FOREVERMORE

~Part Three Of The Forever Trilogy~

Chapter 46

Rescue

June 5, 5001.

(Topaz's POV)

"Seriously, you guys have a problem!"

"Crimson," I sighed, brushing my bangs out of my eyes.

My brother seemed more bothered by the fact that yet another one of us had a child, rather than that it was a child with the enemy. We were sitting in one of the many lounges in the castle, on the couches. Well, I was sitting, as was Rubin, who was next to me, and Cerise, Shirou, and Alan were sitting on the couch across from us, while my brother was on his feet pacing back and forth as he ranted.

"You do," he insisted, throwing his hands up into the air. "Arceus, it seems like no one here still has their virginity. At least you don't have to go back in time and explain to everyone's parents that they're messing around! The Kimus won't be that surprised, but the Kuros... Oh Arceus, I hate my life."

Okay, so maybe it was a good thing Rubin and I were waiting. But still.

I rubbed my forehead and Cerise winced, blushing slightly. Shirou took her hand, and gave it a squeeze. The expression on Alan's face was a mixture of discomfort and annoyance.

"Welcome to the real world, Crim," Rubin deadpanned. "That's reality, sad as it is. Everyone does it."

Crimson gave him a sharp look. "Have you done it?"

Oh my Arceus, why did this seriously have to keep coming up? I expected Rubin to get all appalled and deny it, seeing as we hadn't and all, but instead his reaction was the total opposite. As I opened my mouth to snap at Crim to keep out of our business, my fiance finally answered the question.

"Maybe we did," he said nonchalantly, shrugging. "Maybe we didn't. Does it really matter? Like I said, everyone does it."

I just stared at him in shock and a choked noise came out of my mouth. Then I snickered a little. Crimson and Cerise stared at us with their mouths agape, Shirou had a what the hell just happened look on his face, and Alan looked like he was thinking what?

"Oh my Arceus!" Crimson exclaimed, still horrified, obviously taking Rubin's response as a yes. "You defiled my sister!"

Oh jeez, this sure sounded familiar. Why was I getting such a kick out of this?

"I never said we did, did I?" Rubin asked, raising an eyebrow. "Chill, man. Arceus."

Crimson glared at him fiercely, and I sighed this time. Dear Arceus, I couldn't wait for this to be all over so we could drop it and focus on the war, not who screwed who. Man. It got old real fast.

"Yo!"

I glanced behind me to see Navy enter the room. His expression was serious, which was kind of a first for him. He was always so relaxed and carefree. Whatever was on his mind had to be something major.

"Yeah, Navy?" I asked him, turning in my seat to look at him better.

"I have an idea, but I need your help," he told me, looking down. "It has to do with Cade."

...Cade? Oh yeah, Grey's son. Well then, he asked for my help, so it would be rude to refuse him. I pushed myself up off the couch, and turned around to face him.

"All right," I said. "I'll help you."

...

"There is no way in hell I'm going to let you go to the admins' base!" Diamonda exclaimed firmly at her husband, her hands planted on her hips.

"Dima," Am said, calm as ever. "Grey is my friend. I want to help him."

This was the first time Diamonda had acted like her sassy old self in a very, very long time. She was glaring up at him with an expression that rivaled a rabid Mightyena. He was looking down at her, calmly and steadily. This also had to be the first time I ever saw them fight.

"You're the leader of the Resistance," she snapped, her pale blue eyes flashing with anger. "They would love to get rid of you, and you would be walking right into their territory!"

Am didn't even look bothered by that. "If something happens to me, Grey is next in line. If something happens to him, then Topaz is in charge. Sometimes you have to take risks, Dima. I can take care of myself perfectly fine, anyways."

"I don't care!" she exclaimed, taking a step closer to him, getting right up in his face—well, more like trying to. The guy is freaking tall. "I don't want you to go, no matter what reason you have!"

Navy had come up with the idea of rescuing Cade from the Government. Technically it was kidnapping, but it was better to have him here then with the admins, especially after what Flax had said. That way, he would be with us, and we would be able to take out the admins without worrying about him being safe.

