Chapter 25 – Pledge To Love!

Alexa's POV

Keith and I sat on his bed quietly in our bedroom at the Ranger Union. He had his arms around me, like mine were around him. Buizel, Ryder and Kyle, the Riolu Ryder and I rescued a week ago, were on my bed, fast asleep. I glanced over at them and smiled; Ryder and Kyle looked so adorable, huddling up to one another, like siblings. I could feel Keith stroking my hair gently as I continued to watch Ryder sleep. It was because of him Keith and I became closer than friends. Even now, I can't believe that my feelings for Keith weren't completely clear. But, thanks to Ryder's help, according to Keith, my feelings were clearer than the Luminous Crystal. And I can remember how it happened just as clearly.

It all started a week after Ryder and I rescued Kyle from Dim Sun – or Debonairs, or whatever the hell you call them now – after they tried to exploit his ability to use aura. Ryder actually decided to stay behind and let Kyle get some experience as my partner Pokémon. Kyle and I were in the Vien Forest, on our way to pay Barlow another visit. I looked over at Kyle, who was happily settled on my right shoulder.
"Are you sure you don't want to take a rest and let Ryder tag along with me?" I asked him. Kyle looked towards me with his adorable smile.
"Buh!" he nodded. I smiled towards him and nodded in return.
"Okay, if you're sure about that. You know you can just let me know if you want to take a rest, don't you?"
"Buh!" Kyle nodded. With another nod from me, I continued towards Vientown. I was looking forward to seeing Barlow again.
"Hey, Alexa!" Speak of the devil; I heard Barlow calling me. Kyle and I watched as Barlow and Makuhita approached us. They both looked as energetic as ever. Kyle hopped off of my shoulder and instantly interacted with Makuhita. "Fancy seeing you down here! Where're you off to?"
"Actually, we were on our way to visit you and the others," I laughed. "Besides, I thought you'd might like to see how Kyle's doing after last week." Barlow looked down at Kyle, who was happily chatting with Makuhita. Makuhita also appeared to be having a good time.
"Yep, I can say he's doing well. Not that I'm surprised; he's under your care now, Alexa," Barlow nodded. He looked towards me; much to my confusion, Barlow had lost his smile. "What about you? You did rescue Kyle a day after you yourself were rescued. You okay?"
"Um…y-yeah, I think so," I said nervously. To be honest, I hadn't thought of what happened to me since the day after Kyle was left in my care. Ryder and I were so busy taking care of Kyle, what happened to me the day before we met Kyle had completely slipped my mind; I wasn't even sure if my answer was truthful.
"Look, I'm worried about you; I've heard Kincaid's still out there somewhere and you took it pretty badly. Maybe you should take some time off," Barlow suggested with concern. I shook my head.
"If Operation Brighton never stopped me from getting back on my feet, I'll be damned if I let Kincaid's cheap stunt keep me down," I said firmly. Asking for time off, to me, meant I'd be giving into submission. It's not my style to give into anything; I was not that kind of girl.
"Well put," Barlow smiled. "Hey, let's get back to Vientown; no doubt Crawford and Luana will want to see how you're doing."
"Cool," I smiled. Kyle, Makuhita and I followed Barlow out of the Vien Forest.

The trip to Vientown gave me time to think about what Kincaid put me through. I wasn't thinking of the ambush, nor did the fake ransom demand cross my mind. No. I was thinking of how I felt after Keith saved me. I mean, I knew he's my best friend, but how I felt after Keith saved me. That's what confused me. I've never been so open around anyone before, not even my little brother, Keenan. My Pokémon don't even know all of the crap I've been through over the years; only a select few know completely, including Phoenix, my Charizard, and Ryder. I knew I could talk to anyone at the Union about my problems…but why was I most comfortable talking to Keith? But one question ultimately floated around my mind; how does he feel about me?

