FOREVERMORE

~Part Three Of The Forever Trilogy~

Chapter 36

Amour

February 14, 5001.

(Ethan's POV)

Today was the day of love.

What did that mean to a single guy like me?

Today was the day I had to watch everyone be annoyingly lovey-dovey, be idiots, give away free chocolate that they should actually be giving to me, I would feel oh so very alone while everyone else was happy and touchy-feely.

Of course, there were some people that'd be even more miserable than me. Like, the single people who liked someone but were too shy/worried/nervous/a bunch of other things to confess and get the girl.

Such as my brother.

I mean, all he had to do was freaking give her the present he bought her. It wasn't that hard, was it? I mean, seriously. Dear Arceus, everyone was just going to drive me nuts today.

"Come on, Ev," I drawled. "It'll only take a second."

We were standing outside his room in the castle. Evan was in front of the door, looking hesitant and really nervous. I was facing him, my arms crossed, trying to figure out how the hell my brother had turned into such a wuss.

"What if Rin's there?" he asked me, his eyes wide. "He'll kill me!"

"Bro," I said, giving him a look. "Dude, we're freaking taller than him. How the hell can he be scary?"

"I guess you've never seen him and Viola fight, have you?" he said.

I just snorted, waving him off, turning my body away from him slightly. "Don't be such a sissy. I bet Rinny has his own problems today, anyways. Come on, Evan. Rose doesn't bite!"

He sighed, and then tried to straighten himself up. He gripped the red gift bag that held the present, and tried to look determined. I turned back to face him, silently asking my brother if he was ready or not.

"Uh... I've got this!" he said, trying to steel himself. "I mean, Rosalind's our friend! Even if she doesn't take it the way I want her to, it can't really backfire. What could go wrong?"

"Well-" I began.

"I wasn't seriously asking!" he snapped, glaring at me, and I had to stifle a laugh. "Come on, let's go."

I stepped aside, letting him walk past me, and then I followed him down the hall. He must have been getting his confidence back, which was a good sign. We headed down the stairs, to the first floor, where we figured Rosalind would be. And we were right—she was in one of the lounges, the smaller one that was less used. I wondered what she was doing there...

Anyways, her green eyes brightened up once she saw us, and she turned her attention to us as we joined her.

"Hi Evan!" she exclaimed, beaming up at us. "Hi Ethan! Happy Valentine's Day!"

I grinned at her, giving my brother the chance to gather his thoughts. "Thanks! You too, Rose."

Her gaze flickered to the bag in Evan's hand, and her eyes brightened up once again. "Ooooh, what's in there?"

I looked over at Evan; there was no avoiding it now. He must have suddenly realized it, for his eyes grew wide, and he suddenly looked nervous. He gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. I wished I could say something to reassure him without blowing his cover. But it was too late for that now.

"Well... Uh..." He struggled to find his voice, to find the words he wanted to say. "It's... It's a secret!"

What was he-

"'Cause it's for you!" he said, completely recovering, smiling at her. "Happy Valentine's Day, Rosalind."

She looked totally shocked as he held out the gift bag to her. Rosalind just sat there for a moment, not knowing what to say. But then she seemed to recover as a excited smile came across her features, and she took it from him, setting it down on her lap.

"Oh, Evan, you didn't have to get me anything!" she said, her cheeks tinting pink slightly. "Really...!"

"Yes I did," he said, giving her a reassuring smile. "Just open it, Rose."

She stuck her hand into the bag, pulling out the white tissue paper. Then she must have saw what was inside, for her green eyes grew wide. Her mouth opened in shock, and then widened into a huge grin.

"Oh my Arceus!" she shrieked, pulling out the item. "Oh my gosh, thank you so much, Evan! I love it!"

It was a Umbreon plushie—not just any Umbreon either. It was shiny. The rings were a bright shade of clear blue, and the eyes were as gold as my own. It was large enough to comfortably cuddle with at any time.

Rosalind leaped to her feet, moved the stuffed Pokemon so she was only holding it in one hand, and threw her arms around my brother's neck, hugging him. He was totally caught off guard, and almost wasn't able to take her weight. I was pretty shocked myself.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" she squealed, hugging him tight.

I grinned to myself as my brother put his arms around her, hugging her back. He laughed, a light, happy sound. I was glad to see him happy. He was my brother—my twin brother, at that. I wanted him to be happy more than anything else.

"It's nothing, Rose," said Evan. "Really."

I was tempted to make a comment, to tease them a little, but I didn't want to ruin the moment. I didn't want to ruin my brother's chance at getting the girl. So I just feigned a yawn, and stretched, drawing attention back to myself.

"Well," I said, dropping my arms back to my sides. "I guess I'll go leave you two lovebirds alone. Don't worry 'bout me, I'm good."

I gave them a wave, and headed off. Mission accomplished, only one of many. I stuffed my hands into my pockets as I walked along. As I rounded a corner, I heard voices. I slowed to a halt, and peered around the corner to spy on my best bud Timothy and his little emotionless girlfriend.

I felt like such a stalker. Ha ha, good, because I was.

"Oh, hey, Raven," Timothy said, surprised to see the girl approaching him; he had been walking down the hall way.

"Hello, dearest Timothy," she said, and I saw that she was holding a box of chocolates behind her back.

Oh my Arceus, did she seriously just call him 'dearest Timothy'? I literally had to cover my mouth to stop myself from laughing. Oh my Arceus, this was just too good. I had to go spying more often.

"Uh... Do you need something?" he asked, looking unsure of himself.

Dude. Dude. Dude. This kid had no charm. That was not how you talked to a lady. Yeah, she was a creepy lady, but still. I bet she'd grow up to be super hot. I just got that feel. If she liked him, Timmy was one damn lucky guy.

"No, not at all," she said. "I have something I wish to give you."