Am sighed. "Fine, I'll stay."

She let out a happy squeal, and hugged him. He put his arms around her and patted her on the head. Navy, who was standing next to me, gave them weird looks. Rubin had decided to join in on this too, and was on my other side. Grey, of course, was coming along, and, surprisingly, Fiori had agreed to come, too.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed.

"...Okay then," Navy said, rubbed the back of his head. "We still need-"

"Hey!" Safaia of all people appeared, an excited look on her face. "I heard something about breaking into the admin base. Is that true?"

"Yeah," Navy told her, nodding. "We still need a sixth person to go along."

"Oooh, count me in, then, man!" she exclaimed with a grin. "I'm all for kicking some of those bastards' asses."

"We're not going there for that, Sappho," Navy said, still serious. "We're going to rescue the kid."

"What kid-" she began, but then she realized what he was talking about and stopped herself. "Oh yeah."

Grey winced, and ran a hand through his hair. Fiori scowled, crossing her arms over her chest, looking away. Man, this was going to be awkward. But it needed to be done.

"Right," Navy said with a sigh. "Okay, you'll work with Grey and Fiori. I'm with Topaz and Rubin."

Well, poor Safaia had to deal with them, then. But she was friends with Grey, and it seemed like she had talked to Fiori for a bit, too, so it couldn't be too bad. But still, this whole situation was just awful for them.

"Well, I'm glad to be of help," Safaia said with a shrug. "When are we going?"

"In a few minutes," he told her. "We have to gear up still."

...

The admins' base was in what was now known as Viridian Forest. So it was closer to Synis's lair than we liked. Synis had built a freaking castle in what once had been Pallet Town, my hometown in the past. He leveled the town, kicking everyone who lived there out, and built his headquarters there. The pseudo democracy had taken over the Indigo League's castle, and met there. It was nerve wracking for me to be so close to our enemies.

Anyways, Viridian Forest was massive compared to how big it was in the past. It stretched for miles—the giant landmass of the combined regions had grown over the centuries due to it being formed all the way in the past thanks to Synis messing with time even more. That's why Rubin and I hadn't bumped into the base those times we had ventured out in the forest while we were at Mount Silver. Only Grey and Navy knew where it was, so we had to follow them. The Pokemon were pretty weak, just like in the past, so that wasn't a problem. We actually had to be careful not to kill them.

Like always, I felt oddly calm and at peace while in the Viridian Forest. I could think straighter in here. I guess it had to do with my powers, and being chosen by the forest. I felt at home here in the cool under the trees. I wouldn't want to leave when the time came.

We finally came out from a whole line of trees, entering a clearing of sorts. The base was simple on the outside, being a one story gray concrete building with some windows. It was huge, but then again, this clearing was huge, too, and we were in a gigantic forest.

"Okay, how are we supposed to get in and out without being caught?" Rubin asked the two men who were in front of us, Grey and Navy.

They turned around to face us. It was planning time, I guess.

"It's Friday, which means Flax isn't here," Navy said, still serious. "He always goes out on Fridays. Pink is injured, so she's no real threat, if she's even here. Karen's always at Synis's castle, and only comes back to crash for the night. Maroon and Verdant... Well, hopefully they're out on a job or something."

"There are two entrances," Grey said, business mode on, though this was his kid we were rescuing. "One in the front, the other in the back. We'll take one, you the other, just to be safe."

Navy nodded in agreement. "That's the plan. So we'll meet in Pink's room, where Cade is. Grey, you know where—nevermind, you do. Nothing's changed since you left."

Grey gave him a dry, annoyed look.

"If you bump into anyone, just knock them out," Navy continued, ignoring his friend. "There are a lot of maids. A freaking lot."

I really did not want to know why. "Okay, we've got this," I said, and they all looked at me. "Let's go!"

