Return to you

DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokémon.

Chapter 2: Hearts of Hope and Sorrow

July 2nd

The anticipated day dawned but it was no longer the kind of day that anyone had wished for. Nonetheless, Sapphire was up on the roof to watch the morning unfold. The cold forest winds smelled of freshly formed dew as it blew pass the trees and rooftops. The girl sat down with her knees close to her chest and her arms wrapped around them to fend off the chilly air. The saffron sun began to rise above the gray silhouettes of the eastern mountains. The sliver of light gradually erased the remnants of the nightly sky. Dusk was beginning. Tailows and Swellows swooped down from their nests and began their usual routine. Other than the girl, everything around her was moving forward.

Sapphire no longer had the early-bird vigor that she had. It was like part of her also disappeared along with Ruby. And the void that was left was dark and painful. She buried her head between her knees and prayed that the day would bring a brighter and a hope filled promise. In a simple sense, she just wanted to see Ruby again.

The sun had completely risen and shone brilliantly upon the region of Hoenn. The dexholders were invited over to Ruby's house which was already planned yesterday. Most of them still felt heavy-hearted at their fruitless effort in finding their friend. Being the leader, Red remained eager and determined. The look on his face was always straightforward and optimistic that everyone felt at ease. Yellow fully supported him by encouraging the others. Gold was the least depressed. That word wasn't in his dictionary and neither was hopeless or impossible. He was fired up to find his junior no matter what he and his friends would face.

They arrived at the small quiet town of Littleroot with their flying pokemon. It was a tranquil place surrounded by forestry and the smell of nature. Many of them reminisced of their own hometown. It helped lift their spirits.

Sapphire saw them and jumped off the roof to welcome her fellow dexholders. She put on a strong front as she came over. Red and the others had just dismounted their pokemon and returned them to their pokeballs when they saw her approaching. The only pokemon that remained were a couple of pikachus that trailed their respective trainer. Platina and Yellow were the first to greet the Hoenn lass.

"Good morning, Sapphire." The two girls said in unison.

"Mornin' guys. Ruby's mom is waitin' for ya next door." The azure eyed girl gestured to a nearby house and proceeded to accompany them there. Even though she was all smiles, her friends saw right through the burden she was carrying. They knew, out of all of them, Sapphire was the most affected by Ruby's sudden disappearance.

Blue ran towards her and hugged her from behind, catching Sapphire by surprise. The female Kanto dexholder shot a bright and cheery smile at her junior. "We'll find him for sure!"

"You can count on it," Red reassured.

"Definitely!" exclaimed Gold.

Sapphire smiled. She was happy to be blessed with irreplaceable friends such as them.

At Ruby's house, Caroline welcomed them in. She had already made preparations for her son's birthday party when she heard the news. It would have been a shame to let her efforts go to waste so she invited Sapphire along with the dexholders to come over. It was also a good chance for them to discuss their plans regarding the incident.

The dexholders settled in the living room while Sapphire, being accustomed as a frequent guest, helped out in the kitchen. Caroline busied herself to keep her composure together. Inside, she felt she was breaking apart with worry. It was almost the same feeling she had when Ruby ran away from home on his eleventh birthday.

Sapphire kept glancing at Ruby's mom who was smiling sweetly but the sadness in her eyes was detectable. The young brunette couldn't blame her. She was the same. While she was pouring juice into glasses, she noticed someone missing. She looked around and wondered where Ruby's father was. "Auntie, isn't Mr. Norman here?"

Caroline turned to her and picked up a couple more plates. "He still hasn't come back. You know how he is. He won't stop till he finds him. I just hope he doesn't push himself."

"hmmm..."

"What about you, Sapphire? How are you holding up?" Caroline asked. Sapphire hesitated in answering. She fidgeted with the empty pitcher of juice. The older brunette set the plates down and went near her, placing a gentle hand over hers, "It'll be alright. Smile. Ruby will be upset if he catches you frowning on his birthday."

Caroline handed the servings over to Ruby and Sapphire's friends. The dexholders gladly accepted them with gratitude. The boys took their positions in the dining room while the girls were still in the living room. They were going over the framed photographs of Ruby and his family that were either hung on the walls or arranged on top of a desk. There was one with Ruby as a child and surrounded by his first three pokemon. Another looked more recent. It was a photograph with Ruby and his parents with his dad's hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Hey, will you gals quit stalling and eat already? We still have to go over our action plan." Gold gestured to the female dexholders with a sandwich in his hand.

"Alright already... Geez." Crystal came over and grabbed a plate before sitting down next to Gold and Emerald.