When I snapped out of my train of thought, I suddenly realised we were in the Vientown Ranger base. I was shocked; it felt like it was only a few seconds ago that Barlow and I were talking in the forest. Much to my relief, we had just walked inside; I was relieved that I hadn't been staring into space for five minutes in the base. Crawford and Luana approached us.
"Hey, look who I found!" Barlow chuckled.
"Yo, Alex! You doing okay?" Crawford asked. I nodded towards him.
"Yeah, I'm okay," I replied. "I'm glad Kyle's safe now."
"Kyle, eh? That's the nickname you gave him? How quaint," Crawford said as he watched Kyle talking with Budew and Buneary, as well as Makuhita.
"How's Keith? We heard he got hurt when he rescued you," Luana said worriedly. I winced slightly; the moment she referenced was, in fact, my least favourite part of the whole experience, along with Ryder's brutal beating when Ice first kidnapped me. Even though it would be wrong to have a favourite part of something so traumatising.
"He's doing fine, as far as I'm aware," I said quietly. "He has scars on his chest, but they're nothing gruesome."
"I'm impressed that he was able to see his mission through in spite of his pain," Barlow smiled.
"Of course he did! I wouldn't be surprised if he rescued our Alex because he's secretly in love with her!" Crawford laughed. Luana smiled sweetly.
"Oh, how romantic!" she exclaimed.
"Hey, hey, don't go overboard," Barlow laughed.

What Crawford said…it made me think. Was Keith actually in love with me? What about me? Do I feel the same way? Keith's not shown any signs of a crush. Neither have I. No, wait…I think I have…When Keith held my hand as he challenged Kincaid and the Sinis Trio on his own, I blushed! Didn't I? I felt warm, but…what was that feeling?

"Leave it out, Crawford, he was just being a friend," I sniggered. "But, still…I'm glad Ryder was able to recover from his onslaught."

What I said…was I denying myself the possibility that Crawford could be right about Keith? I knew Crawford would say he was joking, as usual, but still…given how I've felt around Keith as of late…is it true?

It was pretty late in the evening by the time Kyle and I returned to the Union. I entered my bedroom and sighed as I closed the door behind me; my visit to the Vientown Ranger base was fantastic, but thinking about my bond with Keith worried me. Were we actually friends? Or was there…something deeper between us.
Are you going to stand there all evening? I heard Ryder talking to me as he entered the room. Kyle instantly leapt towards him and cuddled him. Ryder smiled down at Kyle and held onto him.
"Sorry, Ryder…I've…just got a lot on my mind, that's all," I said quietly. I really did have a lot on my mind. I didn't even know what was what.
Have you tried talking to Keith about it? Ryder asked as he sat on my bed with Kyle. I sighed.
"I would do if I knew where he is," I replied sternly as I looked around. I suddenly noticed Buizel sitting on Keith's bed; he looked up at me with a smile as he held a folded up piece of paper in his mouth. I was intrigued at what Buizel held and I approached the bed. Buizel approached me and dropped the note in front of me before he returned to where he sat. I picked up the note and looked at it curiously.
Open it, Alex, it's not a ransom note, Ryder laughed. I glared at him briefly before I looked towards the note. I unfolded it and read the words written on it.

Alex,

I need to talk to you about something. Meet me at the Pledge Stone in the school's Ascension Square at 10 tonight. Come alone, it's private.

Keith

I looked at Keith's note in confusion; why did he want to meet me at the Pledge Stone? I felt nervous.
I think you should meet him, Ryder advised. Who knows? Maybe he'll help you with whatever's on your mind.
"Maybe," I said quietly.