We split up then. Grey took Fiori and Safaia to the back entrance, while Rubin and I followed Navy to the front. It was an electric door, so I released Raiden and had him zap it. It beeped, and slid open after a moment. Navy took a cautious step inside to see if the coast was clear. He gestured us forward, and as we entered the base we took out our guns, and put them on stun. Raiden perched himself on my shoulder, as usual.

We walked down a dim hallway, our shoes thudding on the linoleum floor, which then came to a T. Navy led us to the left door, and it opened up without a hitch. We walked down another hallway that was dimly lit, so I couldn't see my surroundings well. The next door at the end opened up to a huge, fancy living room was that empty of life. There were black leather couches and futuristic coffee tables. The walls were painted a creamy color, and the carpet was bright white.

"We barely ever used it," Navy said once we all stepped inside and the door was shut behind us. "Flax did, though, whenever he brought home a girl... or two."

I wrinkled my nose in disgust, while Rubin snorted.

"Nothing surprises me about that guy now," Rubin said, shaking his head. "After what he tried to do to Cerise..."

Navy nodded in agreement, and looked around. "C'mon, the bedrooms are this way."

We followed him through the living room. Right when we got to the door on the other side of the room, it opened up on Navy, who had been about to grab the door knob. And standing in the doorway was none other than a startled Verdant. Rubin and I froze—crap, we were trying to avoid the admins, not find them!

"Navy! What're you doing here?" he asked, looking up at the guy, his eyes wide with shock, before quickly glancing behind him at us.

"We're here for Cade, Verdant," he said calmly. "Grey and two others took the other exit. You're not going to cause trouble, are you?"

He blinked, surprised. "What, me? Naw." He rubbed the back of his head, messing up his short ponytail. "I was just about to go out, actually. But if you need help, I'm game!"

Whoa, Verdant just offered to help us. Was he not happy as an admin now? Would he defect, too? This was insane. Why did this keep on happening?

Navy froze up in shock. "You... want to help?"

Verdant shrugged. "Why not? Cade deserves better than this. Pink'll hate it, but I don't care about her. Everything's that happened to her serves her right. She's so annoying."

"All right," Navy said, relaxing. "We're meeting up in Pink's room. Is she there?"

Verdant shook his head. "Nope, she's at the castle in the infirmary. Arceus, it's been so peaceful without her around."

Navy snorted, and then turned around to face us. "Don't worry about Verd—he's always been a little iffy on the Government. You can trust him."

"Yep!" Verdant exclaimed cheerily, giving us a friendly smile and wave. Then his expression turned a bit more serious. "Oh, Topaz, sorry about that time in Cherrygrove. I think I was drugged or something. I normally would never be so mean!"

I sweatdropped, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "It's fine, Verdant."

"Okay, good," he said, looking relieved. "I don't want anyone to be mad or hate me!"

Rubin stared at him. " I don't remember you being this nice."

"Aw, you flatter me!" he laughed, waving him off, his cheeks tinting pink. "You just haven't seen much of me, that's all."

Navy cleared his throat, and we all looked at him. "We need to get moving. We don't have all day."

"Right, sorry," Verdant said, moving out of the doorway so we could walk through, which we did. "I get distracted by cute faces."

Oh, that reminded me. Didn't Navy mention that Verdant was gay? Wait... That meant he was either talking about Navy or Rubin. Oh my Arceus. Navy didn't looked bothered by the comment; he was probably used to it. Rubin, on the other hand, had an expression that basically said what the freak?

"Well," I said mischievously. "If you're talking about Rubes, I have to agree. His cute face is very distracting."

Verdant giggled. "Yeah, it's not my fault all the guys around me are so darn adorable!"

"Oh Arceus," Rubin sighed. "Topaz, what are you doing? You've been hanging out with Gold too much."

"Ooooh, Gold!" Verdant exclaimed, his green eyes brightening up. "His eyes are gorgeous."

I couldn't say anything about that without Rubin possibly getting angry with me, so I kept quiet. I don't know why, but the fact that this bugged Rubin a little amused me, and I felt like teasing him. Maybe Gold was rubbing off of me. He was my best friend, after all, even though that had mainly been in the past.