"Care for juice?" the blonde midget extended his mechanical arms and picked up a glass and handed it to the twin-tailed girl.

Blue hurried over to Silver and sat beside him. "Ruby looked so cute when he was young. He kinda reminds me of how cute you were at that age."

"Huh?" Silver shot a glance at her as he recalled the times they spent together when they were kidnapped by the masked man, who in the end, turned out to be Pryce.

"Missy! We saved you a seat." Pearl waved at the Berlitz heiress and offered the seat next to him. Platina giggled and sat down as Diamond handed her share of the food.

Next was Yellow with Chuchu in her arms.

"Yellow, there's still an empty seat beside me." Red signalled her to come to his side. The blonde with the ponytail wanted to refuse but Red's Pikachu, Pika called Chuchu over. Yellow didn't want to break the Pikachu pair apart so she accepted the dexholder leader's offer with a bit of blushing running across her face.

From the left side of the table were Green, Blue, Silver, Gold, Crystal and Emerald, and directly across them were Red, Yellow, Diamond, Pearl and Platina. The last seat was beside the dark-haired trainer from Sinnoh which she reserved for Sapphire.

The female Hoenn dexholder glanced at the dining room. The atmosphere seemed to have become livelier. It was a pleasant sight. It would have been a great party if Ruby was there. Sapphire clenched her fists to hold back the aching emotions in her chest. Ruby, where are ya...

"Hey wild child! You and prissy boy aren't married yet so you're not obligated to stay in his kitchen all the time. Come over here and eat with us!" Gold yelled.

The Johto jokester's humor made everyone laugh even Ruby's mom. Sapphire, on the other hand, didn't laugh. Instead her face just burst bright red. She lowered her head to make the blushing less obvious than it already was. Then she went over to Platina and sat beside her. Gold continued to give suggestive looks at his junior. It was his way of cheering up the girl's depression. It was working in an annoying kind of way. Sapphire glared at him with her fangs poking out before she started eating. Truthfully, she thought she didn't have the appetite to eat but her agitation towards her senior made her eat anyway.

"Now that everyone is settled, how about we start the meeting?" Red suggested.

Gold immediately shifted his attention to his red-eyed senior. He was waiting all day to voice out his genius idea. Now was his chance. With a wide smug grin, he stood up abruptly-

"-Why don't we pay a visit to Morty at Ecruteak City?" Silver recommended.

"The gym leader who's known as the Mystic Seer of the Future?" inquired Crystal.

"I heard some call him the Trainer with Eyes for a Thousand Miles," Silver added. "He has amazing tracking abilities."

"That sounds great!" Blue beamed.

Emerald gave a small laugh. "You're saying he's a living itemfinder."

"HEY! That was supposed to be my genius idea!" Gold argued with an annoyed expression. He shot an angry look at the red-haired boy sitting beside him. Silver ignored him. "You should have said it right away instead of parading around that ego of yours."

"What did you say!?"

"Oh, hush up. It doesn't matter whose idea was it. What matters is whether or not he can help us find Ruby." Crystal said. Gold grumbled and sat back down in his chair. He muttered under his breath, "I can't believe you're taking his side..."

"At Sinnoh, there's an Aura Guardian named Riley. He might be able to help us provide some clues," Diamond added another suggestion.

"Nice one Dia- I mean Diamond." Pearl enthusiastically slapped his manzai partner's back.

"So it seems we will have to go back to our respective regions and use any resources that we know of." Green said. "We will communicate whatever information that we find may be useful."

Everything seemed to be coming together. All of their spirits were brimming with hope and positivity, even Sapphire. With everyone working together, there was nothing that any of them couldn't overcome.

"If prissy boy doesn't turn up today, we'll leave first thing in the morning," Gold said up with a determined grin on his face.

All of a sudden, the door slammed open. A tall dark-haired man entered with a serious demeanor. He let out a short sigh and made his way to the kitchen where he noticed the group sitting in the dining room.

"Hey, who's the scary dude with the stone face?" Gold whispered to his friends.

"I believe that's Ruby's dad," Crystal answered in a hush tone. "We saw photos of him earlier."

"His what?!" Gold stood up in shock. He never expect Ruby's father to be that kind of person, judging from his junior's prissy personality. The man's attention shifted towards the boy because of his sudden behaviour. He eyed him with a stern and emotionless expression. Gold gulped and slowly sat down. Sweat was running down his back as he felt the man's piercing stare bearing down on him.

