MERRY CHRISTMAS! My gift to you is a new chapter! I had to completely rewrite this because, my gosh it was so bad originally, and it made absolutly no sense with where the plot is going to go. So it took me a long time to do that... then I may have been goofing off and played pokemon X like a fiend and then there was school and ugh... Anyway, here's the next chapter!

A Random Human: They are up to something, but I think what I have in mind as their motive might throw you for a loop. Only time will tell though. As for Ben's idiotic quirk, to be honest I hadn't even realized I gave him one. But, I'm completely okay with him having it. ^^

RangerTakara: Alright, I trust you ^^ I'm just glad you're still liking the story

Faliara: Uh... I generally don't like shipping... I don't like romance in general, if I'm honest. However I might do a little something with it as an experiment. I'm not quite sure. So I can't really answer your question, sorry.

Ranger Belle: So I've succeeded in making a decent filler chapter? Is that even possible? xD Anyway, I'm glad that you're liking it. And yes, Ben and Summer have made up, it's all good, for now.

Aquabluey: By soon did you mean over three/four months later? xD

Emilydash212: Thanks, I'm glad you like all my stories. I aim to please, but I am far from the best ever. If you really want to read some great stories, look up DC111. She writes brilliant Sonic the Hedgehog stories.

Max Saturday Burns Toasters: I try not to take to long with my updates, but with school, marching band and homework, plus requests from friends on my Deviantart page I don't have to much time to myself. Thank you for thinking I'm a good author, and as for her eyes changed color, as Riversong would say "Spoilers."

Disclaimer: Still don't own Pokemon!

Words: 4,462

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Chapter 16

Falling

The flight was normal for the first few minutes, Ben and I talked and joked about little things. We told short stories of when we were in ranger school, talked about the weather and other small topics. He had asked me to the water was, to which I disgruntledly replied that I wasn't paying attention to how the water felt when I was in it (I knew he only wanted to joke about it, I just didn't find it funny). At some point, he tried to learn more about my time at home, asking only a few questions he thought I would answer. I did answer the few that didn't really give away anything, things like: what did it look like, did you have any friends and little things like that. Any questions about anything personal, like my family, I would let silence fill the air. In the past, Ben had asked me multiple times about my family, I never told him anything. He would tell me about his family, his younger sister, mom and dad, but I never told him about mine. They were in the past, and they would stay there until the right time comes for me to talk about them.

There was a reason I didn't say anything about them though. It wasn't that I hate them, no, I really do love them. Even though my brother stopped talking to me and my mother practically abandoned me, I can't find it in myself to hate them. They're my family, I can't hate them. One of the reasons is, I don't want people to know what my mom did and that my dad was dead. I just want people to believe that I had a normal childhood like everyone else. The other is… I don't want to be pitied. Ya, it sounded stupid, and it probably is, but I can't help it. They were my problems and I dealt with them. The past is over; I don't need someone feeling bad for me. They have their own problems to worry about. Besides, I'm not worth the worry and I don't deserve the sympathy.

Eventually, we did run out of things to talk about and we just flew in silence. The scenery would change from over land to over water in a matter of minutes, and I couldn't help but feel like Ben was purposely make the flight longer than necessary, not that I was going to complain or anything. Sometimes I could feel him shifting either anxiously or uncomfortably, I didn't know, in front of me; much to the chagrin of his starraptor, who would squawk unhappily at the movement. Something was bugging him. I knew that much for sure. The real question was, what? Turns out I wouldn't have to wait to long for the answer. "Summer," he began quietly "I've been thinking about a couple things for a while now…" Ben chuckled "actually, one of them I'd been thinking about since I picked you up at Tilikule."