"All right, guys," Navy said, catching our attention. "We really need to get moving now."

"Right, right, I'm so sorry," Verdant said, blushing more. "I got you distracted, it's all my fault!"

"All's cool, Verd," Navy reassured him, stepping forward to head down the hall.

Rubin and I followed him, and Verdant followed us. Raiden's claws began to dig into my shoulder as he tensed up. The green-haired boy passed all three of us to lead the way down the hallway. When we came to the end, there were three doors on each side, and one at the very end facing the rest of the doors. There was a white door, then gray, and then yellow on one side. On the other side there was a red one, then blue, and lastly green. The door at the end was pink.

"Let me guess," Rubin said, looking at the admin. "Color codes?"

"Yeah," Verdant replied, nodding. "Dunno why Karen's is white, though."

He walked down to the pink door, and opened it up. We walked down, and stepped inside, and he followed behind us. Everything inside the room was pink. Literally—the walls, the carpet, the furniture, the bedding. Everything. The bed was loaded with pillows. The crib that was pressed up against the far wall in front of us was even pink.

"Okay, I am officially done with the color pink," Rubin said, his blue eyes wide. "Arceus."

"Ditto," I said, looking around with distaste.

But now we had to focus. The baby had to be in that crib. How could they even leave him alone like this? I walked over to it, crossing the room. Rubin followed me after a moment. We both stopped in front of the crib, and looked down inside.

There was a baby boy, as we expected. He was the cutest thing, rivaling little Aqua, even. He had to be around ten or eleven months old. His little head was covered in brown hair, and his eyes were bright red, though not as deep a shade of crimson as my siblings. He was wearing a blue onsie, which relieved me from all the pink.

"Oh my Arceus, he's so cute!" I exclaimed.

"Man, he really does look like Grey," Rubin said, surprised.

I reached down to pick Cade up. He squealed, and started squirming. He settled down once I was holding him properly, balanced on my hip. He made a gurgling noise, and started sucking on his thumb.

"Whoa, he likes you!" Verdant exclaimed with surprise. "Usually he flips out and starts crying if someone other than Pink and a certain maid pick him up."

I let out a light laugh, and the baby looked up at me. "Well, that's good."

"Okay," Navy said, and I turned around to face him, as did Rubin. "Now we just have to wait for-"

The door opened up, and in walked our missing friends plus one—Maroon. Of course, Rubin, Navy, and I froze up, thinking we were caught. Cade reached out and started playing with my hair tied back in its typical high ponytail, tugging on it.

"Oooh, you found them, Maroon!" Verdant exclaimed excitedly. "Perfect!"

"Yeah," Maroon said with a nod. "Obviously."

Grey, meanwhile, had his eyes locked on his son, still trying to grasp the fact that he was a father. Fiori looked at him too, hiding her emotions with a poker face. Safaia was the only one who didn't look bothered.

I adjusted my hold on Cade, lifting him up higher on my hip, and walked over to the three of them. Rubin followed me, and Navy and Verdant walked closer to the little gathering.

"Grey, this is Cade," I said gently. "Isn't he just adorable? He really does look like you." I paused for a moment. "Do you wanna hold him?"

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, still unsure. I gave him a reassuring smile, telling him silently that it was okay. Finally, he nodded, still not saying a word. I held the baby boy out to him, and he took him carefully and gently. Due to Verdant's comment, I expected him to start crying, but he didn't. Instead he let out a happy squeal, and poked Grey in the face, like he knew that was his father. I couldn't help but smile and laugh a little. Everyone around us smiled, too—Fiori's expression even softened a little.

"Why didn't you tell me, Navy?" he asked, his eyes not moving from the baby in his arms. "I had the right to know."

Navy grimaced, and then crossed his arms over his chest. "Think about the situation, Grey. I had just joined you after betraying the Government. Nobody really trusted me. What was I supposed to say? 'Oh, by the way, Grey, you knocked up Pink and have a kid'. I don't think so." He paused, his gaze flickering down to the floor. "Especially since you were finally getting yourself together... and were happy with Fiori."

