Update August 2013: This chapter has been updated and revised from its original version. Past errors have been fixed and adjustments have been made but the plot of the chapter, characters, and events have remained the same.

Yeah, I know, I updated late again. But hey, it's not my fault that my brain decided that it wanted to change up this chapter a bit at the last minute to make it as satisfying as possible! I'm seriously sorry, guys. This was a particularly hard chapter for me to write, so I hope you all understand me. An hour isn't that late anyway, right? Heh heh...

But anyway...

I swear, I did not expect to reach 1,000 reviews already, and I don't think I could ever thank you guys enough. I thought I'd have to wait until at least after this chapter, but you wonderful people actually helped me to reach 1,000 yesterday! Thank you all so much! I literally could not stop smiling! I could finally cross another thing off my bucket list! You're all so amazing! Please keep those reviews coming, because my appreciation for them certainly hasn't stopped—and I don't think it ever will!

Thank you all so much, and much love to you all! Now, for all of you Oldrivalshippers out there, this chapter was written especially for you all until I can think of a good plot for the spinoff. Enjoy! :)

Responses to Reviews...
Inkorporated: Haha, I didn't think the title would be misleading. And yes, I have a dog—she's my baby. ;D I'm sorry! I'm lucky that it did!
apreala: Yes! My story isn't considered cliché! Thank you! :D
berriesxcakes101: Thank you very much!
LoveLoverGrl: :D
Acetrainer777: Thanks!
theasianwonder: Haha, I'm glad!
Tinytogepilover: Oh, I didn't even see that! The laptop that I was using made the font too small for me to see clearly! Thanks for pointing it out! :D
The Last Poison Apple: Seriously? I don't know if it was due to the early hour or not, but the skytrains were practically empty! Very soothing ride. :)
EeveeTransformed: Well, I need a little cliché here and there. ;D Psh, I wouldn't mind extending it—too bad I'm fresh out of ideas! Wah! Hahaha, that's so funny, and I'm totally with you on the pictures of Tom Felton. Have you ever seen his Fault magazine photoshoot? *Drools*
Guest: That, my dear, is called some heavy making out. ;D
eletrickarmax3: It's alright! You still reviewed at least once, and I must thank you for that! Thank you for the support!
Claudette14: Oh, I could never imagine Ash being with May or Dawn; they're all kind of like siblings, you know? I'm sorry, but there probably won't be a sequel. I'm done. xD Haha, I updated late because I just got back from the airport! Too tired to get on Fanfiction!
SparksFly'SkyHigh: Lol, no, I actually took the line from the thirtieth chapter of this story. I didn't copy anyone. xD
eonentity22: Haha, thank you, thank you very much. xD
Fprmr1: I know. One more chapter to go. xP
eeveeluvr: :D
contestshippingrose: I update every weekend! Next weekend will be my last. :P
Guest: Corny Drew ftw! ;D
xstaticgurlxx: Oh gosh, how in the world could I fit that into the plot? Lol, I'd have to bump up the rating from T to M.
PorcelainDollxx: I was debating on making her beg, but I couldn't write Drew as such a cold-blooded person. ;D
Horselover: Unfortunately, I'm just going to leave this story as it is. I just can't see a sequel for it. :P
AzukiDoll: Oh, you can do that? Why am I just now finding these things out? O_o Lol, naturally, French kissing will come with making out. ;D
AdorableMe: It's fine! People forget sometimes. :) Lol, they're too young to get married! They just got out of high school, after all! You can read fanfics on the Nook? Thank you!
xDragonairx: It's okay! I need a job. :\ Nooo, I did not marry them—they're too young. I'm going to have to postpone Absol, because all of the inspiration for it has been sucked dry. I'm currently in the process of rewriting it. :\
shanasakura-scarlet21: Well, I do love me some hot chocolate-induced make-out sessions. ;D Have fun reading this chapter if you're thinking about Leaf and Gary!
Pear-Shaped: Wait, you just had winter break? What in the world? It's still summer where I am! o_O No, I must thank you all for supporting me! I wouldn't have written this if I didn't get the wonderful support that you all gave me. :D
Otaku'25: Thank you! :D
Mistress of Madness: I had a lot of fun portraying Jimmy; he's such a funny and sweet guy! Lol, I think 'he' would work just fine—being gay doesn't make Harley a girl. And yes, Brock got Solidad! Surprise, huh? :D Thank you for reading my fic!
dorkyreader859: Haha, I'm torn as well. xD Thank you very much!
Sunny: No, it's alright! I think it's really refreshing! I understand; I'm like that with Chinese. I'm great at speaking it, but I couldn't write it or read a lot of it to save my life. Have fun on your vacation!
Contestshippingf: Oh, I adore Brunetteshipping—I honestly don't understand it, either. :P Did you have fun on vacation?
LoveIsMayxDrewAndAshxMisty: Aw, I'm sorry I made you cry!
citrasama: Haha, I'm glad you did! :D
: You're so generous—thank you! :)
Sora-May: Thank you! I can't believe I actually made you emotional. Sorry. :P
KK: I know, right? ;D
OrangesAreAwesom: Thank you very much! :)
parkhyunjae: Thank you so much! :D Ah, yes—Drew and his innuendos! Haha!
Guest: No, you're amazing! :)

