Leaving the Moor, the three headed on to the Tubeline Bridge.
"You've never been here, have you, N?" Black asked as they came up to the large gates.
With his shoes and socks dry again, N continued to hold Black's hand even as he trailed along behind, still visibly upset. "No. I flew over it without much thought as I headed to the last Gym."
Black grinned, making a great effort to lighten the dark cloud hanging over them all. "I think you're gonna enjoy this, then." Pulling N out onto the massive bridge, Black pointed down through the iron grate floor to a row of train tracks running beneath it. "Take a look at that."
As he said this, a train rushed past right under their feet. N gasped, but his eyes lit up. "Trains!" he cried with excitement. "Look! Another one!" Finally letting go of Black's hand, he rushed off further onto the bridge to watch the trains go roaring back and forth.
Chuckling, Black felt himself relax.
"Trains?" Cheren asked, looking somewhat disturbed by the sudden change in attitude.
"I figured he liked them a lot. He had a train set in his room, and it looked like the thing he enjoyed playing with the most."
"He had a train set in his room? That he played with?"
Black blinked, realizing that Cheren really did not know much about N at all. "Yeah... he had lots of toys. It was like a child's playroom, but without windows. He spent his whole life locked up in there with only abused pokemon to raise him."
"Why? How could that be advantageous in any way? It obviously stunted his emotional growth."
Black remembered the words spoken to him by Ghetsis on this very bridge, of the "education" he had provided for N. "It was to keep him pure," he answered through clenched teeth. "Only someone pure of heart can tame a legendary."
"Hah! Wow. You proved that theory wrong, didn't you?" Black gave him a deathly stare, obviously not amused by his joke amongst such serious matters. "Okay, I'm sorry. But seriously, what the hell? That's sick. Is that why you're so protective of him? Because he had a messed up upbringing?" The brown-haired boy rolled his eyes.
"Of course not, that's not why I have feelings for him. It's just a piece of who he is. I'm not set out to save him or anything. I just... really care about him, as a whole, not because I feel sorry for him. I didn't even know about all this until recently... the extent of it, at least." Cheren shook his head, taking off his backpack and digging through it.
"Ohh Black," Cheren sighed, pulling out three occupied pokeballs from a side zipper. "I still don't understand you."
As much as Black enjoyed battling Cheren, he was reluctant. "Cheren, this really isn't the time..." He glanced at N, who was still engrossed in the train activity.
"You're going to turn down something you love because he doesn't like it?" Cheren scowled. "I must say I'm disappointed."
"You've already upset N enough today. Don't make this any worse. Please."
"N is also a trainer, you know," Cheren pointed out. "He battled just as much as we did."
"And it killed him to do it! Cheren, just stop.. You're being really selfish." Black was pleading with him now, his eyes continuing to make sure N had not noticed what was going on. Cheren pouted, fed up with the entire ordeal.
"Fine, I'll find someone else to battle. I'd beat you anyway." The other boy began walking in the opposite direction, seeking out a battlemate.
"You've really changed, Black..." he muttered under his breath.
Normally, such a challenge would be enough to send Black near-frenzied; he never took an insult like that without attempting to prove himself first. But that spark just wasn't there. All he could think about was the older boy. He had begun regretting this decision to ask Cheren along with him... his old friend was causing nothing but problems, nearly sabotaging all that Black had worked for in his progressive healing of N's heart. He had gotten so far in such a short amount of time!
But... was Black really changing all that much? He certainly felt different, but a better kind of different. He no longer felt so apathetic, so undriven. Black was pleased with how this was going, but at the same time... was he putting N in front of everything else he loved before?
He waved the second-guesses from his mind. He would never change that much for another person. Maybe he was just... maturing, or under a lot of stress. Black tried not to let Cheren's opinion skew his perception of things.
As the ruckus of a pokemon battle joined the din of the trains, Black slowly made his way to N. The green-haired boy looked up brightly when he noticed the brunette.
"Black! Isn't this amazing! Where's—" A quick glance around answered his cut-off question, his eyes falling upon Cheren already deep in battle.
Black grimaced and took N's arm, pulling him towards the far end of the bridge quickly. "Come on, let's just go on ahead, ok? Don't worry about him. Do you like the trains?"
N nodded, looking sullen again. "Yes. I miss my train set."