Navy was right. Everything he said make perfect sense. And I agreed with him one hundred percent. Even if he did tell, I highly doubted any of us would have believed him. It sounded so unbelievable, and at the time Navy joined us, it was.

Grey looked up this time, his eyes dark. "Well, it's a little too late for that now." He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut, and then reopened them. He held his son back out to me, and I took him back quietly. "Let's go." He turned around, ready to head for the door.

"Wait!" Verdant called out hastily, and he stopped, turning back around. "There's something we have to give you."

"That's right," said Maroon, nodding. "If you'll wait just one second I can go get it."

"All right," Grey said with yet another sigh. "Hurry up."

Maroon walked past him, and then we all ended up leaving the room. Verdant shut the door behind us after he quickly grabbed Cade's blanket, which he handed to me. I should have thought of that. I wrapped him up in the blanket. Maroon went into his own room, the one with the red door, and Verdant followed him inside. We waited in the hall, and I could tell Grey was really getting impatient. Cade started sucking on his thumb again, looking up at me with his big red eyes.

When the two admins came back out, Maroon was carrying something large and round wrapped up in a white cloth. Verdant uncovered it partially, revealing a smooth, white stone of sorts. What was that?

Fiori gasped, her eyes growing wide. "That's... That's the Light Stone! How'd you get it?"

"Synis sent us with Black Kyurem from the past to chase Reshiram," Maroon explained. "It forced Reshiram into the Light Stone, but not long after it separated from Zekrom, forming into the Dark Stone."

"But the Dark Stone is already here, right?" Safaia asked. "That's what I heard, anyways. It's in the Nacrene Museum, right?"

"Yeah," Maroon said with a nod. "We sent the Dark Stone back in time, giving it to the museum."

"...Time is so freaking screwy," Safaia deadpanned, and then sighed.

"Synis gave it to his son, but Reshiram never chose him," Verdant added. "So Jet just let us have it."

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Safaia exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Synis has a kid?"

"Another kid?" I clarified, shocked.

Even Grey looked shocked, and he had been with the Government for a short time.

"Yeah," Maroon said. "Jet is Jewel's younger twin brother. They don't know the other exist, though. I don't know why. But it would probably be the best to keep it that way."

Oh. Same mother, then. That was less of a big deal. Though I was dying to know who the other was. And I had to wonder why Synis kept them apart. This was so weird and confusing. I would never understand Synis.

"Jewel is Synis's daughter?" Safaia shrieked.

Oh, I forgot she didn't know.

"Uh, yeah," I said, sweatdropping. "It's... a long, complicated story." Like everything else.

"But she's so nice!"

"We know," Rubin said, also sweatdropping.

"Jewel was raised differently than Jet," said Verdant. "She's too submissive, though. If Synis hadn't made Karen watch us admins around her, who knows what Flax could have done to her."

Maroon grunted. "She's a good kid. Jet's just whiny."

"Yeah," Verdant agreed, nodding. "Anyways, we really want you to have the Light Stone! If you can release Reshiram, you'll be able to take Kyurem down more easily."

"You're condemning yourselves by helping us," Grey said, somewhat quiet. "Are you sure about this?"

Maroon nodded, his eyes serious. "Don't worry about us. We'll be fine."

"And who said Synis would even find out?" Verdant said with a mischievous grin and wink.

"All right then," Grey said. "We'll take it."

Verdant wrapped the stone back up, and then Maroon handed it to Grey, who then put it away in his backpack. I couldn't believe it. We could have Reshiram now. Would the legendary Poke choose me, like in that statue?

"You know the way out," said Maroon. "We'll erase the surveillance cameras. Just get out."

Grey nodded. "Right. Thanks, Maroon, Verdant."

And then we headed out.

...

June 7, 5001.

(Fiori's POV)

I just couldn't hate Cade.

He was too cute, and, well, he looked way too much like Grey.