I tilted my head curiously, leaning forward, I put my chin on his shoulder where his dirt brown hair could hit me in the face, but I could ignore that easily enough. Just like how I was ignoring the throbbing from my head and the dampness of my leg, which must still be bleeding (it was a wonder how I didn't faint due to blood loss by this point, but I wasn't going to complain about it). "What is it?" I questioned, looking into his hazel eyes. A smile formed on my face, a contented one. "This is nice" I thought aimlessly, "just flying with him and talking about the little things in life and so on as we soar through the sky." Mentally I shook my head, this wouldn't last, nothing this good ever lasts. That was just how it was. Besides, he probably doesn't care that much about it anyway. We're just friends, and that's all he'll ever see me as. And that hurt, he was like family, he always was, and always will be. I doubt he even saw me as family; I was just a friend in his eye, just another person to talk to and hang out with. As much as that hurt, as much as it tore me inside, I accepted it. After all, he deserves someone better than me.

With an inaudible sigh I glanced at my wrist, as if what was hidden under the gloves and stylist would help me any. They had faded a long time ago, and I was glad about that. It was silly of me to think it would help. If anything it was just pathetic. I was pathetic. And that was why they all left me. That was why he would leave me eventually. It was inevitable. Who would want someone like me? Worthless, useless, pathetic, a sad excuse for a human life.

Quickly I returned my gaze to Ben's eyes and shock off the thought. He was looking straight at me. I saw swirls of deep thought, the caring gentleness that he seemed to radiate in waves, and small hints of worry and… confusion? That was what got me curious, why would he be confused? Was it because I looked like a mess? What with my soaked bandages that were starting to loosen, and my clothes, while dry, sticking to my barely wet skin, and the small droplets of water that would roll of my still damp hair, I must of looked horrid. Not that I cared about it. He closed his eyes and sighed, before turning his head back to look ahead asking "Summer, why are your eyes blue?" He paused for a second before hastily continuing "Not that it looks bad or anything, the color of your hair makes it really shine. But still, when did that happen?"

That, shocked me. Why was he saying my eyes were blue? They were still brown, right? After all, reflections in water tinted everything slightly blue, right? Why was he defending it as well? Heck, why was he even worried about what I looked like in the first place, he never cared before. It confused me, I knew what he was saying, but it couldn't have been true. It could have easily been a joke, but Ben wasn't the type of person to do that. Not to mention, he always thought green eyes looked cool, so if it was a joke why would he say blue instead of green?

Suddenly I couldn't help but wonder why I cared about it so much. I was still me. The shade of my eyes didn't change who I was. Besides, I had always wanted blue eyes as a kid, brown eyes were always just dull and common, the color of dirt and mud, but blue were bright, deep and wonderful, like the sky or the ocean.

Closing my now blue eyes I took a deep breath and whispered "I don't know why or how it happened, and to be honest I don't understand it that much myself. But that doesn't change anything, right? I am still me. It's just a change in eye color, nothing big. Right?" My voice cracked on the final word, making it sound almost pleading in a way. While I never wanted it to come out that way, for some reason, I couldn't object to it. To me, that feeling was foreign of acceptance, but it was pleasant. Nice, almost.

Ben smiled slightly, and nodded "You're right. It isn't that big of a deal. I was just wondering was all." He let go of his starraptor with one hand and tried (and failed, I might add) to give me a one armed hug. When he titled his head over mine, I didn't protest. It felt like something out of a bad romance movie, the only other thing it needed to gain that tittle would be the sun setting over the horizon. The sun, instead, was high in the sky reflecting onto the water.

I bit back a laugh. As if that would ever happen. Sure… it would be nice… and it would be different… No. Don't be silly, I thought, there's no way that would happen. So get it out of your head right now. And I let the thought of a sunset flight with Ben leave my mind, just like that. It was silly, nothing more than the hormones speaking. I didn't want that. I just wanted him to be like family. No more, no less. Period. End of story. That's all she wrote.

"To be honest, Summer." Ben began "You took that a lot better than most people would have." I could tell he held back a laugh as he continued "I thought for sure you would of freaked out or something. That. Would have been an interesting sight." A smile came onto my face, and I rolled my eyes. Sometimes the hazel eyed boy just didn't make sense to me… that was all that could be said. Then again, I was a girl, and he was a boy. There were a lot of things I would never understand about him, but I preferred it that way.