Timothy's eyes grew wide with shock. "Uh... B-But I don't have a-anything for you, R-Raven..."

Aw, this was too cute. Little Timmy was starting to blush and stammer like a idiot. Jeez, Evan had more charm than he did. Well, my brother was a Kimu. Tim was just a Rosso and Oak; they didn't have that Kimu charm. Raven looked totally unfazed by his reaction.

"Tis fine," she said. "I do not require any token of appreciation."

She removed the box of chocolate from behind her back, and presented it to Timothy. He was shocked speechless, and his face got even redder. I had to cover my mouth to mute my snickering. Oh my Arceus, this was too good. Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all, if I got some good entertainment.

"Um... Thanks... Raven..." he said, taking the box from her.

And then the world must have ended.

Because Raven Mortimer, Miss Creepy Emotionless Girl who I had been convinced was some sort of demon child from the deepest pits of Tartarus when we first met...

SMILED.

I almost blew my cover right then and there.

OH MY ARCEUS SHE FREAKING SMILED. I DIDN'T KNOW SHE COULD EVEN DO THAT. WHAT THE HELL.

And it wasn't a creepy smile, either. It was a sweet, innocent smile that melted your heart like you'd expect a girl her age that acted like a normal kid her age would do. But Raven wasn't exactly normal, so I was really freaked out.

"It was my utmost pleasure, dearest Timothy," she said, still smiling.

And then he smiled back. What the hell was going on? Okay, this was creeping me out. This was not a romance I wanted to be involved with. So I backed up, away from the corner. Once I was sure I was safely out of the way, I stood up from my crouch. Dear Arceus, never again.

I turned around, and headed off to find something else to do. I had to clear my mind after that. Jeez.

...

Earlier in the morning...

(Diamonda's POV)

I was woken up by the blaring of the alarm on my clock. My eyes shot open as the beeping persisted. I groaned, and pushed myself up, reaching over to hit the snooze button. I plopped back down once it was silent. It took me a moment to realize that my husband was not by my side.

I turned my head to look at his side of the bed, squinting my eyes in the darkness. The spot was empty, the blanket and sheets thrown back. I glanced at the clock; yes, it was only five-thirty in the morning. Why would Am get up any earlier? Was there some sort of problem?

I sighed, and sat back up, running a hand through my tousled hair. I rubbed my eyes, trying to wake myself up. I slid my legs to the side of the bed, and then got off. After pulling down my short nightgown, I flicked the lamp on, nearly blinding myself with the bright light.

I walked over to my daughter's crib, my bare feet padding silently on the soft, carpeted floor. I peered inside the crib to see that she was surprisingly sound asleep, not bothered at all by the annoying alarm. I decided to leave her be for now. I needed to find Am first.

It was Valentine's Day, after all.

But luckily, I didn't have to wait long. Barely had I turned my back to the crib and had started heading for the bathroom to get ready for the day had the bedroom door open, and in stepped my husband.

"Am!" I exclaimed, and then hushed myself so not to wake Aqua. "Is everything okay?"

He walked up to me, and nodded. "Yes, nothing's happened."

"Then why did you get up so early?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "After last night?"

We had decided to celebrate Valentine's Day early last night, if you know what I mean.

"Had some things to tend to," he said with a shrug. "Like get you this."

He pulled a medium sized case out of his jacket pocket, and popped it open. I gasped in delight, making out a diamond necklace in the dim light. Well, I assumed it was diamond. It could have been fake. But I didn't care if it was real or fake. Anything that Am gave me was a treasure in itself.

"You shouldn't have," I said, looking at him. "Really, Am..."

He smiled at me, and even though we had been married for six months and together for even longer, it still made my heart skip a beat and my knees go weak. He still had that effect on me, even after all these years.

"Well, I did," he said, handing the case to me after flipping it shut. "Anything to make you happy."

I walked back over the the nightstand next to the bed, and set the necklace case down on it. I turned back around to face him; he was waiting for my reaction, for what I would say. He was worried I was unhappy. He was so busy, being the High Commander of the Resistance. He was preparing for the war that was coming, to make us stronger. He had less time with Aqua and me because of that.

"I am happy," I said, walking back up to him. "I'm happy just being with you, Am. Honestly, if it weren't for you... I have no idea where I'd be right now..."

"Oh, Dima," he sighed, reaching out to brush his fingers against my cheek. "You'd be in college. You'd be free."

I knew what exactly he meant. He was talking about how he got me pregnant with Aqua. Our relationship had been pretty clean; we had never really gone any further than kissing. But... something... happened...

I mean, I had slept with previous boyfriends. It was no big deal to me. But Am was different. I just felt the need to do things right with him, you know? But even that backfired. One day, we were just hanging out in his bedroom on one of his days off, and it just happened. It wasn't planned, so no protection was used, and I got knocked up.

He felt like me choosing to keep Aqua that he was holding me back. Yes, he loved our daughter, but I guess he still couldn't help but feel bad about the whole thing. But really, I didn't mind. I loved being a mother to Aqua, and being able to help the other kids around. It gave me something to do, since I wasn't up to par with everyone else leadership wise.

"I don't care," I told him, looking up into his unusual eyes. "You've given me a purpose, Am. I love you. I don't want to be anywhere else without you."

His expression softened, and I smiled up at him. I seriously meant that. I loved him. He had made all of this insanity worth everything. There was no where else I wanted to be.

"Thanks, Dima," he finally said, and then leaned down to kiss me.

I pressed my lips back up against his, cherishing the moment. I treasured every second we had together, especially with the war that would soon escalate. I could lose him. I hated the thought; it made me sick to think about. But it was true. Any one of us could die.

He pulled away, and pushed me back slightly, but gently. "You should get ready. You still doing that party later?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, grinning. "I am. All right, I'll get ready. If Aqua wakes up, you'll take care of her, right?"

He nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you," I said before turning to head to the bathroom to prepare for the day.