Caroline came over to greet her husband. Seeing him come home alone meant the search did not go so well and looking at his expression, he was getting frustrated. She tenderly wrapped her arm around his in an effort to comfort him. "You should rest for a while. Ruby and Sapphire's fellow dexholders have come to talk about their plans to help find Ruby."

"I see." Norman turned his attention away from the Breeder and unto his wife, much to the golden-eyed trainer's relief. Red stood up and went over to them in order to explain the ideas that they gathered up.

"I thought he was out to get me." Gold said in a very soft voice as he slumped on the side of the table and gave an exasperated sigh. "And I thought Crys was bad enough."

"Mr. Norman is the gym leader of Petalburg City. He is also known as the Pursuer of Strength," Platina explained.

The description made Gold even more unbelieving that he was Ruby's father. Their personalities were too far apart to be considered related by blood but there was no use in thinking that they weren't.How in Arceus' name does prissy boy live with a dad like that? Gold thought.

The next few hours were somewhat uneventful, other than the common conversations and usual antics between the dexholders. Pearl and Diamond performed their famous manzai routine and Gold and Crystal were bickering as always. Caroline appreciated their spirited attitude. Seeing them with optimistic faces made her son's absence a tad more bearable. Norman was in the living room chair, taking a short rest before he would head out again. Sapphire continued to enjoy the company of her friends but part of her always kept wishing for Ruby to come in at any given moment. She shot quick glances at the door from time to time but with every glimpse left a dim and heavy impression in her chest.

Mid-afternoon came, there was no news. Norman prepared to leave again. The dexholders, excluding Sapphire, were also on their way out. They had to pack up their belongings so they would be ready to return to their respective regions by tomorrow. Caroline handed the Johto trio one of Ruby's favorite beanie. She heard earlier that Morty used items belonging to the missing person or pokemon in order for him to locate his/her whereabouts. Gold accepted it with a confident grin and the assurance that he and his friends would find Ruby for sure.

Meanwhile, Platina was hugging Sapphire to give her encouragement. She had noticed the brunette's depressing aura but decided not to say anything till she would leave. Then the dark-haired heiress held her hands and gave a gentle smile. "I want you to hang in there for a little longer. Pearl, Diamond and I will return after we find Riley and bring him here."

Sapphire forced out a small smile. It seemed like she wasn't good in keeping her sad emotions from being noticed by those around her. Just a little longer… A little longer… We'll find him for sure, she told herself.

Norman and the dexholders left, leaving Caroline and Sapphire alone. The older brunette returned inside to clean up while younger one stayed behind for a few moments and watched the silhouettes of the flying pokemon disappear in the pale sky. Then she followed Ruby's mom to help her out.

As they were tidying up, some of Ruby's pokemon came down from the boy's room on the second floor. They wagged their tails anxiously at the two females as if they wanted to know any news regarding their beloved trainer. Sapphire crouched down and stroked their heads. "I'm sorry guys… Ruby's not back yet."

The Mightyena and Delcatty lowered their heads in disappointment and their tails stopped wagging. The blue-eyed teen wrapped her arms around their necks and hugged them. "I know ya miss him as much as we do, but we gotta be strong for his sake."

Caroline turned to the three and with sorrow flickering in her scarlet eyes. The cheery atmosphere before had darkened. The laughter a while ago was now replaced with silence and the feeling of their sobs being held back. Ruby's mom thought of an idea to brighten up the atmosphere but she was unsure that it would work.

"Sapphire?" Caroline tapped the girl's shoulder, shifting her attention. "Has Ruby ever told you the time he received his first three pokemon from his dad?"

"No."

Caroline smiled as a sense of nostalgia nestled close to her heart. "Come with me. I'll show you a few family albums."

The two went to the living room with Nana and Coco trailing behind them. Caroline opened some drawers and began scanning album after album until she found what she was looking for. It was well-kept photo album with a picture of a dirt-covered Ruby grinning childishly. He looked somewhere in the ages 4-5.

Caroline took the album with her and sat down on the couch. Sapphire took a seat beside her and Ruby's two pokemon laid on the floor as the short-haired woman flipped through the pages and started telling them a story.

It was a more than a week since Ruby received Nana from his dad. Day after day, Norman trained his son in pokemon battles. The Poochyena proved to be a tough and stubborn little thing but it obeyed her trainer's orders without objection. All was well except for the fact that it could do Hyper Beam. Ruby was about 4 years old and his first pokemon was an adamant wolf pup that could fire a devastating beam from its mouth.

When Norman saw his son's potential, he decided to get him another pokemon in order for him to start building up his future team, much to the worry of his wife.

