dud and changed my friend's body, not his heart? Gee I already figured that out.

"There's a method to canceling that spell, if you're not willing to through with it. I have the cure written down in riddle. Ahem. 'Mend the bond, torn by pride. Open up the feelings, once cast aside'."

Wait, what?

"I'll repeat it again to make sure you've got it. 'Mend the bond, torn by pride. Open up the feelings, once cast aside'."

How the heck was I supposed to figure that out? What did it mean? Gah! Why do witches write things down in riddles? It makes no sense at all!

"Also there's a deadline. You've got until the second sunset. That's when the curse becomes irreversible. Permanent."

No…no no no no no….

"I wish you good luck! Hope you find what you're looking for!"

The holographic image disappeared. Facing Keith, I could see he was horrified as I was. If we couldn't solve this riddle, then he'd be a flygon forever. And this was my doing.

"Keith…" My voice was shaking. "We….we can figure this out…"

He was distraught, barely hearing me.

"Please. Let me make this up to you. I'll do whatever it takes to return you to human form." I vowed. "I promise."

No response.

"…Keith?" I touched his claws.

He looked down at me. Those eyes…still green and full of life like before. At least the curse didn't take every part of him away. But Keith's eyes told me everything. Sadness over being a flygon, worry he might stay that way….and disbelief that his own best friend and ranger partner would do something like this to him.

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We decided to set up camp in a safer area of the forest. It was night and there was no sense trying to make out the riddle then. Better to do it in the morning. Chia and Wave were sleeping next to each other.

"Keith?"

The entire way, Keith hardly paid any attention to me. Serves me right. I've been such a jerk to him.

"Um…good night." I said.

His back was turned, ignoring me. Keith quickly fell asleep. Meanwhile, I couldn't. Impossible to.

"Hey, don't be friends with her! Be friends with me!"

I was seeing memories…sunshine filled times I had with Keith.

"I promise to be the best ranger ever!"

"Come on, Kate! Let's sneak out for a little while."

"…hey! If it isn't Kate! I didn't clue in at all! So the other top ranger is you!"

Those memories seemed to be all I had left. Especially if I were to lose Keith…

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(Keith)

I felt a cold mist of water spray the back of my check. Shivering, I wake up. Took me a moment to realize I wasn't in my human body. Wave was sitting right beside me.

"What's up?" I yawned.

"It's Kate." Wave replied.

I look over to the spot where Kate was sleeping. Only…she wasn't there.

"Where'd she go?" I asked, praying she didn't abandon us.

"She's nearby. But I think something's wrong." Wave told me. "Maybe you should go check if Kate's ok."

"Thanks buddy." I said.

At first I wasn't entirely sure where to look. All of a sudden…something flickered on. A reaction similar to when I first started to fly. I could detect certain scents. It wasn't like smelling anything good or bad; more like telling who was who and where they were. Kate's scent I knew particularly well (probably from being together so much) and I could tell she was close. I followed it and found her overlooking a ledge, shaking.

"Kate?" I move towards her.

My feet knock against some rocks, making slight sounds. Kate whirled around, startled to find me. Her eyes…they were moist and filled with all sorts of emotions.

"Sorry…" Kate whispered. "Did I wake you? I'll…I'll go back to bed in a moment. Just needed a breather."

Lie. She was clearly upset, bottling it all up. A compelling feeling made me come over, lying down right next to Kate.

"Kate, you can always talk to me." I stared right into her beautiful blue eyes. "I care about you and I'm here for you, no matter what. Please don't keep this all to yourself."

I had no idea if my message was conveyed. But Kate suddenly clung to me and started crying. Not small sobs or silent tears. Wailing, bawling out a flood of tears that streaked down her face. She was emptying the negativity that had filled her heart. Poor girl. Must've been carrying that heavy burden since this entire mess began. I was concerned about myself but I never realized that Kate had feelings too. Clearly she felt guilty and horrible about this mistake, trying to patch everything up. Of course I had to ignore her and treat her so badly. If anything, I made things worse for her.

My heart….augh….why was it pounding so hard? It slammed against my chest over and over again. I could feel my face burn intensely, getting hotter by the second. Why did my stomach lurch like a roller coaster, ready to puke? This feeling….this powerful emotion….it hurt so much but felt so good. Like an addicting drug. I wanted to stop but to also get hooked, to keep going. I was being driven crazy! Going insane! Falling deeper and deeper within this sensation…..falling….

…in…..love…

I was falling in love. With Kate.

Kate…I stared down at her. She really was gorgeous. With those two cerulean jewels that were called eyes, lighting up that adorable face of hers. But while it was the looks that pulled me in, her spirit was what made me stay captivated. Sweet, smart, funny, fiery…every inch of her, I loved it all. Even her flaws made her irresistible.

When did like become love? Or…was it always this way? It felt like this had been inside my being since the first day I've laid eyes on Kate. Through the good and bad times, we became closer and closer. My only desire was to see her happy, to protect her from any sort of harm. To see that smile over and over again….the one that could make me melt.

"Kate…" I murmured. "I love you."

Kate kept crying. I wrapped my arms around her, cradling her close to me. Right….I was a dragon. She couldn't understand a word I said. And if I stayed a flygon, she never would. All the more reason to break this spell. I had to tell Kate how I felt.

Maybe there was a fear. A little part of me that warned she might not feel the same way, that Kate would reject me. But every other cell in my body screamed at me, to claim her as my own. That she was mine and only mine; that I had to make sure she knew it too. Oh Kate….

"Keith?" She looked up. "Thanks."

"Anything for you." I sighed.

"I promise I'll get this stupid curse off of you." Kate mumbled.

"And I promise not to make you cry like this ever again." I vowed. "I swear on my own life to make sure you're safe and happy."

It was late. Feeling a bit tired (and suspecting Kate was the same), I lifted her onto my back and got us both back to camp. By the time we reached the area, Kate had already fallen asleep. I decided not to wake her. She'd need all the energy she could gather when morning comes. And she….she looked like an angel when she slept. Slowly, I let myself drift off to sleep too.

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Thus we have our tragic love! Keith finally realizes his love but can't confess. A strong motivation to break the curse and return to human form! Will that happen? Will Keith figure out the riddle in time? Only you can find out by reading on! Next update's on its way!