I had some work to do, after all. Parties don't happen easily.

...

(Ethan's POV)

"...And then she freaking smiled! I did not even know she had the muscles to do that! Seriously! It was so creepy! Oh my Arceus!"

I was sitting in one of the smaller lounges on the second floor, on a rather comfy couch. Argent sat across from me, looking very annoyed and irritated. It was weird seeing him with his hair down; it down down to his shoulders. I would say he looked like a girl, but he really didn't.

"...And this concerns me how?" he asked, his tone annoyed.

"It doesn't!" I exclaimed with a laugh. "Just thought I'd share."

He sighed, and leaned back on the couch he was on. I grinned mischievously, suddenly coming up with a question to ask him. Oh, this was going to be good. I could just imagine the look on his face right now.

"Sooo, Argent," I drawled, dragging out my words. I leaned back on my couch, putting my arms back behind my head. "You gonna finally kiss Perla today?"

He jerked up abruptly, his spine going straight and rigid, his silver eyes widening with horror. He looked down at me, recovering is poker face. His mouth turned down in a frown, and he scowled at me, narrowing his eyes to nearly slits.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice like ice.

"You know exactly what," I drawled, still keeping my lazy stance. "Even a blind man could see you're crazy about her."

He gave me a dark look—so dark a shiver ran down my spine. This guy could be scary when he wanted to. Dear Arceus, maybe this was a bad idea after all. Maybe he was the wrong guy to tease.

"Shut up," he said icily. "That's none of your business."

I sighed, moving my arms back from behind my head, and I leaned forward. "Well, then, I guess you'll just be forever alone."

The next look Argent gave me was fierce enough to make me flinch. Great, I struck a nerve. Maybe I should just shut up. That would probably be the best course of action. I really didn't want to piss off Argent. He had a freaking Tyranitar.

I opened my mouth to say something, but then I heard footsteps, and I happy exclamation.

"Arge! There you are! I've been looking for you!"

I turned to see Perla of all people. Now that was a shocker. Not. But I was surprised to see that her hair had changed; she must have dyed it again or something. It was jet black now, with perfectly neat bangs, and yellow hair decs. However, she still had those two small pigtails on the side of her head, though they were thicker now. I wondered why she changed her hair? It'd been fine before. She looked more mature like this.

A lot of freaky things were happening today.

I grinned devilishly at Argent; he was surprised to see her like this today, too, huh? Hehehe.

"Oh, hey, Perla," I drawled, since the ginger couldn't find his voice. "What'd ya do to your hair? It's totally different!"

"Oh, my roots were starting show so I dyed it back to its natural color!" she exclaimed. "'Cause Arge said I look better this way!"

Oh, did he now? Well well well, so he did talk, and when he did, it wasn't always threats or snide remarks! There was more to this guy than I thought. He was so lucky he could escape to the past eventually.

I opened my mouth to respond, but Argent beat me to it.

"Yeah," he said. "You do."

I doubted he'd say anything more around me, so I pushed myself up off the couch, standing up. I stretched again, and feigned a yawn. Then I blinked lazily, and looked at the two older kids.

"Welp," I said. "I think I'll get a bite to eat, leave you two alone."

"Aw, okay, Ethan!" Perla exclaimed. "See you later! At the party right?"

"Maybe," I said mysteriously before laughing. "Just kidding, I'll be there. Catch ya later!"

I headed off for the kitchen; I would really leave them in peace. If anything was gonna happen, I didn't want to be there to see it. That would be their own private thing. That was none of my business.

...

(Indigo's POV)

I was looking for Crim. I mean, it was Valentine's Day. I liked him... and, well, I wanted him to know. And this was the perfect day to be able to hint it, if not tell him straight up. He could be so thick headed sometimes, I swear.

I had even risked getting him a gift. I mean, that was a subtle way telling him I liked him, right? I just hoped he wouldn't be so oblivious. I was really getting tired of that. I mean, we had known each other for our whole lives, and I've liked him since we were ten.

The six longest years of my life. Nearly seven.

I sighed as I rounded the corner of one of the many halls in N's castle. I hadn't seen Cyan yet today, and I was wondering what he was up to. I wondered if he was going to give Jewel anything.

"Oh, hey, Indi!"

I froze as I passed a doorway. I peered inside; it was one of the smaller rooms, with just a fire place, two couches, and a coffee table in the center. It was Crim, exactly who I was looking for. He was sitting on one of the couches; he waved to me.

I stepped inside the room, crossing the threshold. "Hey, Crim. I was looking for you."

His eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, you were? What's up? I something wrong?"

I walked over to where he sat. I was suddenly nervous. I could ruin everything right here and now. But I didn't want to lose this chance.

"Um... Well... I just wanted to wish you a happy Valentine's Day," I said, trying to stay calm.

"Oh... Well, happy Valentine's Day to you, too, Indi!" he exclaimed, smiling up at me.

I tried to laugh, but it came out strained. Immediately his expression changed to concern. Great.

"Hey, Indi, are you okay?" he asked me.

"I'm fine," I said, looking away a little. "It's just... Valentine's Day... and I feel... well, alone."

"Oh, well, Indi," he said with a light laugh, grinning at me. "You're not alone! You've got me!"

W-What?

He suddenly realized what he said. His face flushed bright scarlet, and his eyes grew wide. I felt my own cheeks heat up, though I doubted my blush was as bright as his.

"I-I don't mean it like that!" he said hastily, horrified by his words. "I mean like as friends! Y'know, since we're best friends and all! Just friends, nothing else. B-But it's not like I don't like you! I really like you, Indi. B-But not like that! Y-You're like my sister! That'd be really weird. I-I mean, who's in love with their sister? That's just-"

"Crim," I sighed, disappointment filling me. But I tried to push it aside. "You're rambling."