Love Unexpected chapter 41

Many weeks passed since May's departure, and Leaf had struggled for every day of those weeks. Not a night had passed when she hadn't gone to bed with an aching heart.

Every day at the crack of dawn, she would rise out of bed in order to get ready for the day. She would brush her teeth, wash her face, shower, and then get dressed. After that, she would gather her hair into a ponytail and leave her room.

A short breakfast was the next thing, usually consisting of nothing more than a plate of scrambled eggs, with toast and a few slices of hondew berries. She rarely found time to make anything else, especially since she barely even had time to finish the meal. And the only beverage that she ever drank was coffee for without her daily dose of caffeine, there was no way for her to remain on her feet.

Research took up the remaining time after breakfast before lunch. She would scurry about the large lab of her late mentor, helping out the lab assistants whenever it was necessary and making sure that everything ran smoothly. She hardly found time to stop for something as simple as a glass of water to replenish her thirst. That usually had to wait until lunchtime for her.

Lunch was just as short of a meal as breakfast was, perhaps even shorter. A cup of instant noodles was usually the food of choice since it saved both time to cook and eat. A little bit of hot water from the water cooler and the dish was ready within five minutes time. If she felt hungry afterward, she would fill the remaining space in her belly by drinking cups of water.

Tending to the pokémon at the lab was always the next on the daily agenda. She enjoyed it the most, for she loved the interaction with the pokémon. They all got accustomed to seeing her face at certain times of the day, and often greeted her enthusiastically. She would check up on them in each individual area of the vast fields in the back of the lab, and spare a little time to play with them.

The water pokémon were her favorite since there was a blastoise that she was particularly fond of. She would always spend a little extra time with the large water-type, speaking softly to it for both of their benefits. She needed to report the condition of a certain professor in the lab that the two shared a growing concern for.

Dinnertime was the only time of the day that she got to see him, the professor that she and Blastoise were so concerned about. He would sit at the dining table with her after the cook got the food on the table, rarely speaking to her throughout the course of meal. The only times that they ever did talk was whenever he had a question about the pokémon or the research that she had done earlier on in the day. On the rare occasion that she would inquire about how he was holding up emotionally, he would appear reluctant to answer, and that conversation would somehow wind up on the subject of research again before dying off. It seemed to be the only thing he cared about, what was going on with the lab.

But it wasn't like he didn't do any work throughout the course of the day. If anything, he probably did more than she did.

He had completely engrossed himself in his work ever since that day in February, when he had let go of the most important person in his life after his late grandfather. His broken heart had forced him into working endlessly, with the hopes that maybe, if he worked hard enough, he would be able to forget that person.

Most of the time, the method was successful.

But other times, it was not.

Sometimes, that person's face still managed to force its way into his head. The heart-shaped face of a girl, with the most magnificent eyes that he'd ever seen on anyone, encased in a frame of long, thick lashes. They were blue, like the color of sapphires, and popped like the jewels they were against her ivory-toned skin. Brunette waves always framed her beautiful face, possessing the same, long length that it did before she cut most of it off.

Maybe that's when she cut off her feelings for him off as well.

Regret still plagued him whenever he saw her face, and the reminder that he had waited too long still haunted him. He'd waited too long to tell her of his feelings for her, all because of his arrogance, and in return, he'd lost her. She had moved on to another guy that could make her happier than he could, and thus, could no longer find any place in her heart to hold any feelings for him. Any feelings that weren't platonic, anyway.

It bothered him every day, the thought of what could possibly have happened had he told her about his feelings sooner. Perhaps their relationship could have gone on from being platonic. Perhaps their relationship could have evolved into something romantic. Perhaps he might have never gotten into the picture. Perhaps she'd never have to choose between them. Perhaps she'd never have chosen him.