But I couldn't help but feel betrayed by him, even though all this happened nearly two years ago, before we even met, back when I was still in the past. It was just so shocking. I never thought he would do that kind of thing. I mean, with Am, it was no surprise, considering the whole 'Kimu issue' we all supposedly had. Sapph's scare with Goldy was even expected. But Grey? I never thought of it.

And I was a Kimu, though I was, indeed, a virgin.

I still felt betrayed.

And angry about how the little whore had to just rub it in. At least I could kill her now and not have to worry about the kid being hurt because of it now.

But I couldn't talk to Grey, much less look at him. It had been hard enough for me to work with him during the rescue, and I knew both he and Safaia noticed. But he didn't mention it to me. He barely talked the whole time.

I didn't want to end out relationship. I loved him, and I didn't usually react as harshly to problems as I had done this time, but I had no idea how I could talk to him after being as distant as I had been lately.

So I decided to offer to help take care of Cade. I forced myself to find him, and, of course, talk to him.

"Um, Grey?" I peeked into the lounge on the floor in N's castle that held our bedrooms. I had asked Am where he was.

Grey looked up from his paperwork, his eyes widening slightly in surprise to see me. Cade was on the floor, playing with some toys. I guess Diamonda was too busy to watch him, or Grey was being his stubborn self and wanted to do things his way himself.

"Fiori," he said, sounding tired.

It made my heart ache to see him like this. Was I causing him even more pain?

I took a deep breath, and steeled myself, forcing myself to take a step inside. "Um... Is there anything I can do to help? I mean, with Cade..."

He was silent, looking down at his son for a moment. "You don't have to do anything, Fiori. This is my own doing, and I'll take full responsibility for my actions and handle it on my own."

I knew by his tone he was serious. I bit my bottom lip, trying to figure out how to respond.

"Grey... You don't have to do this on your own," I told him quietly. "Diamonda would be the best choice for help. I'm pretty sure Topaz, and even Jade, would be willing to help, too... And... And you have me..."

He looked up at me and met my eyes. "Do I still have you?"

I knew exactly what he was talking about. He was asking if I was going to stay with him or not after all of this. I already knew the answer, even if I still didn't feel like I could entirely trust him. But I believed we could work through this.

"Yes, you do," I said truthfully. "And I'm going to help you with Cade, whether you like it or not."

...

(Grey's POV)

Later that day, I sat at one of the desks in the office room we had set up, doing paperwork for the air force. Now that Fiori was watching Cade for me, I could actually get some work for me. I was very grateful, and relieved that she decided to give me a second chance. Though the paperwork was far from my mind. I was having trouble focusing, and I really needed to get this done.

I especially couldn't get Cade out of my head. He was the kid I never knew I had, which then led me to thinking about Pink... and what had happened that night.

I set down my pen, and rubbed my eyes. This was the last thing I wanted to think about. But now that it was engraved into my thoughts, I had no other choice.

Ever since Synis had saved me from that warehouse in Petalburg City two years ago, that girl had been after me. No one was good enough for her. Not Flax, not Maroon, not even Verdant, who had been confused about his sexuality at the time. I was the mysterious, aloof new guy who was given rank over Flax.

Flax and I had never gotten along. He hated me for having power over him, and I disliked him for his rude nature. I only started truly hating him when Synis sent him after Topaz, who I still had feelings for at the time. Only then did we truly start clashing.

Still, I paid little to no attention to Pink, which aggravated her. I got along well with Maroon, Navy, and Verdant. I respected Karen, and she respected me. Pink tried everything to get my attention, and it always failed.

Then, one day, not long before I defected, betraying the Government, she came to my room. I was very troubled at the time, confused on my feelings and my beliefs and morals. I had no idea what I was doing anymore. I knew Synis wanted Topaz, but I had no idea why, and it drove me crazy. I felt like I was losing myself.

It was late—almost midnight—and I was laying on my bed, in my pajamas, staring at the ceiling. I was trying to figure myself out. I was so conflicted.

Then she knocked on my door.

I forced myself up off my bed, and dragged myself to the door, and opened it. And there she was.

"Hi, Grey," she said.