Of course he didn't like me like that. He'd never like me like that. I would always be his best friend, nothing more, nothing else. Why did I even bother? I just hurt myself even more.

"S-Sorry!" he added hastily, still blushing. "But, really, Indi... You're my best friend. I don't know what I'd do without you."

I had to admit, that did make me feel a little better. I smiled at him, even though I still felt the heat in my cheeks, and his eyes brightened up, his own lips turning up into a lop-sided smile.

"Thanks, Crim," I said. "That means a lot to me... You mean more to me than you realize."

Then I realized that I just slipped up. I hadn't intended to, but I had just hinted my feelings to him. That was what I wanted to do, but not like that. But I didn't have a chance to see his reaction because someone interrupted us.

"Oh, hey, guys!" Navy exclaimed, stepping inside the room. I relaxed, even though I still felt embarrassed for what had just happened.

"Hi, Navy," I said, giving him a small smile, and he saluted me.

Crim, however, stiffened beside me, and gave a curt, "Hey" to him. Arceus, did he still not like Navy? There was nothing wrong with the guy. I didn't understand. Navy was really fun and easy going.

"So," he said, sounding very serious. "What're you two doing for Valentine's Day?"

I blinked, confused. "What?"

"That's what Valentine's Day is for, right?" he asked. "Couples to do stuff? To show they love each other?"

I froze, my whole body going rigid. I couldn't believe he just said that. I couldn't believe he still thought we were dating. After all this time, he still had that stuck in his mind? And he had to say that right now!

"What?" Crimson nearly shrieked. "We're not a couple! Will you drop that, for the love of Arceus?"

I sighed heavily, dropping my hands onto my lap. There was no hope. I'd never get Crim. There was nothing I could do.

"See? You've made Indi sad!" Crim exclaimed, pointing to me. "Look what you've done! Why can't you go somewhere and bother some other girls?"

"Nah, that's not really my thing," Navy said with a shrug.

"...Guys?" Crim asked.

"Not them either. I'm not interested in anything, to be honest. Relationships just don't appeal to me, I guess."

The expression on Crim's face made him look like he was about to moo like a Miltank. "Well, you can go now."

"Nah, I think I'll just chill with you two for a while if you don't mind," he said, walking closer to where we sat.

Crimson looked really irritated now. "Well, we'd like some time alone eventually."

Navy raised an eyebrow, a suspicious look crossing his features. "What? Are you going to do it tonight or something?"

...What?

"WHAT?" I shrieked, my voice cracking up a octave.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Crimson exclaimed, his eyes wide with horror.

I couldn't believe he just said that. I had no idea what to do. I had no idea how to react. It wasn't the kind of thing I thought about; I mean, I was a sixteen year old girl who had pretty much taken over her father's Gym when he retired. And even then, I wasn't the type of girl to think about that kind of thing.

Of course Navy would automatically jump to that conclusion. He was raised by the Government. He had been surrounded by a bunch of hormone-addled teenagers. But still, I was horrified that he would think that of Crim and me.

"INDI'S LIKE MY SISTER! YOU DON'T SCREW YOUR SISTER!"

"CRIM, SHUT UP!" I yelled.

"THIS IS NOT OKAY INDI!" he shrieked at me. "OH MY ARCEUS, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?"

I was trying to calm down, and he was not helping me. I could still barely grasp that Navy said that.

Me... and Crim... h-having... No, I couldn't even bring myself to think it.

"YOU!" Crimson yelled, leaping to his feet. "GET. THE. HELL. OUT."

He literally grabbed Navy by the arm and dragged him towards the door. He pushed him through the doorway, and slammed the door shut in his face. I sat frozen on the couch, my face aflame, embarrassed by what had just happened.

I was so killing Navy later.

"Oh... my... Arceus," Crim groaned, running a hand through his hair. "That guy."

I stayed silent, unable to find my face.

"How dare he say that! I would never do such a thing, much less with my best friend!"

Thanks, Crim. That made me feel just wonderful and wanted. Thank you. I appreciate your kind words. I'll keep them in my heart forever and lock them away in safekeeping with a key.

"Hey... I-Indi...? Are you okay?"

I didn't respond. I just stared at my hands in my lap. He must have realized his mistake, because suddenly he was sitting down next to me again, rambling like he'd been earlier.

"H-Hey, Indi... I-It's not like you're not p-pretty or anything! You're... r-really... u-um... B-But you're my best friend! B-Best friends don't do stuff l-like that! Bu-But you are p-pretty... beautiful, even... A-And you're a g-great trainer and G-Gym leader and y-you're r-really nice and a g-r-reat f-friend and you're r-really hot—Oh, Arceus, I'm just going to shut up now."

I sat up straight, and looked down at him. "...You really mean that?"

His cheeks were as red as his name, but he nodded. "Yeah, Indi. I'd never lie to you."

I smiled at him again, and this time, I hugged him. He was caught by surprise, and awkwardly put his arms around me. I rested my chin on his shoulder and squeezed him tight, closing my eyes. I wished I could do this more often. It was a great feeling, having his arms around me.

"Thank you, Crim," I said. "That means a lot to me."

I pulled back away from him, and pulled something out of my pocket, enclosing the object in my hand. It was now or never.

"Well, um... I kinda... got you... a present," I said, lifting up my balled fist.

His crimson eyes grew wide with surprise. "W-What? Indi, you didn't have to get me anything! I-It's not l-like we're t-t-together or s-something!"

"I know," I said calmly. "But I wanted to."

"Oh..." His voice faded out. "Well... um... thanks."

I reached out my free hand, and took his right wrist, pulling his hand closer to mine, and then placed the object in his palm, and closed his fingers around it. He frowned slightly, and raised an eyebrow, silently asking me what it was.

"Go ahead," I said. "Look."

He moved his hand closer to his body, and opened it. He gasped, his mouth opening slightly. I smiled softly to myself. I knew he'd like it. He'd been looking for one for a while.