"Whatever you say Benji." I remarked, smirking as I used his nickname. Instantly his face flushed and I had to laugh. It never ceased to amazing me just how one name could make his whole face turn pink. Nor did it ever stop making me laugh when it did. Perhaps it was a little immature, but I didn't care. I was thirteen; I was allowed to be a little immature from time to time. Besides, it's not like Ben would care… too much at least.

As expected Ben responded, his voice not even hiding the pure humiliation and embarrassment he felt "I thought we agreed you would only call me that if I called you Sum."

A chuckled escaped my lips "I don't remember agreeing to that, Benji." And that was when his face turned red and I began laughing again. He smiled out of embarrassment and began to laugh as well, probably because he wanted to drown out the humiliation with an uncalled for joy. For the next few minutes, we just laughed. Not even noticing that Ben's starraptor was taking us away from our destination, as if it could sense we wanted to spend more time together. Despite the fact I needed to have the stitches in my leg be redone, and a new bandage for it as well (as the one I currently had on was pretty much pure red brown now). Once we called down I spoke up "Hey Ben…"

"Ya, Summer. What is it?" He still was laughing slightly as he talked, and the humiliation was still there, right underneath the laughter.

Another smile came across my face. "Sum," I said. "I want you to call me Sum." Closing my eyes I relaxed against him. Funny, I don't even remember being tense. I knew Ben was looking at me as though I were an alien or something. Crazy, maybe? Whatever he was thinking, he didn't say anything about. Poor boy was probably confused. For three years I refused to let him call me that. And even only a few minutes before I teased him for calling me by the name Terran gave me. But now, I was ready.

In truth it was silly, not wanting to let go of the past. Thinking that only my brother could call me by my old nickname and refusing to let anyone else use it. I was holding onto the past, and I knew better than to do that. It was childish, silly, but I still clung to the past like it was the only thing keeping me alive. Knowing full well I'd have to let go but not wanting to. That name was only a part of that lifeline. I clung to it for years, but now, it was time to let go of it. So I did. Ben never said the other thing he wanted to tell me. Poor boy must have needed to think about what just happened.

We stayed in the air for a long time. Just flying. We ended up over the vast ocean, no land around us for miles. To put simply, it seemed perfect… almost too perfect… but I loved it none the less. Though I hoped my leg wasn't slowly bleeding out into the ocean… that wasn't exactly a pleasant thought…. I pushed that morbid though away and just enjoyed the moment, wanting it to last forever. But, as always, it just wasn't meant to be.

In the distance, something was floating in the air. I didn't think much of it at first, it was probably just a group of pokémon. On a nice day like today, odds were pretty good that it was. To me, they were just small dots on the horizon increasing in size as we got closer. Then I could make out an outline. Flying types, obviously, but something was on its back. A trainer, most likely. Again, that didn't surprise me. Ben must have been thinking the same thing; he hadn't said anything about it yet. Though he might have been lost in the moment, I wouldn't have blamed him. I closed my eyes once again and smiled, and faintly, I could feel him smile above me as well.

It was when I started to hear voices that I realized there was more than one, after all, not many people could have an entire conversation with themselves. Though… I shouldn't be the one saying that since I had done it before when no one was home, that was a bad habit I picked up when I was younger… it never did go away. I opened my eyes, and I could feel Ben tense slightly. Not enough for anyone to notice it, but enough so that I could feel it. Vaguely I wondered why he tensed. He never was nervous or uncomfortable around people since we got out of the academy (even in school he didn't feel awkward around people… that was always me).

I moved my head away from his shoulder and sat up straight. He almost automatically moved his hand away and moved it to get a hold of his partner pokémon. "You okay, Ben?" I inquired. The question was instinct, and I always thought it was stupid. Usually it was asked when you knew the person wasn't okay. You just want it confirmed. Thing is, most people never admit when they aren't okay, thus making the question useless. So what was the point of asking? To show you care? There are other ways of doing that. Even still, I had asked it, and I can't take back what I said.

"I'm okay." He responded, just as I predicted he would. His voice was slightly hoarse, and the words sounded a little slurred. Not enough for anyone who wasn't paying any attention to notice, but enough for me to be able to tell he was probably a little tired. I wouldn't blame him; I was somewhat tired as well. I just didn't want to admit it.

