Author's Note: Hey, so I finally updated! :) Sorry about the wait. This chapter is super long so be prepared!

Story is rated teen (please note there is some vulgar language used)

The Unexpected Departure

"You better not be lying. I hate it when people play games with me." A man growled menacingly.

"Humph. I've told you all I know, now please leave." The orange haired woman replied.

"How rude. Aren't you going to at least offer me a good bye kiss for not hurting you?" He said snickering, and then leaning closer to nurse Joy's face.

"Stop it! Leave before I call the police!" She shrieked, putting her hands up in defence.

"That's enough, let's be on our way now." Another voice commanded.

The man looked back to see another character like himself standing in the doorway of the Pokemon Centre.

"Fine." He grumbled irritably. He trudged his way over to his partner; a frown hung on his face.

"The last thing we need to do is cause trouble to get ourselves noticed." The man in the doorway hissed quietly. "We must report what we've learned so far."

The other nodded in agreement and together the two hooded men left the Pokemon Centre.

"Would stop looking at Steven like that!" I said smacking Declan in the back of the head. The red head had been glaring at him the whole time we had been eating our lunch.

"Ow! Sorry! It's just that I still don't understand why he lied to me!" Declan spat, crossing his arms.

Steven's expression turned innocent as he widened his eyes slightly. "Huh?"

"You heard me!" Declan muttered angrily.

"I'm sorry, Dec. I could have sworn that I heard Raiga ask for you." Steven replied nervously, smiling sweetly and scratching the back of his head.

"I didn't though." Raiga said flatly. "Someones clearly taken too many rocks to the head..."

"Probably." Steven agreed, followed with a chuckle.

I studied Steven carefully, trying to determine if he was lying or not. Yet, he was still smiling. His hair was shining a light silver in the sun. His big blue eyes were also gleaming, showing no sign of guilt. I felt the corners of my mouth slowly turn upwards. Seeing him so happy and care free made me smile.

"What? Was Raiga's comment really that funny?" Steven asked.

It took me a few seconds to realize he was talking to me. Those blue eyes of his were glancing at me curiously.

"Uh..." I started to say.

Suddenly, a red beam shone from one the Poke balls that lay near my feet. The beam outlined the figure of a small Pokemon.

"Mud kip!" It announced loudly, waving the fin on it's head.

"Hey!" I said, putting down the sandwich I was nibbling on.

"Mud kip, you're supposed to stay in there." I stated, pointing to the empty Poke ball laying on the grass.

The Pokemon seemed to be ignoring me as it looked around cautiously. It's fin twitched as it looked from to side, scanning it's surroundings.

"Maybe it senses something is wrong." Steven suggested, also noticing it's odd behaviour.

"I doubt." I said sighing. "All this one does is cause trouble."

As if right on cue, Mud kip said it's name and then darted into the forest.

"What?" I cried, watching the little blue Pokemon scurry away. "Not again! Be right back guys!" I called out before chasing after it.

"Heh, what a rambunctious creature." Raiga stated before slurping another spoonful of his delicious soup.

"Oh, boy." Declan said shaking his head. "Out of the Pokemon my dad offered her, she and only she would end up with one like that."

"I should go after her." Steven said standing to his feet. "The last time that Pokemon ran away, she ended up in some serious danger!"

Steven ran away so fast, Declan and Raiga didn't have a chance to say anything.

"Want to just sit here and eat their share of food?" Raiga asked quietly.

Declan looked in the direction Steven had run off to and then to the untouched food before him.

"Sure." The red head responded with a crooked grin.

"I'm getting real sick of this, Mud kip!" I shouted.

The Pokemon was about three metres ahead of me, not slowing it's fast pace as it raced through the forest.

I began to pant as I pursued my Mud kip. "If this is your way of getting me to lose weight or something, I don't like it!" I said with an annoyed tone.

The trail we were on in the forest turned into an opening. There were pure grassy hills, and something else that lay in the distance that I couldn't quite make out. Mud kip was heading right for it.

"Hey! Be careful!"

Still running, I turned my head to see Steven a couple metres behind me.

"Steven!" I said keeping my eyes on him.

"Watch out!" He yelled, his eyes widening with shock.

"What?-Ahh!" I felt my shoe slip from the wet grass. My body slid forward rapidly from the fast pace I had been running. The same foot hit a rock, causing me to trip. I shrieked as I flung forward in a body of water. In shock from the fall, I sunk deep into the dirty water; with Mud kip by side. The Pokemon swam underwater happily, swimming circles around my numb body.