At the arranged time of 10pm, I left the Union on my own and made my way to the Ranger School. I had to climb over the school gates, but I got there eventually. I made my way to the Ascension Square and I found Keith looking up at the Pledge Stone. I approached him cautiously.
"Keith?"
"Huh?" Keith looked towards me and saw me coming. He smiled. "Hey, you made it!"
"Sorry if I'm a little late; I had troubles climbing over the gate," I said sheepishly.
"I had a few troubles myself," Keith chuckled. He sighed as he looked up at the Pledge Stone. I looked up at it too; it reminded me of the pledges Keith, Rhythmi and I made on the day we met.
"So…what did you want to talk to me about?" I asked nervously.
"First off…how are you feeling?" Keith asked as he looked towards me with concern. I looked towards him in confusion.
"What, after last week?" I questioned. "Or…just in general?"
"Whatever," Keith shrugged. "I wasn't being specific."
"Well…after last week, I think I'm okay," I said shakily. I didn't like to recall that situation. "But in general, I'm fine."
"Good," Keith smiled.
"What about you? Are you okay?" I asked worriedly.
"Yeah. Aside from my scars, I'm happy knowing you're all right," Keith replied. I looked away from him as I sighed.
"Yeah, I'm…I'm sorry you had to get hurt," I said sadly. "I didn't want you to get hurt."
"Hey…it was either me or you. I think I made the right choice," Keith said reassuringly. I felt him gently tilting my head up to look into my eyes. "You had suffered enough." He lowered his hand away from my face. "But that's not what I want to talk to you about."
"Hm? Then what is it you do want to talk about?" I asked in confusion. Keith looked away from me and rubbed the back of his neck with his left arm; he was nervous, I could tell.
"Uh…it's not going to be easy to say…because I don't know about how you feel," he said timidly.
"I told you, I'm fine, generally," I said casually.
"No, that's not what I meant," Keith said quickly. "But…I want to ask you something…what do you think of our friendship?"

I was astonished to hear Keith's question. I didn't know what he was playing at, but he should have known how I felt about our friendship.

"I cherish it!" I stated clearly. "Keith, how can you ask me such a thing?!" Keith looked towards me nervously.
"I don't want to lose it," he answered quietly.
"We won't lose it, don't worry," I smiled reassuringly. "What makes you think we'll lose our friendship?"
"Because…because I want to be more than your friend, Alex," Keith said shyly.

I was confused. I didn't understand what Keith was trying to tell me. But, for some reason, I was nervous myself.

"Alex…do you know what I'm trying to say?" Keith asked reluctantly. I looked away from him, but only to ponder; what was he trying to tell me? I sighed; I had no clue. I lowered my head slightly as I closed my eyes softly.
"Sorry," I said quietly. I moved my head towards Keith slightly. "I don't know what-"

I suddenly Keith's lips softly pressed against mine. I felt as though my heart stopped beating until Keith gently moved away from me. I couldn't believe it. I felt…strange…it was as if my breath was literally taken from me, and my heart kept missing a beat. Yet, I felt a certain warmth…a familiar warmth.

"It didn't occur to me until recently," Keith said softly. I looked up at him and found him smiling warmly at me. "I've been thinking about our friendship lately. And about all of the times I've hugged you and stuff. I was thinking about why I've been hugging you in the past, and it actually got me thinking about how I feel about you."

I wanted to ask him what he meant, but…that kiss…it left me totally speechless.

"I've been asking myself why I felt so upset as I left for Fiore, why I felt warm and happy when I saw you standing next to me when we became Top Rangers…why I hugged you so suddenly during Operation Brighton…that sort of thing," Keith explained. "And after we found out Kincaid was holding you hostage, I…I felt scared…a bit. Don't get me wrong, I was scared for you, but I would have been entirely scared for you had it not been for the fact that I was confused about why I was scared for you."

What Keith said made sense, I thought. I've wondered why I felt so upset after he was blown off of the roof of Altru Inc.

"So, I've been thinking about it all week," Keith added. "And…to be honest, I don't know what other explanation there could be. I love you."

Those words…they startled me. It was as if I finally knew the answers to all of the questions I've been asking myself lately.

