Disclaimer: Hey everyone, look up 'Pokemon: Ash's Dad' on Deviantart. It's very thought-provoking. Ebaz: Your reviews are the best, they are always so well-thought out and heartwarming. And thank you so much for your compliment about detail; I love using it, but I've read your fanfics and I like your style (Hey, I don't watch Pokemon either- I haven't even read the manga. I've only read the synopsis of both on Serebii. And I tried saying SoulSilvershipping five times fast. I'm still trying to untangle my tongue.)

Question: If you had to date a gym leader (choose one from each region) which ones would you pick and why?

My Answer: *Strikes deep-in-thought pose* From Kanto: Blue, the leader of the Viridian Gym, since he is sooo cute; from Johto: Morty, since I've seen adorable fanart of him; from Hoenn: probably Wallace/ Juan, since that region has pretty slim pickings; from Sinnoh: Volkner, because he's pretty hot; from Unova: Cilan all the way, because he's shy and sweet-looking. Your turn! Tell me your picks in your reviews, guys.

Characters: I'm doing checkmateshipping! No, I don't care if no one else likes it! Cheren reminds me of Kyoya from Ouran, so therefore I love Cheren! (Seriously, guys, have you seen how hot Kyoya is shirtless? I mean, Tamaki makes me melt into a puddle of goo on the floor because of his adorableness, but Kyoya… *Fans herself*) Not to mention that I romanticize characters. Seriously. I'm so fangirly when it comes to the pokemon games, I can twist anything (like the scene in the radio tower X D)

Summary: This is a continuation of Ferris Wheel.

Passions Run

~Slow down, the world isn't watching us break down

It's safe to say we're alone now, we're alone now~

He stood in the doorway of her hotel room, his usually sleek black hair a series of half-curls that concealed his forehead. His shadowed eyes were the colour of the sky at dawn, the most luminous, unbelievably concentrated blue that Touko had ever seen in her life. His face looked as if it was carved in ice, the moonlight coming in through the window bleaching his skin until he was an ethereal vision of contrasts.

Touko was standing on the opposite side of the room, arms crossed, her body clad by a sleeveless white nightdress with straps. She kept her back straight and her eyes averted as he ever so slowly closed the door behind him and made his way to the center of the room.

~Not a whisper, the only noise is the receiver

I'm counting the seconds until you break the silence,

So please just break the silence~

"You were right about N," she said finally, her voice an unused croak. "He's the leader of Team Plasma."

He sat down on the edge of her bed, waiting for her to finish.

"But he's not a bad person, Cheren. He has good intentions. He's just a little misguided."

He took a deep breath, his lashes thick black crescents on his cheeks he took off his glasses and shut his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "I asked you not to see him, Touko," he said, sounding as if he had gone through a century of misery since she had last seen him. "I begged you not to. He's not…stable. He may seem kind, but if he got angry…if he got angry, I don't know what he'd be capable of." He opened his eyes to look at her, the endless depths of his eyes piercing her. "Why did you do that, Touko? I saw you hide him. I saw you…" He seemed to choke, and he glanced away, a muscle in his jaw leaping.

"Cheren," she whispered hopelessly, feeling as if her heart was being torn in two as she reached out a hand before letting it drop and curling it around her own waist.

"I saw the way you looked at him, and how he looked at you." There was a tremor in his voice that made tears spring to her eyes, and she swallowed hard, her heart feeling as if it had migrated to the base of her throat. She hated seeing Cheren in pain- especially when she was the one inflicting it upon him. She had always felt so close to Cheren, always felt a pang of sweetness that targeted her heart and a throb of confusion that attacked everywhere else. But…but then there was N to think about, and…

…And now she didn't know what to do.

"He's nice." Her voice sounded winded even to her. "He's been nothing but nice to me, Cheren."

"You hardly know him." Desperation was marring his usually level-headed tone, and on shaky legs she walked over, collapsing on the bed beside him. Her whole head seemed to be spinning, her emotions haywire. "And yet…" His voice faltered. "And yet you're going to choose him, aren't you?"

~I'm longing for words to describe how I'm feeling, I'm feeling inspired~

"I don't know what you mean." It was a parched whisper that she knew wouldn't change anything. They were sprinting headlong into a confrontation, and it was too late to turn back.

He laughed bitterly, placing his glasses on the nightstand before raking his hands through his hair, mussing it even more. "Yes, you do. We both do. There's no hiding it anymore."