Using all of my strength, I immediately swam up, seeing Steven hovered over the edge as I broke the surface.

"Here." He said half laughing. He stretched out his arm towards me. I latched onto it and he pulled me of the water and onto the dry grass on the hill.

"You okay?" He asked as I coughed up some water.

"I've been better." I said dazed.

My attention then turned back to Mud kip. "Ugh, that Pokemon!" I cried on frustration. "It dragged me all the way out here just for a swim?"

Steven laughed. "Well, he is a troublesome fellow. I brought his Poke ball, so you can put him back once he's done."

"You're the best." I said sighing.

He smiled and sat next to me on the grass.

"I had a bad feeling letting you follow that Pokemon out here alone." He said taking the enormous, black back pack off his back.

"Really?" I asked smiling.

"Sure, you're the biggest klutz I've ever met!"

I hung my head to his response. "Well, excuse me! If you hadn't followed me I wouldn't have been distracted and fallen in, in the first place!" I snapped.

"...Nah, I bet you still would've fallen in." He said with a sweet smile.

"Steven you're such a – ACHOO!"

I blushed after letting out an embarrassingly loud sneeze.

"Oh, no." Steven said shaking his head. "Here, you should use this."

I watched as pulled out a soft green towel from his back pack. He moved to me closer and draped the warm fabric over my shoulders. I snuggled into the towel, tightening it around my wet body.

"Better?" He asked, glancing down.

"Y-yeah." I squeaked. I felt my cheeks burn from the closeness of his face. Whenever he looked at me with those eyes of his; I found it hard to look away.

"Hm?"

I felt my eyes bulge out of my skull as he smacked a warm hand onto my forehead.

"Hm?" He repeated. "It seemed like you had a fever or something for a second, but I guess not."

I sighed as he removed his hand. "Nope I'm fine. Just a little cold water, nothing I can't take."

"Well, in that case I'm glad." He started to stand up. "We should head back then, you need to finish your lunch."

He returned Mud kip back into it's Poke ball. As he began to turn around, I watched as my own arm flung up. He looked at me in surprise as my thin fingers clutched his wrist.

"What's ... the matter?" He asked puzzled, gazing back and forth at his wrist and my face.

"I-I... um." I stuttered with pink cheeks. That was a good question, what had I even done that?

"I want to stay here and rest!" I said letting go of wrist abruptly. "All that running Mud kip made me do has worn me out!" I said laughing like idiot.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Steven said softly, sitting next to me again. "I should have been more considerate. Just tell me when you're ready to leave."

"Okay." I said quietly, picking at the grass. He was nice; too nice. "Why does he have to be so sweet?" I thought to myself. It made it hard to be mad at the guy.

Steven sat next to me with both hands at both sides; pressed against the grass. His gaze was directed at the sky; as if he was watching the clouds.

"So, I was talking to Raiga." He said, turning attention to me. "Declan and himself are officially going to be travelling with us from now on." From his smile I could see he thought of this as a good thing.

"Really? Um...wow." I said, failing at being the least bit enthusiastic.

"What's with the down face?" Steven asked quietly. "You don't want them to travel with us?"

I didn't know how to answer that question, so I just adverted my glance to the opposite side. I liked having Raiga and Declan around, sure, but I had also enjoyed travelling a lone with Steven. I just didn't understand why.

"I must be used to having only him around." I thought to myself reassuringly. That had to be it...right?

"I prefer just having you as a travelling partner." Steven stated happily, as his reading my thoughts.

I felt a goofy smile spread onto my face. "Are you sure about that?"

"Of course." He said looking me straight in the eyes. "I've been travelling alone for quite some time before I met you. Having a dad like mine that owns such a huge business didn't really give me a chance to see him a lot as a child."

My smile twisted into a frown as I heard the ting of sadness in Steven's voice. Mr. Stone was such a kindhearted man; he probably had wished to have spent more quality time with his son as well.

"My dad's a researcher like Declan's dad." I said looking up at the clouds rolling in the blue sky.