And I promptly shut the door in her face. But she was fast, and she lodged her foot in the doorway, which kept the door open. I gave her a dark glare, forcing my eyes to stay on her face, not her cleavage. I had been immature and hormonal once before. I was only sixteen at the time, after all.

"What?" I asked her flatly.

She pushed the door back open. "Why don't you let me in?"

"Why would I want to do that?" I deadpanned. "Go away."

I shut the door again, and this time she moved her foot out of the way. Smart girl, I would have crushed it. By the time I had laid back down on my bed, though, she had reopened the door and had stepped inside, closing the door behind her. That girl did not take no for an answer.

The bed lurched as she plopped herself down on it. I glowered at the ceiling, ignoring her. I wasn't about to acknowledge this invasion of my privacy.

"Oh, Grey-ay," she said in a sing-song voice. "You know it's rude to ignore a lady when she's in your room."

"Lady?" I scoffed, still staring at the ceiling. "Where?"

"Ha ha," she mock laughed. "Hilarious. That was so funny I forgot to laugh."

"Glad I entertained you," I deadpanned.

The bed jerked as she moved, and the next thing I knew, she was leaning down on top of me, her hands pressing up against my chest.

"Wrong kind of entertainment, handsome," she drawled.

I narrowed my eyes, knowing exactly what she meant. "Get off of me. If you want that, go to Flax."

She pouted, and leaned back, sitting herself down on my lap. "But I'm tired of him! I want something fresh."

"Too bad," I said, getting irritated. "Now get off of me."

But she still wasn't leaving, and my resistance, which was extremely low back then compared to now, was waning. I wanted to be distracted from all my troubles, and she was offering me a distraction.

"You're so uptight, Grey," she said. "Let me help..."

She slid her hands under my shirt, leaning forward as she did so. I froze, my whole body going rigid. I had no idea what to do, and I was kind of freaked out by what she was doing, having never experienced such a thing before. She pulled off my shirt, and then put her face right up to mine.

"You know you want to," she breathed.

And by that point, I did. Oh, I did. And as everyone knew now, I gave in.

"Grey?"

I looked up from the paper, realizing I had zoned out, deep in thought. It was Fiori peering around the doorway, holding something in her hands, which I couldn't see.

"Hey," I said. "What's up?"

Before she had come to talk to me, I had been sure that Fiori hated me for what I did. I didn't blame her; I hated myself. I had been so weak back then. I knew I had lost her trust, and I wanted so badly to regain it. I loved her, and I hated myself for hurting her.

"I brought you so some," she said, lifting a basket into view. "That is, if you're hungry."

As if on cue, my stomach growled. Loudly. I sweatdropped with embarrassment.

"I take that as a yes," she said, snickering for the first time in the past few days.

She stepped inside, and I cleared off my desk of the clutter of paper and other things to make room. She pulled up a chair, and set the basket down on the desk. She sat down, and then opened the basket up. She pulled out two soda pop bottles, one for her, the other for me. I took a drink immediately, not realizing how famished and thirsty I was.

She took out the food next—homemade hamburgers and fries. That was favorite meal from when I was kid, and I think I told her once. It was simple, but it meant home to me. Not just my home here in the future, but my home back in the past. Fiori had no idea how much this simple gesture meant to me, especially what had just happened to us.

"Fiori..." I couldn't finish my sentence.

She looked up at me, her eyes startling pink, pausing in getting all the food out and organizing it on the desk.

"Thank you."

She cracked me a grin. "It's nothing, Grey."

WOOT, EARLY UPDATE

Today is the EXACT day that Amethyst Kimu was born on the earth: July 22nd, 2012. The world will never be the same again.

This was actually two chapters, but I had to take out a lot, so I combined them. The next chapter will be about Synis's past, and the long awaited Eden, which, basically, is Topaz's birthday, so I'm pretty sure you can imagine what's happening. Then there's only a few more chapters, and then the Perma Arc is COMPLETE.

Man.

But I hope this chapter explained a lot. And yes, there is hope for ForestFairy!

SO GO AND REVIEW