"If you're going to get him a new pokemon, then I will come and help pick one out." Caroline proposed. She didn't want another destructive companion for her already mischievous son. The day Nana had target practice was an all too vivid terrifying memory; rocks being blasted and flying all over the place, the ground rumbling and not to mention the disturbance for the neighbors.

With their son left with a baby-sitter, Ruby's parents went to a pokemon pet shop to pick one out. Norman insisted on catching a wild one but his wife refused. She predicted a pokemon obtained from a sweet looking petshop would suit his son more. Plus, it would be less violent.

After a few minutes of going through the pens and cages, Caroline spot an adorable looking pokemon. She excitedly hurried over and gazed at it.

"Meow."

Caroline squealed at its cuteness. It was a pinkish little feline with a stumpy body and slit-like eyes. According to the label, the pokemon was called a Skitty. Its large tufted ears twitched as it approached the person eyeing it with sparkling eyes.

Caroline gestured her husband to come over. "This is the one." She was sure something as cute and innocent as that would not be as destructive as the first one that Norman brought in. The gym leader aspirant carefully observed the pink and cream kitten. He rubbed his chin as the Skitty's bulky pincushion-like tail swayed from side to side.

After a few minutes, he agreed.

When they came home, Ruby immediately got attached to his new pokemon. The Skitty was playful, not to mention soft and fluffy. The crimson-eyed child was going to name the female pokemon "Kiki" but it was changed to "Coco" because Caroline thought it was cuter.

The next day, Ruby and Norman's father-son battle training continued. This time, they were training with Coco. At first it was quiet but then the sound or rocks smashing and trees falling over made Caroline rush to their practice area.

"Coco, use Iron Tail!" Ruby commanded. The pink kitten's tail glowed bright white as it lashed out at another huge boulder, shattering it to pieces.

Caroline's mouth gaped. The pokemon she picked out was just as bad as the one that Norman picked out. She felt she was about to faint but luckily, her husband managed to hold her. The brown-haired woman stared at him and wondered what happened to the harmless looking kitten they got at the pet shop.

"That's still the same Skitty," Norman replied. "I only taught it Iron Tail."

Caroline's face darkened. It was her husband's doing after all. He was also responsible for teaching Hyper Beam to Nana. There was nothing Ruby's mom could do. What's done is done. She just gave an exasperated sigh and finally fainted.

The following day, Caroline woke up with her son looking worriedly at her. "Mommy, are you feeling alright?"

The scarlet-eyed lady cupped the little boy's cheek and kissed his forehead. "I'm fine sweetie. It's just that mommy is afraid that you could get hurt."

Ruby grinned enthusiastically. "Don't worry! Daddy is with me. He's always watching me so I wouldn't get hurt... Someday, I'll be as strong as him!"

Caroline sighed in relief. Her son was quite a handful but thankfully her just as a handful husband was mindful of him.

"By the way, Daddy said if I work hard enough, he'll be getting me my third pokemon in a week." Ruby chimed with an excited smile like a puppy going to receive a treat. There was no reply. The small boy wondered why his mom was quiet so he gazed at her once again. "Mommy?"

Caroline had fainted.

"MOMMY!"

The next few days, Ruby's parents talked about the third pokemon. Rules and conditions were set. It must not be violent or destructive in any way. It should be gentle or calm. And lastly, Norman must not teach it any more moves.

The end of the week came. Ruby was running around the house in anticipation for his new pokemon. Nana and Coco were just as excited as their trainer. Caroline, on the other hand, was at her nerves' end. She hoped and wished that her husband would meet all the conditions he had set.

The door opened and Norman came in with a white and green pokemon at his heels. Ruby rushed to greet his father but his mom intervened. She wanted to see for herself what kind of pokemon her husband had picked out. It was calm and quiet one with a white body and a green bowl-shaped hair with a red horn protruding on it. Caroline thought it seemed harmless enough. Ruby took a peek from behind his mother's leg.

"This is a Ralts. It's a psychic type pokemon with a gentle nature." Norman explained to his family.

Ruby gazed at the new pokemon before looking up at his father. "Daddy, how did you know that it has a gentle nature?"

Norman crouched down to his son's level and placed a hand on the Ralts' head. "You see Ruby, if you watch a pokemon close enough; you'll be able to tell from its expression and behaviour. I'll teach you more in the future. In the meantime, you should give this little one a name."

"Okay!" Ruby grinned happily and held the new pokemon's hands. "You're a Ralts so how about Rara? ...Or Ruru?"

The Ralts gave a gentle smile at the latter. The boy nodded. "Alright then. Ruru it is!"