"As a kid, I hardly saw him since he travelled around so much, looking for new kinds of Pokemon and stuff. My mom was around, but she always wanted to keep me cooped up in the house; like her. We were complete opposites. She wasn't a Pokemon trainer as a child, but a seamstress at shop in a small town. She didn't approve of me exploring on my own, but , I guess I must take after my dad! Like he used to say, "I'm daddy's little girl." I said with a small giggle.

"Anyway, I know how you must feel, Steven. The thing I used to tell myself when I felt alone was that my dad was probably feeling the same way. It made me feel better to know he was missing me too, you know?"

Steven looked at me in awe, and then followed my gaze to the sky. "But, now since you and I have met. We don't have to feel so alone." He paused. "Do you feel the same?"

I nodded, glancing at him shyly. "To be honest, I never thought I would find such an awesome person to travel with."

Steven turned his head to flash another one of his brilliant grins. "You know..." He said softly. "You might be the biggest klutz in the whole Johto region, but I've never met a girl as courageous as you. Like the way you handle that Tabitha and team Magma...it kind of blows me away sometimes." He added in a quiet chuckle.

I chewed on my lip as his words sunk in."You mean that?"

"I do." He said, turning his body so his knees were pointed towards me. "Even though you are aware that by being around me you're putting yourself in danger, you still aren't afraid. I find that amazing."

"My loyalty impresses you, does it?" I said raising an eyebrow.

"No, not just that." He said leaning closer. "Everything about you does."

I felt my jaw drop for a second and a blush arose to my face. "Had he actually just said that?" I thought frantically.

"You're different." He continued, his face close to mine. "I like that."

"Are being serious right now?" I breathed out. Inside my chest my heart was racing. He was so close that his warm breath tickled my bare neck as he spoke.

"I am, no jokes this time." His blue eyes gazed down at me. They were filled with such warmth and reassurance; I felt myself inch closer to him.

"I'm really glad I met you." He said quietly, his voice barely louder then a whisper. He titled his head slightly, slowly bring lips closer to mine.

This was it. My heart rate sped up faster as I felt his fingertips graze my jaw line. "Oh my god, he's going to kiss me." I thought flustered. Trying to calm myself, I shut my eyes and parted my lips. "I... want him to kiss me," I realized inside my head. "Am I in love with Steven?"

I felt Steven use his hand so tilt my head more to one side, the heat from his hands sent tingles all over my skin. "Three more seconds until he kisses me." I thought as I braced myself anxiously. His breath was on my lips, it would be a matter of seconds before he did it. "Three, Two, One-"

"EW! Are you two going to make out?"

I nearly fell forward as Steven abruptly turned around. A little girl, who looked about the age six, was eyeing us with huge brown eyes. She wore a yellow sun dress and had her light, brown hair in small pig tails.

"That's gross!" She stated, clearly disgusted.

"Uh..uh...?" I blurted; in shock from what had just occurred.

"What are you doing in the forest all by yourself?" Steven asked her sweetly. "Are you lost?

"Nope." The girl stated. "My mom's picking some berries, I'm just taking Cute pie out for a walk."

"Cutie pie?" Steven and I both questioned in unison.

A Eevee appeared from behind the little girl. "Yep, this is my cutie pie! Well, we better go now!" With that she and her "Cutie pie" disappeared into the forest.

There was then a tension built up between Steven and myself as we both faced away from each other. None of us said a word; only the sound of the gentle breeze could be heard.

"Should...we leave now?" He asked, breaking the deadly silence.

"Sounds like a good idea!" I said getting up quickly. I didn't even bother waiting for him as I picked up my Poke ball and strutted back the way we came.

I was definitely not going to be able to look Mr. Stone's son in the eye for a while.

"There's going to be a storm tonight." Raiga said with a frown.

"Really?" I asked, putting the now clean dishes back into his bag. We had just finished eating dinner and for me, it had been the most awkward one of my life thus far.

Steven had sat across from me, sending me little grins. I wasn't sure if he was doing it on purpose to remind me of our "almost kiss" or if I was just imagining it. Either reason, I always found myself avoiding his eyes.

"Hey, if there's a storm coming shouldn't we head to the Pokemon centre?" Declan suggested. He had finished his share of cleaning; already packed up and ready to go.

"That's a good idea. Do you approve, Steven?" Raiga asked.

"I guess we have no choice." The silver haired man replied with a shrug.

On our way to the Pokemon centre, Raiga and Steven walked in front while Declan and I followed behind.

"I still can't believe you fell into a pond." Declan said snickering at me. "Like who does that?"