Perhaps everything might have happened differently.

It was tough, living with regret, and the constant wondering of what could have been. It was all because of him that it'd never happened, and so he made sure to blame himself daily for it. There was never a day when he didn't do so.

And then there was the perplexity that he felt every day since her departure as well. But it was perplexity felt toward another brunette girl in his life—Leaf. His late grandfather's last disciple. The girl who had never left his grandfather's lab, even after his death. The girl who was working hard every day to keep the lab running, a job that wasn't hers to begin with. The girl who had stayed.

He didn't understand why she did it—why she didn't just pack up and leave the lab. What was left for her after his grandfather's death? Why had she chosen to stay? Was it because she felt obligated to his grandfather to stay?

He couldn't think of another reason. Surely she wasn't enjoying all of the work, for on the rare days where he actually to looked her, she nearly looked as miserable as he did. The bags under her eyes were becoming more and more evident, she losing more and more weight, and she was looking more and more stressed. So, if an obligation to his grandfather wasn't binding her to the lab, then what was?

Curiosity eventually got the best of him one day, and he finally decided to ask her. He was walking through one of the hallways of the lab, pondering over the possible reasons of her stay as he looked, when he spotted her bustling around one of the research rooms, and so he lingered by the doorway to watch her.

She had a stack of binders in her hand, heading over to a bookshelf, when she stopped in front of a picture frame on a wall. The frame contained a picture of himself and his grandfather happily posing together, taken long before his grandfather's dead. She stood in place for a while, her eyebrows furrowed as she took in the faces of the two professors. The look in her eyes was unreadable as she assessed the faces.

After a moment, she sighed.

"Why did he have to go?" he heard her ask, sadness lacing around the edges of her voice. "Why can't he just come back?"

Assuming that he had found out the reason behind her, he refrained from confronting her then. Thinking that she just missed his grandfather, he pulled away from the doorway and continued down the hallway, allowing her some time to herself to mourn, as well as himself.

It had already been months since his grandfather's death, but not a day had gone by where he didn't think of his grandfather once. He still missed him—nearly every minute of every day—and didn't think he would ever stop. That was another reason why he busied himself with work every day—he needed something to take his mind off his grandpa. He didn't want to be reminded that he no longer had anyone that he loved by his side anymore.

Again, that method only managed to work so many of the times.

Perhaps that's why Leaf worked so hard as well—she didn't want to be reminded of the professor's death, either. She barely spoke to him, and whenever she did, it was always research-related. But on the rare occasion that she'd actually ask about how he was holding up with everything, he wouldn't know how to answer her, and so would stir the conversation back to research. And always not too long after that, the conversation would die. She never tried to start up another one.

That was why he was so surprised when she was the one to confront him later on during that same day. As he was tending to the rapidash at the stables, he saw her coming up to the fence from the corner of his eye.

When he turned around to face her, she offered him a tentative smile.

"Hi," she greeted.

He mustered a small smile in return, ignoring his bewilderment.

"Hey," he greeted back.

A brief, awkward silence followed, and Leaf stuck her hands into the pockets of her white lab coat. For a moment, she forgot what she was there for, and so turned to the rapidash for a conversation topic. She slowly approached the one that Gary was brushing.

"Can I brush her?" she asked.

Gary instantly handed the brush to her without question.

She took it in her hand, ignoring the slight jolt of her heart when their hands met, and immediately started to brush the rapidash. She ran the soft bristles along the gleaming cream-colored fur, gently stroking it along the pokémon's round stomach.

"How's she doing?" she asked, while using her free hand to smooth down the pokémon's hairs.

"She's been doing great," Gary responded as he affectionately stroked the pokémon's fiery mane, marveling at the odd, cooling sensation of the flames. "She's been pacing a lot and pawing at her stall lately, though. I think she might go into labor soon."

"Does her trainer know?"

"He called a few days ago and said that he would be coming soon to check up on her."

"That's good," Leaf murmured with a soft smile, enjoying the the peacefulness in the atmosphere.

"Yeah," Gary muttered, and then slowed his petting of Rapidash to look over at the brunette. "So, what's up, Leaf? You didn't just come out here to ask about Rapidash, did you?"

Leaf blinked her brown eyes once, as if snapping out of a trance. Her hands stilled for a brief moment to recall the reason for her approaching him. They resumed their movements when she did.

"Oh, I was wondering in you wanted to have dinner with me to tonight," she told him, and it was his turn to pause. Their eyes met as they looked over at one another. "I was thinking of making your favorite dinner."