Without even realizing it I had bit the inside of my cheek "You sure?" I questioned. All he gave me was a curt nod. "Then why are you so tense?"

His answer was still the same "I'm okay, Sum." He had certainly gotten used to calling me that quick, his response to my question was almost immediate. I didn't question him further; there was no need to aggravate him. With any luck he would tell me later without e having to prod his mind. The trainers were getting closer, I could make out what they were wearing, or at least the basics of it, and I could tell what pokémon they were using.

Two of them were on pidgeot, two of them were on starraptors. They were dressed in black. It wouldn't be World's End, Ben just beat them in Cocona, and they left me at Tilikule. They would be reporting back to whoever is in charge, not in the middle of nowhere. Besides, goons weren't the only people who could wear black. So I tried to convince myself it was just another group of trainers, and, looking at Ben's conflicted expression, I could tell he wanted to believe that as well.

That was, until I could see them completely and hear what they were saying.

There was a blonde haired girl, a black haired boy with a blonde highlight, a brown haired girl who had a teal highlight framing her face, and a brown haired boy. The two brown haired people looked like they could be related; both had similar features and sapling green eyes. All of them had the same outfit, black with the purple insignia; they only chose to wear it differently. The teal streaked girl wore the jacket around her waist, letting people see the sleeveless top that would be underneath. Her possible brother wore the jacket, but didn't zip it up and the sleeves were rolled up above his elbows. The black haired boy wore the jacket normally; and the blonde haired girl wore the jacket low, the sleeves starting under her shoulders.

They were all facing each other in a square formation, or perhaps they had gotten bored and began talking. I couldn't blame them for that, it had to get boring after a while, and they were probably on guard duty or something, they weren't moving anywhere. What they were guarding was beyond me. They were just floating there, laughing, telling jokes and teasing each other (it was mainly the two possible siblings who were doing the teasing). To tell the truth, I didn't want to bother them. It seemed like they were enjoying themselves, and who was I to stop that? Sure I was a pokémon ranger, but that doesn't mean I have the right to stop people who are just talking. Even if they are part of an organization that probably wants to take over the world like every other evil organization that ever existed. No, seriously, it was pretty much the goal of every evil organization that ever existed, why would this one be any different.

I never got to say anything (not that I had planned to), Ben spoke first "Hey!" He was still tense and I could tell he was trying not to let it show in his voice. Which came out harsh, almost cold as he spoke "What are you four doing here?!" Everyone in the same group was staring at us then. The black haired boys amber eyes showed no emotion, and the blonde haired girls magenta eyes were wide (the pupils almost taking over leaving a thin band of darkened pink left). The green eyed girl and the green eyed boy both had matching reactions, anger, pride, annoyance and even the tiniest hint of fear gleaned in their eyes.

The brown haired girl crossed her arms over her chest with a huff "What's it to you? You know it's kind of rude to barge into someone else's uninvited." Her voice was laced with sarcasm underneath the harsh tone. The magenta eyed girl nodded, her pupil reduced to the normal size and now radiating confidence and pride. "The least you could do is say 'excuse me' but that's besides the point."

Her possible sibling spoke up next "Look, let's just cut to the chase already. What do you want?" His voice was harsh as well and there was a hint of annoyance underneath. The amber eyed boy still remained impassive, eyes cold and almost intimidating. If I weren't so used to seeing glares like that I would have been afraid. I wanted to speak up, and I could tell my once-brown-now-blue eyes were sparking with the annoyance I felt. This was not my fight; this was Ben's, so it was not in my place to get involved. So, I remained quiet. Besides, paying attention to what was happening helped block out the throbbing from both my leg and head.

There was a chilling silence that filled the air for a while. Ben was the first one who broke it, and I instantly felt some sort of relief. I didn't like it when things got quiet between the goons and us… it never lead to anything good. "We're pokémon rangers." His hazel eyes narrowed giving them a look that could have killed "Now, you're going to tell me just why you're here." I nodded in agreement, attempting to glare at the as well.