"Shut up!" I said crossly.

"Make me!" He retorted.

"Come over here and I'll give your face a taste of my fist!" I said shaking my right hand at him.

"Alright, settle down children." Raiga called out irritably from ahead. "We're almost there so please suppress the want to try to kill each other for a bit longer, okay?"

When we finally arrived at the Pokemon Centre, Nurse Joy greeted us kindly. After hearing our situation she offered to let us stay in some of the "guest" rooms the Pokemon centre had for wandering Pokemon trainers. She led us to one huge room.

"Bunk...beds?" Declan said baffled.

I peered in to take a look into the room as well. Inside there was a circular mat that resembled a giant Poke ball. There was one window with purple curtains and underneath it was a white night table with an alarm clock resting on top. By the unpainted wall, two bunk beds were pressed against either sides of the room. It looked more like a room that belonged to a ten year old then a guest room.

"Lovely." Raiga said, also noticing the childish set up. He put down his belongings on the top of one of the bunk beds, clearly claiming it as his spot.

"Steven, you can have the bottom." He said sheepishly.

"Thanks, bud." Steven replied laughing.

"Oh, excuse me. But did he just say your name was Steven?" Nurse Joy asked shocked.

"Yes, it is." Steven said curiously. "Why, can I help you with something?"

Nurse Joy paused for a second, but then another sweet smile returned to her face. "I need to talk to you Steven, would you mind coming to the front desk for a moment?" With a nod, Steven followed her without hesitation. Curious as well, I began to do the same.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Hey!" I cried as Raiga tugged onto the back of my shirt, holding me back.

"Don't be such a Nosey Nelly. Steven probably left something with that nurse, he usually does when he travels into these small towns."

"Why?" I asked as he released me.

Raiga shrugged, using a hand to run his large fingers through his spiky, blonde hair, "I guess he trusts all the Nurse Joy's. They all are pretty warmhearted and loyal."

"That's true." I said, laying onto the bottom bunk bed of the bed opposite to Raiga. Just like the hefty chef, Declan had claimed that top spot of our bunk bed. "Goodnight down there." The red head sneered as Raiga flicked off the lights.

"Shouldn't we leave them on for Steven?" I asked.

"You worry about him too much. Calm down, the moon light from that window gives the room some light. And don't worry, he shouldn't be that long..." Followed with a long yawn, Raiga collapsed onto his bed.

"Someone's really tired, huh, Dec?" I asked quietly. There was no response, so I poked my head out to look upwards. Declan had tucked himself into his bed with his face turned the opposite way.

Sighing I snuggled into the warmth of own bed. Raiga had been right, the light from the window allowed me to see around the room. I turned onto my one side to glance at the clock. It read 10:01 in big read, block like numbers. Slowly I began to close my eyes, feeling the exhaustion from earlier settle in. Steven had to come back soon, but for some reason I was still worried.

"Where?"

"Outside he's... with...they.."

I could hear voices, all around. Some angry, others scared. I couldn't recognize who they belonged to though...

"Leave...SHUT UP!"

I awoke startled. Taking in sharp breaths, I looked around. Everything seemed just as it was before I had fallen asleep. Declan and Raiga were both caught in a deep slumber and the dark room was still being illuminated from the moon light from the window. The only change I had noticed was in the numbers in the clock. It was now 12:21 AM.

I flung off the covers as I got out of bed. This was just ridiculous, two hours had passed Steven still wasn't back yet. I closed the bedroom door silently behind me, being careful to not wake up Declan or Raiga. I then tip toed down the hall of the Pokemon centre, now realizing I had never ended up changing into my pyjamas. Expectantly, I wandered to the front desk to see Nurse Joy, but she was no where to be found. "She must have gone off to bed." I thought to myself. The lounging area by the front desk was also empty, the couches and chairs bare.

"Where is he?" I muttered confused.

That's when I saw them. Through the glass doors of the Pokemon Centre, the silhouettes of two men appeared. Slowly I crept over to the doorway, wondering if Steven was one of them.

"Don't forget, Stone." A gruff voice called out.

I paused, watching as one figure disappeared, leaving one other behind. I held my breath as I wrapped my fingers around the cold, steel handle of the Pokemon Centre door. With one swing, I swung the heavy door open, letting the cool night air hit my body.