"What's the occasion?" he inquired, an eyebrow raised.

"Did you honestly forget? Today's your birthday."

Gary's eyes slightly widened at the reminder, having had it completely slip his mind. His birthday was the last thing he had been thinking about lately, and he was surprised that she actually remembered.

May must have told her, he thought glumly to himself as his heart throbbed at the reminder of the last time he had seen the brunette through the phone. She had called to wish him an early birthday since she wouldn't have time to with the upcoming contests that she was to participate in with Drew.

"Is it really?" he asked, trying to drive away the memory and the sting that it brought.

Leaf nodded, a smile growing on her lips.

"It is. You won't object to me cooking a meal for you, will you? I kind of really want to bake you some of that tiramisu cheesecake that you're so obsessed with," she insisted as she ran the brush along Rapidash's side for the last time. "We should head back now while there's still some hours left of it."

Gary gave a lighthearted chuckle and nodded in agreement.

Working together, the two of them brought the rapidash back into the stables. After replacing each of the pokémon back into their individual stalls, they did a quick check of all the other pokémon in the lab's care before heading back into the building.

Leaf wasted no time when they entered. She immediately washed her hands in the kitchen sink and replaced her white lab coat with an apron, while Gary went ahead to set up the table. Excitement flooded her and she pottered around the kitchen, happily preparing a few of Gary's most favorite dishes for him. It made her happy to be able to cook for him, like it was putting a step forward in their relationship. The food couldn't cook fast enough, and when it finally did, she had to suppress her glee as she placed the plates on the table.

She thoroughly enjoyed dinner that night, delighting in the fact that the conversations that they shared flowed smoothly and without any pauses. She could see more and more of the old happiness that he used to walk around with resurfacing in him—feel the old Gary coming back—and his smiles began to look less and less forced in respect. The meal couldn't have gone any better than she had hoped—just the two of them, sharing a carefree and happy meal. By the time she brought out the dessert, her cheeks hurt slightly from all of the smiling that she had done.

"I have to say, Leaf—I had my doubts when you told me you were making tiramisu cheesecake," Gary joked as he cut off another chunk of the dessert to put into his mouth. "I didn't think you'd succeed, but this is actually pretty good."

Leaf had to smile. "Gee, thanks for doubting me, Gary."

"No problem. Do you know what would go best with this, though?"

"What?"

"A nice bottle of wine," he said with a grin, and then stood up from the table. "Wait here—I'll go get it."

Leaf watched him disappear from the dining room briefly to grab a bottle of wine from the kitchen. A moment later, he returned with an expensive-looking bottle, filled with dark red liquid, and two wine glasses. He handed her one and placed one in front of his seat before pouring them each a suitable amount and placing the bottle on the table. He sat back down in his seat just as she lifted her glass by its stem, raising it to him.

"Happy birthday," she smiled.

"Thank you," he said, smiling back as he lifted his own glass to meet hers.

They clinked.

Once the meal was over, Gary volunteered to walk Leaf back to her room. She willingly obliged, feeling quite elated at everything that had happened so far that night. But just when she was beginning to think that things couldn't have gone any better, the atmosphere. After she suggested they spend the remaining ten minutes of his birthday watching the stars out on the balcony of the lab, his mood shifted. The smile on his face slightly fell as he leaned against the railing on his elbows, a frown slowly taking its place.

It didn't take long for her to notice after she tried to coax another conversation out of him.

"What's wrong, Gary?" she asked.

He seemed to ignore her question.

"Did you know that I confessed to May on a balcony on New Year's Eve?" he asked instead.

Leaf felt disappointment flood her. She had almost forgotten of his feelings for May, and the unwanted reminder brought along just-as-unwanted pain. Pressing her lips together, she leaned back on her elbows on the railing beside him, facing the opposite direction that he was.

After throwing her ponytail over one shoulder, she looked over at him.

"What exactly happened that night?" she reluctantly asked, ignoring her mind's objections in order to satisfy her heart's desire to know.

Gary looked out at the night view of Pallet Town, as if searching for strength to recall that night's events. He decided to go with the shortest summary possible.

"At that time, I was going through a lot," he began. "There were some problems at the lab—I'm sure you remember that—and the looming possibility that I could actually lose my grandpa, my only family member left at the time, eventually got to me, and I went looking for some comfort. I thought that I could find it with May, but then I remembered that she was with Drew, and I just—"

He struggled for a moment, frowning slightly as he looked down.