"Hm…" The blond girl began with an almost childish tone "How about… no!" Her hands went digging through her pockets, and the other three began to do the same. I looked at Ben, and he just nodded, trying to hide the fear I knew he was feeling behind those impassive, cold hazel eyes. A part of me wondered just what was going through his mind. However, that was none of my business, and so it was cast aside.

The amber eyed boy and his friends (coworkers… it didn't matter) pulled out a small metal item and held it out in their hands. Each of them had one, it looked like a simple little box, and that caused me to raise an eyebrow. A box? Really? There was nothing threatening about a box. These guys couldn't possibly be like the Pinchers and have plasma bolt. Right? Right? No. No, they couldn't be. They were still using pokémon to fly around and trained pokémon to fight. It wasn't like they controlled them through any malicious means. They were caught in pokéballs and trained. If they had plasma bolts they would have used them long before now. Right?

I was panicking at the thought, and I was holding onto Ben with a death grip. Not again. I didn't want to be shot with a plasma bolt again if that was what they were. Dear Arceus, I didn't want to be shot with one again. Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. I had to calm down. The Pinchers were stupid; they had only used the plasma bolts once. Surely these guys were smarter than that. If they had had them then we would have seen them by now. Right? Then again, if I were them I would have pulled out the plasma bolts long before now. Still, they were smarter than the Pinchers, they didn't reveal their plan or announce their leader, and they could hold their own (most of the time, I winced when my head throbbed as a reminder).

Long story short, they would have used the plasma bolts by now, right?

Well… I was wrong… they pressed something located at the top of the box and the familiar green glow shot out, bringing unwanted memories with it. I cringed and tried hiding myself behind Ben. Not again. Not again. Please. Not again. My eyes were clamped shut and I tensed, like I expected the impact to come. Fear was flooding my mind. I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all. I was scared; I didn't want it to happen again. Not ever again.

The impact never came. Thank Arceus for that. Slowly I opened on eye and looked at Ben. He was concentrated on the task at hand, hazel eyes filled with determination and hints of fear as well as… worry? Why worry? Was it worry for me? I didn't get it. I didn't care. I opened my other eye, my grip not loosening in the slightest. I was acting like a child who would hide in the arms of their mother after a nightmare. It was pathetic… but I couldn't help it... I had fears as well.

For the next few minutes Ben just dodged plasma bolts, and I'm pretty sure that one of the four spoke at some point. I didn't hear it; to drowned in my own fright to pay any attention. I was thankful it was Ben who was doing the flying instead of me, if it were me; we'd be in the ocean by now. Ben could handle it. And, very slowly, I felt myself relax… well, not relax, but calm down. I no longer had him in a death grip, and my eyes were open and I lifted my head slightly.

It was bad timing on my part, and poor reaction timing on Ben's.

We were hit, and I knew my grip wasn't tight enough the moment I felt myself begin to slip. I clenched my eyes shut. Not again. Oh dear Arceus, not again. I was aware of someone yelling in fear, not even realizing until later on that it was me. My grip was slipping, and then, I began to fall. The fear that had just begun to boil underneath the surface came back in full force and I was yelling. Please. Please. No. No. No. I didn't want to fall again. Please, please, dear Arceus, no! My breath hitched and I refused to open my eyes.

Multiple people were yelling… I think one of them was me. In fact, I'm certain one of them was me. I don't really know. All I knew was that I was in full blown panic mode. I knew I had to calm down, but I couldn't. My breathing was shallow, and I could feel tears pop into my eyes. I barely even registered the fact I was moving to put on my goggles and aqualung. I guess, some things really do just come down to second nature… was it sad that I acquainted something like this to be second nature? The only reason I knew I was pulling the goggles over my eyes was because of the slight pain in my head that was hardly even registered as well. Heck, I hardly even knew what was going on. I knew I was falling again, and that was it.

The last thing I knew was a thunderous splash, and then darkness.

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Yes, because nothing says "Merry Christmas" like a good old cliff hanger of doom. xD Don't worry, chapter 17 has already been handwritten, I just need to get around to typing it. In the meantime, I hope you all had a great day and enjoy the rest of the year.

I'll be seeing you later,

Ember