Just metres away, Steven stood with his back turned. His sliver hair shone in the moon light and his hands were buried into his pockets.

"Steven!" I said taking a few steps towards him.

"Stop." He demanded.

"What?" I said, obeying. "Steven, what's going on?"

"It doesn't concern you, now go back inside." He replied bitterly.

I almost did a double take. The anger in his voice was evident; something bad had clearly happened. "I won't leave until you tell me." I said stubbornly, crossing my arms across my chest.

I watched as Steven turned around. His sliver bangs covered his eyes, shielding his expression. "Go." He growled, keeping his voice low. Steven took his hands out of his pockets, letting them hang as fists at his sides.

"I'm staying." I argued back. Something wasn't right, he was acting different. "I wonder who that other man was..." I thought angrily. "I hope Steven's not in trouble."

He lifted his head up and when he did, I nearly fell backwards. His eyes were wild with anger; it felt like I staring back at a different person. "Leave me alone!" He yelled, his fists shaking.

Startled I trembled for a second. He gave me a cold look with those eyes; the same look he had given Tabitha. Reluctantly, I whipped around and ran back inside. "What happened to him?" I thought once I was back in the safety of the bedroom. I pressed my back against the closed door of the room, gazing back and forth at the two figures lying in their beds. Declan and Raiga were still sound asleep, oblivious to what was going on.

Catching my breath, I crawled back into my own bed. I stared blankly up at the ceiling and let my mind go crazy. I couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. "Was it dangerous out there? Is he mad at me for something?" I thought sadly. I thought for what seemed like forever, my mind was not easily going to be put to ease. Then I heard it; the sound of someone twisting the door knob.

I instantly shut my eyes, pretending to be asleep. I listened as the door slowly creaked open and then shut. The sound of foot steps came closer; whoever it was, was coming towards me. I tried my best to slow my heart rate as I could sense someone hovering over my bed. Their rough breathing was ringing in my ear drums.

"Forgive me." I heard someone murmur and then I heard them slowly walk away. The door opened once more and then shut. Leaving behind an eerie silence. My eyes flung open as I sat up in bed. "Was that Steven?" I thought. Determined to get up and see, I tried lifting myself of bed. My body refused to move as I tried; it was almost two o clock in the morning. Feeling defeated, I fell back onto my bed, letting my head sink into the soft pillow. I lost consciousness, letting the image of the closed door be the last image in my mind.

"Yummy!" Declan praised as he dug into Raiga's home made pancakes.

I ate daintily, taking small bites of my food. Steven seemed to be doing the same as he sat across from me, his gaze directed somewhere else.

"Is something wrong, Steven?" Raiga asked, with his mouth full. "What did Nurse Joy want?"

"Nothing." He said smiling. "She just wanted some help with something."

"Liar." I thought to myself. Steven had been talking to someone else, his voice had sounded devious; almost evil. "I need to find out who that other man was."

"What's this?" Declan pulled out a pamphlet from Raiga's back pack. "A festival!" The red head said grinning. "It says there's going to be a festival held in a town close by, tonight."

"I know." Raiga replied, putting down his food. "Would you guys want to go? I hear they are pretty entertaining."

Declan and I nodded. "A festival sounds great." I said smiling. It would also give me a good excuse to take my mind off of what had happened last night.

"It does indeed." Steven said returning a smile. "We could see the fireworks show together, what do you think about that plan?"

I noticed he was talking to me, his eyes no longer violent. The smile of his face seemed to be painted on as he stared at me anxiously.

"I'd rather see them with Declan." I said flatly, getting up. "I'll be waiting for you guys outside, please excuse me." With that, I walked away; leaving the others to sit there in shock.

"You just got...wait for it...REJECTED." Raiga announced happily, giving Declan a powerful high five.

"Whoa, she wants to go with me?" Declan said grinning. "I guess she must like me better after all." He boasted, jabbing Steven in the ribs playfully.

The silver haired man frowned and rubbed his left temple with his fingers. He stared in the direction of the doors that belonged to the Pokemon Centre; looking hurt.

"Hey, man were just kidding, but I guess you must have pissed her off or something. You know women, they get angry over the stupidest things." Raiga said reassuringly.

Steven stood to his feet, narrowing his eyes. "She has a good reason." He said before walking out of the Pokemon Centre.

I sat on the bench outside of the Centre, watching as some wild Pokemon flew in circles above. I was angry at him for not telling me what had happened, but by acting like everything was fine only made me angrier.