"I don't know what happened, but I suddenly found it appropriate to tell her how I felt about her," he continued. "Needless to say, the outcome did not turn out the way that I wanted it to. And when I received the call from you about my grandpa, I nearly lost it. I still regret going to her that night—I shouldn't have gone. I should have stayed with my grandfather instead of attempting something that was obviously so fruitless. It didn't bring any good for anyone."

Leaf looked away from him to force back the tears that had glossed over her eyes. She couldn't get over the awful feeling that she felt over the fact that she couldn't be the one that Gary had gone to in order to confide in for comfort during that period.

She still remembered that night quite vividly as well—the call she had to make to Gary to tell him that his grandfather was about to die. It was one of the hardest things she had ever had to do—announce the upcoming death of her mentor—and she felt like crying just by remembering that feeling again. Losing the professor had been hard on her, too. But unlike Gary, she hadn't had anyone to turn to for comfort.

"You still miss them, don't you?" she eventually asked when she could muster up the courage to speak again.

Gary nodded.

"Naturally, yes," he answered. "I'll never stop missing my grandpa—he will always be the most important person in my heart—and it's hard to forget a love that's been around that long. But I know when I should be letting go." He paused for moment as he gazed off into the distance. "It's just hard sometimes, that's all."

When Leaf just nodded in reply, he directed his black eyes from the town to her.

"What about you?" he asked her. "Do you miss him? My grandpa?"

"Of course I do," she responded without hesitation. "He was more than just my mentor—he was like my father as well. He was the only person on this world that I could trust, and it wasn't easy to let him go at all. I wish he could come back all the time."

Gary swallowed to get rid of the lump in his throat. He understood her feeling completely. Then, he was suddenly reminded of something.

"Is that the reason why you're staying at the lab? And why you were talking to his picture earlier today?" he queried.

Leaf's eyebrows furrowed and she immediately looked over at him. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw you asking for him to come back in one of the research rooms today. Remember? You had a stack of binders in your arms."

Understanding dawned on Leaf as she remembered doing so. She was surprised that he had saw her; she hadn't even noticed him. But what he didn't know was that it wasn't Professor Oak that she was talking about. Not the one he was thinking of, anyway.

"I wasn't talking about your grandfather, Gary," she told him slowly. "I was talking about you."

Gary abruptly turned to look at her.

"Me?" he asked, as bewildered as he was confused. "Why me? I didn't go anywhere."

Leaf sighed and closed her eyes briefly.

"That's what you think," she whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"You think that you haven't gone anywhere, but I think you have. I don't know if you've noticed, but it seems like you haven't been yourself since your grandfather died. You've been acting differently—not at all like your old self before he died. It's like you're not...fully here. Like your mind is elsewhere," she explained.

"Seriously?" he asked, his eyes slightly widened in shock.

She nodded.

"That's the main reason why I'm staying at the lab, Gary," she clarified, turning her head to look over at him. "I'm not just staying for your grandfather. I'm staying, because I keep hoping that you're going to come back one day."

Gary stood nonplussed. His mouth was slightly agape as he took in her observation and clarification. His question had been answered, but he was now left with something else to think about. He was unable to decide whether he was more surprised at himself for not noticing anything at all, or at her for noticing so much. How was it possible that she noticed so much about him?

Knowing that he wouldn't be saying anything to her for a while, Leaf lifted her wrist to her face. Using the other hand to pull back the sleeve of her lab coat, she checked her watch.

"Well, there's two minutes left of your birthday," she said to break the silence, and dropped her wrist. "Happy birthday, Gary. I think I'm going to turn in for the night."

With a sigh, she pushed away from the balcony to head back into the lab, leaving him behind to his thoughts.

That night, when she went to bed, she was surprised to find that the ache in her heart was gone.

Instead, she was left to ponder over the night's events—just as he was—and what it meant for the road ahead of them.

Author's Note: Well, I hope you all enjoyed that. Was it good enough? I've never read any fics with Leaf in it before, so I don't really know how I wanted to portray her, so I just came up with this. It was so difficult to write Oldrivalshipping, but I hope it'll suffice since you're all going to have to make due with this chapter until I can think of a good plot for the Oldrivalshipping spinoff. They haven't become an official couple yet, but they're well on their way there. If you're filled with questions about Leaf's history, you'll have to wait for the answers in the spinoff.

Please be patient with me until then. I promise I'll do my best to make your wait worthwhile. :) Stay tuned for the final chapter next weekend! It will be up extra early since I'm nearly finished—I promise! :D