"A Charcoal!" he exclaimed, his eyes bright with glee. "Oh, Indi, you didn't have to get me this! Really!"

I just kept my gentle smile on. "I know, but I wanted to."

He grinned at me, and my heart skipped a beat. "Wow, thanks, Indi! Really, this is great! Thank you so much! I wish I got you something..."

"You don't have to get me anything, Crim," I said reassuringly.

"Oh, but now I do," he insisted. "Say, we still have time. I'll take you out and buy you anything you want. Anything."

"Anything?" I repeated suspiciously.

"Anything," he confirmed.

Well, we'd see about that.

...

(Viola's POV)

"Ugh, I hate Valentine's Day," I groaned, throwing myself down on a couch in the main lounge on the first floor.

Topaz looked up at me from the couch across the room. She was sprawled out, laying on her stomach, a box of chocolates in front of her. It was open, and it looked like she had already eaten a few.

"Why's that?" she asked me.

I snorted, and crossed my arms. "'Cause everyone's all getting disillusioned about romance and who knows what some people are doing with their time when they should be training for the war."

She shook her head. "No, we need time to relax and just have fun. This is good for us."

"Good for people with partners," I said angrily, with another snort.

A grimace came across her face, and she set the chocolate in her hand back in the box. I realized how harsh my statement was. Whoa, Viola, calm down, you'll upset one of your best friends. So I decided to change the topic.

"Who gave you that?" I asked, pointing to the box of chocolates.

"Oh, this?" she said. "...Alan."

...Why was I not surprised? Secretly, I'd been hoping it would be Rubin. But I guess he wasn't coming out of that stage after all. I still had a hard time believing he was even capable of what he did and was doing. Arceus, it was like my friends were totally different people now.

"Oh," I said. "Well, that's nice."

"Yeah, I suppose so..."

"At least someone gave you something," I said. "I've never gotten anything from a guy for Valentine's Day."

"Oh, Vio, that can't be true!" she exclaimed, pushing herself back up into a sitting position. "You've must've gotten something from someone before! You're too pretty to be ignored."

"Thanks," I said with a dry laugh. "But I haven't. But all's cool. Relationships are overrated anyway."

"If you say so," she said, pulling her legs back up on the couch. "I bet you'll change your mind when you find that special someone."

"Ha! Yeah right!" I laughed.

She gave me a dry look, and I rolled my eyes. I heard footsteps, and then someone cleared their throat. I turned to look in the doorway. Of all people, it was Alizarin. I immediately stiffened. He looked nervous, holding his hands behind his back.

"Yo, Chrise," I said. "What do you want? Does the Professor need me or something?"

"No," he said. "Um..."

"'Um' what?" I snapped.

"Oh, Vio, be nice," Topaz sighed from across the room, her voice slightly chiding.

I scowled, and glared at her briefly. Then I returned my attention to the boy. He had started to walk closer, and I tried to force myself to relax, to try to be nice to the kid. Okay, so I had been a bitch to him, but still. He'd been a jerk right on back.

He finally stopped in front of me, and I narrowed my eyes. His face flushed slightly pink, and he gulped nervously. I seriously had to bite my tongue to hold back the nasty remark I so badly wanted to say.

"Um... Well... I just... wanted to wish you Happy Valentine's Day!"

He thrust something out at me so fast I almost didn't see it coming. It hit me in the chest, and dropped into my lap. It didn't have enough force to hurt me, but it did sting a little. And throb slightly afterwards.

"What the-" I began, and cut myself off as I saw what he had thrown at me.

It was a box of chocolate. Not the generic kind, or even the common brand one bought on Valentine's Day. It was the kind of chocolate I specifically said was my favorite, probably vaguely commenting on it one time when we had been working together.

"You... remembered," I said, caught totally by surprise. I didn't know what else to say.

"Yeah..." he said. "Of course I did."

What was that supposed to mean?

I almost couldn't find my voice.

"Well... um... thanks, Rin..."

And for once, I did mean it.

...

(Jade's POV)

Oh, I just loved Valentine's Day.

To me, it was one of the best days of the year. I could have a blast seeing everyone in love, and then I could spend lots of time with Plato and there would be no excuse for either of us being too busy.

I skipped around, looking for my fiance; I hadn't seen him yet today. I bet he was trying to get some work in before I dragged him off. I had kept myself amused by seeing if there was anything I could do to help all my friends with their ships.

But some of them—specifically that old stick-in-the-mud Cyan—didn't like my interference. Jewel got really embarrassed, too, but I just thought they were so cute. Cyan just needed to admit he liked the girl already, for Arceus's sake. And he had the nerve to call me pesky!

Anyways, I was walking down one of the hallways, looking for Plato. I'd given him enough time to work on those technology blue prints or whatever he was doing. I needed to see him now.

I stopped in front of the closed door of Plato's room. I lightly knocked on it, before pushing the door open. Yep, I was right, he was in here. He was sitting at his desk, working on something all right. He didn't turn to look back, so I bet he figured it was me, hehe.

I walked up to him, staying behind him, out of view. Then, when I was close enough, I threw my arms around his neck, and glomped him.

"Platoooo!" I exclaimed, hugging him tight.

Even though he knew I was here, I caught him by surprise. My sudden jump on him forced him forward, nearly knocking him all the way into his desk. I giggled, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Jade," he sighed.

"Are you going to work on that all day?" I asked, my voice slightly whiny.

"No, of course not," he said. "But if you give me a minute or two, I can finish the designs. I'm almost done."

"Oooh, okay!" I said.

I gave him another quick kiss before letting him go. He sat up straight, and fixed his pencil, then erased the stray mark I had made him make. I bounded over to his bed, and plopped down on it. Then I flopped down on my stomach, propping up myself with my elbows, resting my head on my hands, to watch him.