"Leave me alone!" The harshness of his voice still rung in my ears,

"Hey." Steven said quietly, as he sat next to me. Noticing this, I scooted away so we were on opposite sides of the bench.

"Listen." He said with a sigh. "I know you saw what happened last night, but we can't let Declan or Raiga know."

"We? Don't you mean you?" I snapped. "I don't recall you ever telling me, but just yelling instead."

"I'm sorry." Steven said softly. "Everything will make sense tonight. I'll tell you what happened if you come to the fireworks show with me tonight."

"Why there?" I asked cautiously.

"Like I said, it will make sense tonight. But you have to listen to me, okay?"

He looked completely serious so I nodded. "Fine, I'll go with you. But you have to tell me Steven, I'm just worried about you. I'm not trying to-"

"I know." He said smiling. "And I thank you for that."

"Guys, should we start heading towards the town?" Declan asked, barging through the doors of the Pokemon Centre.

"We should leave now if we want to make it in time." Raiga said glancing at the giant, black watch on his wrist.

"Then let's be on our way." Steven held a hand out to me. Hesitantly I took it and he smiled as he pulled me to my feet.

"Just what exactly are you hiding, Steven." I thought as we began to head for the town. "Do I even want to find out anymore?"

The festival was like countless others I had been too, but maybe sharing it with others had made it seem just a little more enjoyable. The town was full of life with kids and people of all ages lining up for the exciting games set up all around.

"Yeah!" Declan threw his hands up in victory after beating Raiga in their fifth game of "smack the Golbat." A game which consisted of two players trying to smack as many fake Golbats with a wooden mallet as possible.

We had already played several games, each time Declan seemed to be "owning" Raiga. Steven had been content, preferring to watch while we all played and had fun. The only thing I had convinced him to do was ride the merry go ride with me. The merry go round was huge with the horses resembling Pontya's and Radpidashe's. He had seemed to like it, laughing along with me as we rode with little children.

"It's almost nine o clock." Raiga announced as we all stopped in front of a giant fountain . The stone was sculpted into a giant Vaporean. Water fell the rocks behind the Pokemon, collecting into a pool at the bottom. It was beautifully constructed.

"The fire works start at nine." I thought, glancing back at Steven.

"Hey look!" Declan yelled, grabbing Raiga's arm. "Bet I can beat you at that game too!" The two argued as they made their way towards another game, leaving Steven and I alone by the water fountain.

"Meet me here at nine, alright?" He said before turning to walk away in the other direction.

"Where are you going?" I asked. He didn't answer, but just kept walking until he vanished into a crowd of people. I looked at my watch to see that I still had about twenty minutes to spare. "What's gotten into you?" I thought, slumping down by the fountain. "I wish he would just tell me what's wrong."

"Where's Steven?" I looked up to see Declan standing in front of me. He looked concerned, his large purple eyes holding mine.

"I don't know." I said flatly. "He was supposed to meet me here at nine."

"What? It's already twenty past nine!" Dec exclaimed. "What a jerk." With that, he took a seat next to me.

"He'll come." I said quietly. Inside though, I was feeling hurt; he had said he would tell me everything. It was starting to seem like he decided to blow me off instead.

"Are you telling me that, or are you trying to reassure yourself?"

I gasped, looking at Declan in shock and then bringing my gaze downwards to stare at my shoes. "That's a good question."

"Hey, I'm sorry. But if you still want to see the show, I'll go with you. After all, I was your original choice, right?" He said beaming.

I couldn't help, but smile. "That's kind of you, Dec, but wouldn't you rather be hanging out with Raiga?"

"Nah, he said he's had enough, Besides, this is my chance." He said with a small wink.

"His chance?" I blinked a couple of times. "What did he mean by that?"

"You coming or what?" The red head asked.

I got up and together we headed for the fire works. I kept thinking about Steven until we got there. For some reason I felt betrayed as if he had just broken my trust. I was in my own world until I felt someone slip their hand into mine.

"Oh, Dec..." I started to say.

"You look distracted. Enjoy the fireworks and my company; this is a date after all isn't it?" He said grinning crookedly.

"Um- well...sure." I said giving in. He looked so happy; it be best to have at least one guy happy with me for now.