Caroline shot a suspicious look at her husband. Norman stood up and gave a soft chuckle. "As I promised, I didn't teach it any moves."

Caroline never felt so relieved to hear those words. She latched herself on Norman's arms and smiled joyfully. Meanwhile, Ruby was kind of disappointed that his father didn't teach his third pokemon any new moves.

The next day, training ensued as usual. Caroline thought she could relax easy, knowing that Ruru was not a physical type and Norman didn't teach any destructive attacks but she was wrong. The round shook and the rumbling noises were louder. The short-haired lady ran to the training area again, only to be stunned at the sight.

"Look, mommy! I'm flying!" Ruby cheered as he floated up in the air with the use of Ruru's psychic abilities. Around them, rocks were also hovering in mid-air. Soon one by one, the boulders fell to the ground with a massive crash.

The small boy did a few barrel rolls and somersaults, making his mom even more horrified. Norman was on the ground, watching nearby. "Ruby that's enough games. Let us continue."

Ruby nodded and gestured to the Ralts. "Okay Ruru! Time for me to get down!"

The Ralt's lowered its arms and the glowing light on its horn diminished. Ruby descended but before he could touch the ground, Caroline grabbed him and held him tightly. "Sweetie, that was dangerous!"

Norman approached them to help calm his wife down. "There was no danger. The pokemon had it all under control."

"But what if it didn't? Ruby could have fallen and gotten hurt." Caroline argued with Ruby still held tightly in her arms.

"Mommy, it's not so bad. Why don't you try it?" Ruby suggested. Caroline looked at her son in terror as the young child gestured again to his third pokemon. "Okay Ruru, let's do it again!"

"Ruby, wait-!"

Ruru raised her arms again and the mother-and-son pair was lifted into the air. Caroline was panicking while the boy was all smiles. Norman still remained on the ground with an unhappy look. "Ruby, I said that's enough games and bring your mother down this instant."

Ruby sulked and commanded Ruru to let them down. After they descended, Ruby squirmed out of his mom's embrace and landed on the ground. Caroline was feeling dizzy. She staggered on her jelly-like legs and swayed from side to side before collapsing in Norman's arms.

"Ah! Mommy fainted again!"

Sapphire giggled loudly at the fond memories that Ruby's mom shared with her. She never expected that Ruby's youthful days were really filled with such mischief. Nana and Coco were also back in high spirits. They barked and mewed as they wagged their tails. Caroline smiled to see happy faces in the house again.

*drip* *drop*

"Auntie! Yer crying..." Sapphire fussed over the scarlet-eyed woman.

Caroline didn't notice the tears falling down her face involuntarily. She wiped them away but the tears still kept flowing. "I-I'm sorry…"

Ruby's mom began to sob. She held the album close to her and tried to hold back the tears. But it was no use. She had been restraining them far too long. Sapphire wrapped her arms around her and prayed once again for Ruby to come home.

Sapphire's POV

Ruby's birthday was both filled with moments of happiness and moments of sadness but that second that Ruby's mom broke down was the peak of the sorrow. Seeing her like that made me want to cry as well but no… I needed to be strong for her sake, for my friends, for him and for me as well. I smiled and reassured her that my friends and I would be able to find in him.

The day was coming to an end. There was no news or signs of him. It was devastating and my heart was beginning to feel limp. I decided to spend the night at Ruby's house in order to keep Auntie, company but I couldn't bear to sleep in Ruby bed or go near his room. I decided to settle in the living room sofa.

That night, Auntie had already gone to bed. The lights were out but the moonlight radiating from the window pane shone some light in the darkness. I remained awake and stared at the clock at it struck midnight. Ruby's birthday had ended and he wasn't able to come home. I recalled again when Ruby's mom cried. If I was less strong I would have cried at that moment too but I needed to smile or else Ruby would be upset that I was crying on his birthday.

Now that the day was finished and it was no longer his birthday, I can finally cry. Tears flowed more relentless that I first thought. I questioned myself how I was able to even hold back that much.

I did my best to soften my sobbing so Ruby's mom wouldn't hear. I buried my face in the blankets and muffled out the noises as I cried myself to sleep.

End of Chapter 2

It's really angsty, right? I'm really working hard on this fanfic. I hope everyone likes it.

Sapphire's journey will likely start chapter 4. In my prediction. The next chapter will be more on the dexholders. *spoiler*

Anyway, please review. The more reviews, the faster I can write. Anything is fine. Please feel free...

Questions about the cover pic will be answered in the coming chapters. I'm not that good at doing faces...