Unable to help but smile, Black shifted his grip to take N's hand again. "I'll get you another one if you like. And we can go ride the subway sometime. That's really fun." 'Not the Battle Subways, though,' Black thought to himself with a bit of disappointment.
"That would be so amazing! I've never been on a real train before! I appreciate you offering to buy me another toy, but... I really just miss my old train set from when I was a kid. Is that silly?" Black shook his head, looking out over the side of the bridge across the water reflecting light in sparkling waves. The breeze felt so nice as it blew against his face... he suddenly felt so calm, so at peace holding N's hand. He almost forgot to respond.
"No, N, that's not silly. I'm sure they hold a lot of nice memories. I have all my kid toys back at home, too. Hey, how about we stop by your castle after we visit the pokemon league? Have you been back there since you left?"
N looked nervous, unsure. Black felt his hand squeezed a little tighter as the other boy pondered it. He had mixed emotions about the idea.
"No, I never returned... I don't know, Black. It might be a little strange for me..."
Black didn't want to push him into doing anything, but he somehow had a good feeling about this. He hoped that it would calm his fears somewhat. Perhaps come to terms with the things that still haunted him. Maybe even bring him back to some happy period of his life. He suddenly had an idea.
"Well, I would never make you go, N, but what if I promised to play with you? With you and your old toys? Would you like that?"
N looked over at him in shock, tears instantly beginning to well up in his eyes. "Really..?"
Black chuckled. "Of course! It's been a long time since I've played with toys, so I might be a bit rusty, though."
Now N looked concerned. "Why is that? Do you not like playing?"
Black considered the best way to word his explanation. "No, I wouldn't say that. It's just, after a certain age most people lose interest in toys. They.. Well, they grow up."
"That's so sad.." N thought for a moment. "Should I 'grow up?' I'm not sure I know how to, but if that is expected in the real world..."
"I think you're fine the way you are." And honestly, this was true. It was the childish, heartfelt N that Black had fallen in love with. The only change he wished to see was more happiness, more trust, and a better understanding of reality. "There's nothing wrong with never growing up."
N smiled warmly. "Then let's stay this way forever. Just like this." Stepping out in front of Black, N hesitated for only a second before leaning down and sweetly kissing the other's lips, the brims of their hats brushing together.
Even as he melted into the chaste touch, Black wondered in the back of his mind. Cheren said he had changed, and he knew this was true. But it was the changed him that N had fallen in love with, and though it was different, and certainly heavy, he did not mind the weight of N's heart now in his hands. Feeling responsible for another person's happiness was overwhelming, but also fulfilling.
Wrapping his arms around N, Black held him tightly and deepened the kiss, suddenly feeling amorous. It was alright to stay this way forever. Sometimes change could be good.
And somehow he knew that this change in his life was good... it was so clear to him now...
"I lost."
The sudden blunt statement threw Black out of his near trance and he snapped away from the contact between them. Cheren stood, arms crossed in his traditional matter, his face hardened and scowled.
"I, err, I'm sorry, I was just..." Black could not think of a reasonable excuse. It was so blaringly obvious what they were doing, and although their feelings weren't a secret, he couldn't help but feel incredibly embarrassed.
Cheren just stared darkly, not looking the least bit interested in any explanation.
"We should get your pokemon to a Center quickly," N said in a clipped tone, not so much as blushing from being caught. Black wondered if N even understood that they had been doing something embarrassing.
"You seem to have the impression that I don't care about my pokemon," Cheren redirected his scorn to the tallest of the three as they left the bridge. "But you're wrong. They are my dear comrades and I'm not abusing them in any way. They enjoy battling just as much as I do. If you are so knowledgeable of pokemon feelings, one would think that you'd get that."
"No more arguing!" Black interjected before things could get out of hand again. "Just drop it, both of you. Now let's head to the pokemon league already. We can stop by Opelucid and you can heal your pokemon on the way, Cheren. Come on, I could use something to eat anyway."
Cheren snorted, then began heading towards the end of the bridge without a word. N grasped onto Black's hand again and the younger boy felt his arm trembling from rage. It was a bit bizarre for Black to see him like this; never had he experienced N's anger before Cheren came so bluntly into the picture. It was certainly unpleasant, but he convinced himself to just get over it. After all, he probably should be happy he was expressing emotions other than his usual apathy, fear, or sadness. He honestly just wished he would smile more often.
In due time, he assured himself.