I stayed quiet for only a moment; I really didn't like things to be too quiet. "So... What are we gonna do today?"

"Whatever you want," he said, not looking up.

"Whatever I want?" I asked devilishly.

"Whatever is reasonable," he clarified.

"Aw, you're no fun!" I laughed.

He snorted from his seat, not responding. I tried to wait patiently, I really did. But I just wasn't a patient person. But finally, about five minutes later, he set down his pencil, and rolled up the blue print. I pushed myself back up excitedly, sitting down on my knees.

"All right, I'm done," he said, pushing back his chair and standing up. "I have to give this to Am first."

"Then we can do anything?" I asked.

"Yes," he said, giving me an amused look.

I grinned, and slid off the bed. I walked over to where he stood, and gave him a hug. I really was so lucky to have found him so early in my life. I loved Plato, and I was so excited for us to get married once the war was over and I was old enough. His birthday was at the end of the month, after all, and my was all the way at the end of the year.

He smiled down at me, and put his arms around me, hugging me back. Then he tilted my chin up and kissed me. I happily returned it, but was disappointed when he pulled back and pushed me away. Aw.

"I have to give Am this, first," he said, moving towards the door.

"But what if he's busy?" I asked, following him. "What if he's doing something with Diamonda?"

"Like what?" he asked, looking back at me.

I gave him a look. He rolled his eyes at me.

"I doubt anyone's doing that during the day," he deadpanned. "If I can't give it to Am, I'll just give it to Grey."

"But what if he's-" I began.

"Jade," he groaned. "Stop."

"Okay, fine," I said, sticking my tongue out at him and crossing my arms over my chest. "Sorry, I just can't help it."

"I know," he said, giving me a dry look. "Now, let's go."

He held out his hand, and I took it. We left the room, heading down the hall. However, we didn't get very far until another one of our friends appeared, coming out of her room, something in her hand I couldn't quite make out.

"Hi Sapph!" I called, waving to her with my free hand.

Sapph started, and whipped around to see us. She had a really nervous look on her face, and she quickly moved her hands behind her back, hiding whatever she was holding from us.

"Oh, hey Jade, Plato," she said nervously.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned; was something wrong? "Are you looking for Gold or something?"

"Uhhh, not at the moment," she said, her face flushing.

"Gold went out earlier this morning," Plato said, catching our attention; I turned my head to look at him. "He was probably going to get you something. But he should be back by now."

"Um, he is," Sapph confirmed.

"Sapph," I said calmly. "Is something wrong? What are you hiding behind your back?"

"N-Nothing!" she burst out. "Nothing's wrong! R-really, I'm fine, I'm just going to go now, leave you two alone!"

She turned, and hastily moved whatever she was hiding from us in front of her so we couldn't see it. Then she hurriedly bolted down the hallway, getting away from us. We just stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

"Are they going to have sex?" I demanded.

"Jade!" Plato exclaimed, looking down at me with a stern look.

"What?" I asked. "It sure seems like it, the way she's acting!"

He sighed, and shook his head at me. Well, it was true. The thing she was hiding from us was probably protection or something. It was Valentine's Day, after all.

"Come on," he sighed. "Let's go find Am."

...

(Willow's POV)

I honestly had no idea why I even came here.

Okay, well, maybe I did. Diamonda invited me to the Valentine's Day party, and Kate, Shirou, and Alan were going, so I might as well have gone too. I wasn't a fan of Valentine's Day, though. I had never bothered to get a boyfriend when I was younger, and now seeing everyone being all romantic just made me frustrated and annoyed.

So the party had started, and everyone was being all lovey-dovey and it was making me sick. Okay, so maybe not everyone. My fellow singles looked miserable or they already liked someone and were trying to get the guts to tell the person they liked that or they had recently broken up with their partner and now were regretting it and were sulking miserably or they were trying to move on and it really wasn't working though someone else did like them.

Dear Reshiram, I guess I had the ability to observe well. That was what made me such a great scientist.

Everyone was here, chatting away, laughing, flirting, and doing other things. Though one person was missing—Sapph. Gold was patiently waiting for his girlfriend to arrive, currently laughing it up with Plato and Jade.

I was sitting with my sister and our friends. Oh my Arceus, Shirou was driving me insane with how he treated Cerise; it was so obvious they liked each other. Why couldn't they just get it over with and start dating? Then my sanity could return. And Cerise, of course, had to drag Topaz over here with her, and now Alan was being really awkward even though he had managed to give the girl some chocolate. Kate was being even more shy because of what Alan did; I still couldn't believe he didn't know she liked him a lot.

I would never understand males. So maybe it was good I was single. Or maybe it wasn't and I would be forever alone.

"You really didn't have to give me this, Shiu!" Cerise was saying, her face tinted pink; he had gotten her a red flower hair clip. "Anything would have been great!"

He let out a light laugh. "It's nothing, Cer! I'm glad you like it."

I wanted to go bash my head against the wall.

But then someone burst into the room. It was none other than Sapph, who was the only person we were waiting on. But she did not look okay. She looked extremely angry, with her hair wild, her red eyes sharp, and her hands clenched into fists. Something was most definitely wrong.

"Gold," she said darkly. "Come here."

We all literally turned to look at him. His expression was confused, and his mouth was turned upside down. He scratched the back of his head before standing up, and walking over to her. We all watched as she proceeded to hiss at him, so we couldn't hear what she was saying. But we heard his reaction to her words.

"WHAT?" he shrieked, his voice cracking up an octave. "Y-You're-"

"You heard me!" she snapped loudly. "I haven't gotten my period yet, and we freaking had sex-"

She cut herself off when she realized she was practically screaming it for all of us to hear.

You had got to be kidding me.

Everyone was frozen, their eyes wide with horror or just looking stunned. It took me a moment to process what this meant. If Sapph was pregnant, that meant she and Gold had to have had sex about a month ago, maybe even longer. And a little over a month ago...

