~Wally~

"No offense…. But I have to ask." Ruby, in all his humbleness, pointed to my face and cocked his head to the side. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

I was fighting back laughter, because there was no hostility in his voice at all. Just a pained annoyance, but that wasn't even directed at me. He was obviously upset with the world at the moment, and yet the blatant sarcasm didn't bother me in the slightest. With as many cuts and bruises he had, and as waterlogged he looked, I didn't blame him

"I just have a lot of illnesses." I said, unashamed. The days in which I tried to hide past my problems were long gone. I learned the hard way that it was easier to accept yourself and hope others would too, than to always try and be something you're not.

"Nose bleeds?" he readjusted that sopping wet hat on his head, that looked more like an old sack he pulled out of the sewer rather than a fashion statement. I didn't understand it, but then again, I had never understood those kinds of nuisance items. Like the rest of him as well, I found myself wondering if his sleek black pants with the bulbous pockets had a reason. Obviously he didn't need the extra pockets, or the single misplaced chain dangling from his belt. The way his collar sat up bothered me too. He just screamed uncomfortable.

"Chronic." I nodded, stuffing my hands into my pockets and stepping quickly a pace behind him. Despite him being unfamiliar with the forest and sopping wet, he still managed to stay ahead of me, worried about his Breloom, which was oddly named Fever. I hadn't asked him about that because it seemed embarrassing, but wouldn't that be a name fit for a fire type? Not a grass type. I was beginning to think there was just nothing about him I would understand.

"Alright… then what about the other night?" He turned his sharp burgundy eyes on me, a flash of something else I couldn't quite pinpoint.

"I—I have asthma… not usually that bad… but… bad." I admitted, though he was casting long skeptical glances at me, as if I would drop dead at any given moment. I didn't know whether to be reassured and comforted, or even more worried. He saved my life once, but would be really do it again? Strangely I felt safe.

"Yeah…" he was hurrying along, stumbling up to a large boulder miles up the bank from where we started our agonizingly long silence. It was just now that I had gotten him to start talking, despite him being nice about it; I could tell he wasn't in the mood. And who would be? After being half drowned and pummeled by rocks and logs.

I was surprised when he stopped at the boulder and reached on the top of it, snatching a sun baked cell phone and flipping it open. He cursed as the black plastic burned his fingers and that it was turned off. I could only stare, wondering what was suddenly so vital. He leaned his chest against the boulder and waited impatiently for the screen to light up.

I stared in awe, for what felt like only a second, but realized just what I was looking at. Sharp features, a tight jaw line, burgundy eyes. He was broad, though not exactly tall, nearly waterlogged, and looking second next to the nature itself. It was like a painting, something I couldn't quite describe even though it was right in front of me. I noticed only too obviously the slight bulge of his biceps, and the clearly visible veins in his strong forearms.

I shuffled awkwardly, scuffing one ankle with my shoe and gripping my hands behind my back. My eyes settled on the ground in front of me and it was harder than I thought to just stand there waiting. I wanted to know what he was texting so angrily, or more so who. Or even just what made me want to look up again anyways.

"Ridiculous." He muttered out loud, reminding me that for some strange reason he did that. It was as if his emotions where too hard to conceal beneath his voice. He talked to himself. And weird as it was, I kind of like it. At least that way I knew he was speaking his mind. Something I could appreciate in a person.

"Wha—whats wrong?" I murmured when he let the phone fall in his hand limply. He obviously didn't want to stick it in his wet pockets.

"Nothing." He just shook his head and walked past me, heading for the trail that lead to an open road just outside of my town. He stopped a little ways off to grab a pair of what could have been ancient sneakers left by the river ages ago. He bent over and pulled out a pair of short black socks from the inside, before slipping both on one foot before moving onto the next. I wondered briefly who tied their shoes like that. Sock, sock, shoe, shoe; not sock, shoe, sock, shoe.

"I thought you wanted to go to town?" I asked in confusion, forgetting the unnecessary details about this boy. Following the river was more practical that way, since upstream it lead you right to civilization. Not to mention the ground up the trail was steep and rocky and I really didn't feel like playing catch up with Ruby. Surely I would be a pace behind… the strain hurt my throat already. I couldn't have another attack, not with him, not again.

"I'm getting a room in town… so I have to get my stuff now." He was fighting anger towards me, which was appreciated, but stung just the same. I was almost positive Ruby didn't have anything against me, but it was so hard to tell when someone was in a bad mood to begin with.

"Oh… ok." I swallowed and turned to fallow him. Rocky gravel paths that would threaten to twist your ankle and trip you… Oh Arceus… I wrapped myself up in determination as best I could before fallowing along. If he could do it with soaking wet clothes that were probably chaffing against his skin and irritating, I was pretty sure I could do it. I had walked that trail before, and I knew it well, it just the fact that now I had someone to put pressure on me now that scared me.

Take my time and embarrass myself by saying I didn't want to get winded, which would surely make him angry. Or I could push myself to keep pace with him and hope that nothing happened.

"You don't have to follow me." Ruby glanced back at my worried expression. I couldn't tell if he was trying to be nice or get rid of me. "Really, thank you for saving my pokemon… but I'm fine from here."

I looked back up the path and felt my eyes droop in depression. It wasn't me protecting him, I knew he would be fine, he pulled himself out of a river after nearly drowning—he was perfectly capable of handling himself—I knew that. But that didn't change the fact that I didn't want to go back alone. Hurt clung to my heart in such a way that I couldn't help but bit my lip to stop from frowning.

"Oh… Ok…" I whispered and turned to leave. Obviously he didn't care for the company. Maybe he really was just like everyone else from the big cities… Maybe he wasn't as nice as what I thought he was. Just like everyone else unfamiliar around here, he may have a hard time adjusting to people like me. I tried to pick out a good and strong rational reason for why he would have something against me.

Which was ridiculous. It wasn't my fault I nearly died in front of him. Gracious as I was for him saving my life a couple nights ago, I couldn't understand how that would make him upset with me now. Especially after pulling his Breloom from the river. If I would have fallen in there was no way I would have the strength to fight the current. I risked my life for his pokemon because I was a good person—I hadn't known it was his, though that certainly made it more enjoyable—and I wasn't mad now.

Are you mad at me Ruby? I asked myself silently. You can't be mad at me… I haven't done anything wrong… And he wasn't mad at me before, just after I saved the Breloom. He was thrilled that she was ok and thanking me with no end. But as we started walking and he got closer and closer to this trail he grew more frustrated it seemed. Then his cell phone seemed to really piss him off. I wondered what his messages had said…

"Maybe I will see you around." Ruby added when he turned and started rushing up the trail. It wasn't heartfelt, and I got the feeling he only said it because he didn't want me to be upset. I sighed, staring after him and shoving my hands into my pockets, fighting back the disappointment. He had only just met me… of course he must be thinking it would be weird to be friends so soon.

But I wanted to be his friend… I guess that's what I wanted. My mind stretched back to the way he sang the other night, when his spirits had been so high and his orchestra was nature and nature alone. Where was that Ruby? That was the one I wanted to get to know.

I stood uncomfortably on the beginning of the trail, listening to the river gurgling behind me and waiting until he was up over the ridge and onto the main dirt road where I couldn't see him. The wind pushed my hair back and forth with fluid strokes, but it wasn't a bother. I just drank in the air and let it pile up in my lungs painfully. From somewhere inside me I could feel a familiar itch that needed to be scratched. Something that felt like what my inhaler could only fill when I needed oxygen. Only this wasn't me needing oxygen, not this time at least.

A dreadful tightening grew in my chest.

But it was not because of any illness I could put a name too.