Her heart seized as he turned to face her, kneeling on the mattress. His intense blue eyes were frantically searching hers, his hands- artist's hands, slim and long-fingered- hesitantly fluttering up to rest on either side of her face. She felt her cheeks heat underneath his cool palms, and that nameless feeling rose up in her, making her heart beat faster and her heart to ache with a sensation that was inbetween pleasure and pain.

~It's my heartbeat, it's getting much louder

My heartbeat is stronger than ever

I'm feeling so alive, I'm feeling so alive~

His gaze caught hers in a way that she couldn't even think of escaping from, and her breath came shallower as his words spun a tapestry of memories and emotion, entangling her in it.

"We met when we were six on an everyday September morning, but I'll remember it until I die and maybe even after. You were wearing shorts and a T-shirt, despite the weather, and you were hanging onto Black's hand with the biggest smile on your face. You greeted everyone in the class as if they were all your best friends, but when you got to me you stopped and just looked at me for a moment. Do you remember what you said?"

She shook her head.

"You told me that I had lonely eyes, and hugged me. After that we hung out every day: it was you, me, Black and Bianca. It still is. I'm hoping it always will be.

"You were my best friend, you know. You are my best friend. You were the one I went to when I found out that my mom had left, and I appeared at your doorstep, dripping wet, in the middle of the night. You didn't ask any questions, though; you pulled me inside, grabbed a towel and dried me off, and then just let me cry myself to sleep. You're the only one whose every seen me cry, you know. I don't think you know that.

"You were the one that I pushed on the swings when we were little. You were the one that encouraged my dreams even when other people wanted to ground me; you were the one that I could talk to about everything and nothing, all at the same time. You were the one that fought with me against those Plasma grunts; you were the one whose hand I held when we braved the Cold Storage."

She was crying silently now, tears dripping down her face, and droplets she knew would never fall made his eyes dance and shimmer in the half-light.

~Until the day that I die, I can't keep my eyes off of you~

"You were the one that made me fall in love. I love you, Touko." Another quiver ran through his voice, which was tight with emotion that he was trying- and failing- to suppress. "I've loved you before I knew the meaning of the word. I always have, and I always will. And I'm…I'm asking you to choose me over N."

~My world just flipped upside down~

Her lips shaped his name, but no sound came out. It was all happening too fast- and yet, it seemed as if the world had slowed, and everything was falling into place.

"Can I do something?" he murmured.

Mesmerized by the smoldering look in his eyes, she nodded her head.

Keeping his eyes on hers, he reached over to turn her arm gently over, revealing the translucent underside of it. Bending his head, he kissed her palm, and fire snaked through her veins.

"Cheren," she whispered.

He ignored her, his lips drawing a sizzling line from her hand to her wrist, and then ending with a scalding kiss to the curve of her elbow. Lifting his head, he hooked his fingers underneath one of her straps and lowered it so that he could touch his lips to her shoulder, moving them tenderly to the base of her throat- the place where her heart beat the strongest.

"Lay down," he told her quietly, laying a hand flat against her heart and pushing her gently down onto the bed. She let him, her hair fanned out around her face, one leg curled in an arc as he moved to straddle her.

He bowed his head again to kiss her chin, moving his lips up along the side of her face. She found herself leaning in slightly to the contact. He lifted his face to kiss the tip of her nose, her forehead and then her closed eyelids; the feeling was intoxicating, and her whole body was thrumming with pure feeling, passion running through her veins like adrenaline.

When she felt his lips move to the corner of her mouth her heart stopped, and her eyes flew open. He was gazing at her questioningly, asking for permission.

She tilted her head so that her lips grazed his, her eyes shutting again as she relished the feeling. His hands were on either side of her face, and he lowered himself so that she could feel his heart drumming against his, his silken hair cool against her warm skin.

Soon, too soon, he pulled away and lifted himself off her. The longing in his eyes had shattered, leaving only broken pieces that reflected remorse back at her as she sat up slowly, trying to calm the cadence of her heart.

"I'm sorry." There was no tremble marring his voice now; if there was, it was too quiet to detect. "I shouldn't have done that. You look so…shocked."

She was too overwhelmed to reply.

"I hope this doesn't ruin anything." His face was the colour of poppies, burning with shame and self-hate. "If it does, let me know, and I'll leave you alone."

Then he was gone, opening the door and closing it with a very final-sounding click behind him. For the longest time Touko sat there, gazing at nothing. Then her eyes focused on the mirror across from her, and she stared at it hard, imagining N and Cheren on either side of her: two choices. Two lifestyles. Two futures. Two loves.

She took a deep breath, her heart set.

She had made her decision.

~I'm finally waking up, a twist in my story

It's time I open up, let your love right through me~