They. Were. At. My. Mansion.

"You have got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed angrily, throwing my hands up into the air. "It was in my mansion, wasn't it?"

Gold let out a strained laugh, and ran a hand through his hair. But neither of them responded. So I took that as a yes.

But I wasn't the only one upset about this.

"You. Did. WHAT?" Rubin demanded, his voice like ice, as he got on his feet, making everyone tense.

Kate looked at me, her expression alarmed. She could feel what was going to happen, I bet. I could sense that he was really angry myself. I had psychic powers, but they weren't as strong as Kate's.

"W-Whoa, man," Gold said, actually looking a little scared, raising his hands in a calm down gesture. "Chillax! W-We can discuss this calmly and rationally!"

"'Calmly and rationally'?" Rubin demanded, his hands clenching into fists, his eyes flashing with his anger. "Are you insane? You freaking defiled my sister!"

Yep, this was going to end badly.

"Rubin-" Sapph began.

"You shut it!" Rubin snapped, glaring at his sister, and she actually flinched. Then he returned his attention to Gold, who really looked scared now. "I'm. Going to. Kick. Your. Ass."

And he wasn't kidding either.

Now, from what I had learned from these guys in the short time I had known him, Rubin was far from violent. But something changed, and now he had gotten really volatile. This was not normal for him. But considering the circumstances, I'd do the same thing. If anyone got Kate pregnant, I would kick his ass too. Then I'd chide Kate for being irresponsible, but I'd kick the guy's ass first for touching my sister. Rubin was a good brother.

Rubin lunged at Gold, who then tried to get out of the way, but he was faster. Rubin grabbed him by his shirt, and started punching him.

"Rubes, stop!" Cerise squealed from where she was sitting next to Shirou.

But, of course, he didn't listen to her. I wasn't sure if he could even hear us through his rage. Man, I didn't even have anger that fierce. What else was this kid hiding?

Fiori leaped to her feet, not pleased at all to see her brother being attacked. Everyone else was too stunned to even move. Fiori helped Sapph pry Rubin off of Gold, who then collapsed on a plush chair. They released him, but he looked even more angry. But what Sapph did next shocked us all.

CRACK! She slapped him so hard across the face that his head whipped to the side.

Rubin froze, shocked that she did that. He stared at her, his eyes wide with surprise. His hand drifted up to the red welt that was now forming on his cheek. Sapph had a fierce scowl on her face, and she was glaring at him, getting right up in his face and everything. It helped that they were the same height.

"Rubin, that's enough," she snapped. "I am sick and tired of your shit already! You're being a bastard to everyone! It's none of your business what the hell I do with Gold! I swear to Arceus, if you lay another finger on my boyfriend, I'll kick your ass."

Rubin's shock turned into anger. He scowled down at her. "I'm trying to protect you!"

"I don't need you damn protection!" she snapped. "I can take care of myself!"

No one else dared to move. The baby, Aqua, started to cry, and Diamonda tried to calm her down. But what happened next shocked me even more; I did not see it coming at all.

Sapph moved away from her brother, going over to check on Gold, who was still slouched on the chair, and hadn't moved a inch. Red welts were forming on all his visible skin. Rubin could pack a punch. Fiori ran a hand through her hair, and went back to sit down next to Grey, shooting Rubin a "I'm watching you" look.

Cerise suddenly stood up, causing us all to look at her. She looked upset, with her hands clenched into fists. Shirou raised his hand to touch her, but she jerked away.

"Rubin," she said, and he looked at her.

"What?" he snapped.

She flinched a little, but then she steeled herself and walked all the way up to him. And then she slapped him across the face.

"That," she said, poking him on the chest hard, "is for being a jerk! We've been taking your crap for a whole month, and I know I've had enough. Please, for the love of Arceus, just grow up. Everybody makes mistakes, okay? Accidents happen. No one's perfect. You've my friend, Rubin, and I can't let you go on like this! So please, get out of here before you really upset someone, and just think. And then when you're sane again and have your thoughts cleared, come see me."

Shirou tensed, worried that he would lash out at her. But he didn't. I doubted he'd ever hit a girl, anyway. He looked down at her, his eyes widening with the realization of her words. He didn't say anything. He just turned, and walked out of the room, leaving us all. Cerise slowly returned to her seat, and Shirou tried to give her a comforting smile. It didn't work. The silence only lasted a few moments.

"What," Fiori said, "in the name of Arceus, is wrong with you people?"

She stood up, a frustrated look on her face. Grey looked up at her, confusion flickering in his eyes.

"Gold," she said. "You can't use the Kimu excuse either. That's a lame excuse. Seriously, why is everyone around here having sex?"

It was awkwardly silent.

"Can no one keep their hands to themselves? Arceus!"

Sapph glared at Fiori as she tried to help Gold sit up; he looked like hell. Cerise's face was red, and she was staring at her lap. Huh? Was I missing something? Anyway, Am and Diamonda looked annoyed, Grey had his poker face on, Jade looked embarrassed, Plato's face was neutral, Crimson looked horrified, Indigo looked awkward, Navy was amused, Argent looked faintly horrified, Perla had a expression of confusion, and the younger kids were shocked. My friends and I were uncomfortable.

Jade let out a awkward cough, and Fiori whipped to face her, and then groaned.

"You two too?" she groaned. "Seriously?"

"Um," Jade said, flushing. "Maybe..."

Plato rubbed the back of his head.

"Agh! Is there anyone else I need to know about?"

For some reason, everyone either turned to look at Grey or Topaz.

"What?" Topaz said defensively. "Oh, for the love of Arceus! I'm still a virgin, thank you very much."

People looked relieved. But Grey didn't answer their silent question, having not said a word.

"Guys, we're supposed to be role models," Fiori continued. "Kids are supposed to be able to look up to us. And really, now, if I was a parent, I wouldn't want my kids to look up to us. We need to learn self control, people. Self. Control."