I turned my attention to the bright fireworks in the sky. The loud sound of them shooting up and cracking filled the air along with the joyful cries of children. I scanned the large crowd; looking only for one person.

"Why didn't he show up?" I found my thoughts wandering back to Steven. My grip around Declan's hand tightened. It had seemed like earlier Steven had interest in me, almost trying to kiss me. Now he was acting like a huge jerk. I just didn't understand him!

"You okay?" Declan asked.

"Mhm." I said dazed.

"Come on, now." Declan said sighing. "Don't look so upset."

"Sorry...I'm just worried about Steven." I admitted remorsefully.

"Oh." Declan smirked. "I know what will get your mind off him..."

I watched curiously as Declan pulled me closer so we were inches away. He let go of my hand, resting his on the small of my back. He used his other hand to hold the back of my head, letting his fingers comb through my hair. As he began to lean in closer I started to realize what he was trying to do.

"Declan- w-wait!" I cried. A hand grabbed his collar, pulling the red head back; away from me. The hand belonged to none other than Steven, who stood with a solemn plastered expression on his face.

"What's the big idea interrupting?" Declan growled. "You think you can show up after blowing her off!"

"Save your breath." Steven said roughly. "I've just come to say goodbye."

"Good bye?" Declan and I asked in unison.

"What are you talking about, Steven?" I demanded. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me, I've just decided I'm going to continue travelling alone from now on. I prefer it that way. Tell Raiga I wish him well." He replied apathetically.

"Hold on!" I yelled as he began to sprint away. "Declan, go find Raiga and tell him somethings wrong with Steven!" I said turning to my red haired friend.

"R-right!" Declan nodded and then ran off.

I chased after Steven, calling his name. "What's gotten into you? Answer me!" I called. "Why's he acting like this all of a sudden?" I kept chase until we ended up deep into a nearby forest. Steven stopped, his back turned to me. It was starting to look like deja vu from the night before.

"Why are you still following me?" He asked sourly.

"Because I want to help you!" I said, close to tears. "Steven somethings bugging you, I can tell."

"How can you tell?" He demanded. "You barely know me!"

"We've been through a lot so far!" I argued. "You don't usually act this way!" I paused, my arms trembling with frustration. "What happened earlier? Huh? When you told me you didn't want to be alone anymore? That you were glad that you met me? Are you saying you-"

"I didn't mean it." He stated coldly.

I gasped, feeling my eyes water. "You...didn't." I squeezed my hand into a tight fist. "I don't believe you." His voice was different like before; like the Steven I didn't recognize. It was like he had an malicious doppelganger or a bi polar disorder.

"Believe what you want, but did you honestly think I'd want to spend my time travelling with a dumb klutz like you? I'd rather be alone." He responded passively.

"W-what? Are you saying you lied earlier?" I felt tears brim my eyes.

"I just said what I thought would make you happy at the time. Just leave me and go back to your Declan."

"Is that it? Is it because of Dec?" I pressed angrily. " Acting like this upon jealously is low, even for you, Steven! I don't even know who you are anymore!"

"I never said I was jealous! He seems to like you and you like him...All I'm saying is I don't want you to be around me!" He snapped back. He turned around to face me once more, his eyes like steel daggers.

I cringed, feeling weak before him. "Why?... What did I do to make you hate me so much, Steven?" I uttered, letting my tears fall down my cheeks. "I like Declan, but I have stronger feelings for you. I care about you a lot. I'm sorry for whatever I did, Just don't leave me like this!"

It seemed like there was a crack in his steel mask. For a moment his facial features softened, as if I had broken through this impenetrable armour of his. Before I knew it, he let his bangs cover his eyes, letting a shadow hide his face.

"I could never hate you. No matter what. I just hope you'll understand someday." He began to walk away again, leaving me to marvel at his words.

"No, Steven please come back!" I cried. "Understand what?"

"Good bye." He said stoically. Leaving me behind in the middle of the forest.

I sunk to my knees, wiping away the tears from my face as he moved farther and farther into the forest. I watched helplessly, until I saw his figure disappear into the darkness.

Declan's acting like a total flirt and Steven is being a total jerk, hmm...

This chapter is like 15 pages long ! :O That's what it says on the program I'm using anyway. Oh man, it took a while to write, but I glad I've finally finished it. On to the next one now! :D

Tell me what you guys thought and your opinions on Steven now...could you ever hate him? I know I couldn't ;)

~XOXO~