"Self control?" Ethan asked with a playful smirk. "What's that?"

Evan smacked him upside the back of his head.

"Um... I'm confused," Jewel said, speaking up. "What's 'sex' and all this other stuff you're speaking of?"

I seriously just facepalmed. Oh my Arceus, these kids. Either they know too much or too little.

Cyan pinched the bridge of his nose.

"And don't say you'll tell me later either," she said. "You guys always say that..."

"I'd like to know too!" Perla piped up.

"Yeah, me, too," added Rosalind.

"NO," Alizarin said. "Not you."

"But-" she began.

"Absolutely not," Alizarin said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Can I die now?" I asked anyone.

"Hey, Willow's a scientist!" Perla exclaimed, hopping to her feet. "You can tell us, can't you Professor?"

"Yep, I'm gonna die," I sighed. "Fine. Tomorrow, come to my lab... and I'll... tell you..."

"Yay!" Perla cheered and high-fived Rosalind.

"Thank you," Jewel said.

Cyan looked like he wanted to die, too. Good, I wasn't the only one. Now I wished I never came to this stupid party. Look what I got myself into.

...

(Cerise's POV)

We finally got the party started, though it was really awkward. I wasn't really able to enjoy it, though, with what happened with Rubin. Eventually I decided I just needed to clear my head myself, so I decided to leave.

I needed some fresh air, so I went to my room to get my coat and scarf. Then I headed out, going down all the stairs. Then I walked through the Champion's temple, and stepped out into the cool air once again. It was refreshing, and helped me clear my mind already.

I walked away from the temple, walking down a few flights of the stairs. Then when I was satisfied with my distance from the buildings, I sat down on the freezing stone steps. I shivered, wishing I'd pulled on some jeans before coming out instead of just wearing my skirt.

I looked up when I heard the sound of footsteps on stone. It was just Shirou, so I relaxed.

"Hey, Cer," he said, smiling down at me. "Mind if I join you?"

"No, not at all," I said, smiling back at him.

He sat down next to me, and I shivered again from the cold. I pulled up my knees, and wrapped my arms around them, spreading out my skirt as far as I could. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come out here after all.

"You okay?" he asked me, concern swimming in his eyes.

I shook my head. "This day... didn't turn out like I hoped it would... The whole thing with Rubin, Sapph and Gold... Then Fiori's speech..."

"Ah..." He was silent for a moment. "Well, if you want to talk about it, I'm all ears."

I bit my bottom lip, and chewed on it, debating. Should I tell him? Would his opinion of me change? Would he think lowly of me? But... I wanted him to know. If he really liked me... he wouldn't care, right?

"Well... Um... Last year... Sometime in early summer... I met this guy... You know him as the Flax guy you've heard us complaining about so much," I said softly. "This was before I knew everything about who I really was and about the Government, before I even met everyone here. And, well, something happened to make me lose some of my memories... But... um..."

"What happened, Cer?" he asked me gently.

I felt my face heat up with embarrassment, and I had to look away. "I don't quite remember... But, um... Flax and I..." Tears were starting to fill my eyes, and I nearly choked on my words. "I slept with him... I don't know why... I don't remember anything. A-And... it makes me feel terrible... Especially after what Fiori said..."

And then I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They silently began to stream down my face. Shirou was quiet, and I didn't dare look at him. I was too ashamed to.

"Cer..." I still didn't look at him. "It's okay."

His response caught me by surprise. This time, I couldn't help but look up at him. He gave me a gentle, reassuring smile. For a moment, I could barely breathe. What?

"That's not who you are now, right?" I nodded, unable to find my voice. "Well, just think about what you said to Rubin. Everyone makes mistakes. But it's not the end of the world! Don't beat yourself up, okay?"

I didn't know what to say.

"I'm always here for you, Cer," he said, and then pulled me into his embrace.

I was still stunned, but I hugged him back nonetheless, relieved that he didn't care. Maybe... Maybe he did like me then...

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF ARCEUS, JUST GET MARRIED AND HAVE TEN KIDS ALREADY!"

We jerked apart, stunned by the sudden screaming. It was Professor Willow; she had just stepped out of the temple, looking ready to head back to Nuvema Town. And she looked furious. She glared at us; we were too stunned to speak. Then she just stormed past us, released a braviary, and climbed on its back, and flew away.

We sat in silence for a moment, still processing what just happened.

"Ahahaha, Liz really needs to cool down," Shirou said with a awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his head.

I sweatdropped. "It's fine."

I honestly wouldn't mind having ten kids with him. As long as it was with him, it'd be great. I loved kids, anyway.

Maybe... Someday...

YES

I BROKE ALL RECORDS

AHAHAHA

*cough*

Anyways, A LOT HAPPENED IN THIS CHAPTER.

Ships, ships, AND MORE SHIPS

Yeah, Sapph appears to be pregnant. And yes, it happened in Willow's mansion. Willow is not happy about that.

Crim rambles when he's nervous. And when he rambles he accidentally spits out the truth that he might not even realize he feels yet. HEHEHEHE.

Rubin literally got the sense SLAPPED into him TWICE. He'll be really much better now. And really, I like this mature version of Rubes better. He's more like his Beta self, though he keeps his dignity and honor.

BUT RIGHT NOW HE HAS TO RESTORE HIS HONOR IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

I seriously did plan him to have this thing for keeping his dignity and honor MONTHS ago when I started writing head. And now it's so ironic.

I should have have him name his Numel/Camerupt HONOR instead of VALOR.

I'm going to shut up now.

What else...

OH YEAH. The ball is next chapter, then the Kummern reunion you all have been dying for. SO BE READY

BUT NOW GO AND REVIEW BECAUSE YOUR HONOR DEPENDS ON IT

Oh man what am I doing.