"But…I don't know how you feel about me," Keith sighed as he lost his smile. "So if you just want us to be friends, I can live with that. I just don't want to lose you." I looked down for a moment. I nodded before I looked up at Keith.
"You won't," I said quietly.
"Huh?"
"Everything you just said…it makes perfect sense to me," I explained. "But…it also gave me time to think."
"About…?" Keith asked reluctantly.
"My perspective on the matter," I replied. "All this time…I thought…we were just best friends. But…I've been thinking about why I felt so upset after you were blown off of Altru Inc's roof…and basically everything you just said. And that kiss…"
"I know, I know…too sudden," Keith sighed.
"It was, but that's not the point," I said quietly. "It…it made everything clear to me. I must have been oblivious to your feelings all this time. As well as my own."
"Your own?" Keith asked. I looked up at him with a warm smile. I felt myself blushing, and I felt myself being overwhelmed by happiness; I was on the verge of bursting out with joy.
"My feelings for you," I clarified. "I finally understand them now."
"You do?" Keith asked.
"Yes. And…and…" I felt nervous; I wanted to tell him, but I didn't have it in me. "I…oh, screw it," I sighed.

I suddenly, yet softly, pressed my lips against Keith's. I could tell Keith was startled, but I felt him becoming more relaxed. As I gently released our kiss, Keith and I looked at each other's eyes. We were smiling warmly.
"So…you feel the same way?" Keith asked me.
"I do," I replied, almost in a whisper. I closed my eyes softly as I looked down slightly and my smile grew a little bit. "Thank you. For making it clear for me." Keith drew me closer to him and cuddled me lightly. I rested my head gently on his chest.
"Alex…I think it's appropriate for me to make a pledge," Keith said softly.
"What, another one?" I asked in a small laugh. "This'll make, what, three now?"
"So? There's no limit to what you can pledge," Keith sniggered. "Besides…I think this one will be more meaningful than the others."
"Yeah? What do you have in mind for this pledge?" I asked with interest as I squinted up at him. Keith looked down at me with a warm smile.
"Well… I'll call this a promise instead; pledge isn't really the right word," he said gently. "I promise to always love you. No matter what."

Keith's promise was very sweet. And romantic, I had to admit. I felt Keith gently kissing the top of my head before he stroked my hair softly.

I glanced over at the clock next to Keith's bed. I didn't care that it was almost midnight. I had a very fantastic day. I looked over at Keith; he looked lovingly towards me.
"So, Ryder put you up to our meeting, did he?" I asked him.
"It was his idea to meet at the Pledge Stone," he replied. "I agreed with him; it was appropriate, since we started our friendship there, basically."
"Hmm…very fitting," I agreed. "Keith?"
"What's up?"
"Did you have a hunch that we'd get closer than friends?" I asked. "You know…did you have a feeling there was more to our friendship than we were letting on?"
"Um…" Keith looked up towards the ceiling in thought. "Moderately, I suppose," he answered finally as he looked back at me. "What about you?"
"No, I didn't," I laughed. "It's like I was oblivious to my own feelings all along." Keith smiled.
"What are you like?" he chuckled.
"Well how was I supposed to know I felt like that?" I asked, laughing.
"Felt like what?" Keith asked playfully.
"How did I know that I…you know!" I sniggered.
"That you what?" Keith questioned teasingly. I smirked at him.
"You just want to hear me say it, don't you?" I asked.
"Say what?" Keith asked casually.
"I love you!" I replied. I suddenly looked bewildered, while Keith laughed. "You just got me, didn't you?"
"Yes I did," Keith sniggered.
"Dang," I pouted playfully. Keith drew me closer to him and held onto me softly. I huddled up to him while he stroked my head.
"I hate to ask you this, but are you going to be okay while he's still out there?" he asked. I knew whom he meant, but I didn't let it get to me; I simply smiled warmly in Keith's arms.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," I said quietly. "Besides…I think Ryder wants payback on Ice and Kincaid anyway."
"I swear to you, Alex…if Kincaid messes with you again, I'll deal with him myself," Keith said sternly. I looked up at him in confusion and noticed his serious demeanour.
"You don't have to. I mean, Kincaid isn't even worth the flesh and bones he's made from, let alone the effort of giving him a punch in the face," I said calmly.
"No, if he so much as touches you, I'll make sure he winds up looking like something that got run over by a Tauros stampede," Keith said snidely. As I huddled closer to him, I could tell he softened up; I squinted up at him and saw him looking at me sweetly.
"Even before all this, you still look out for me," I giggled.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't," he said, laughing slightly. "Besides, I've always cared about you, haven't I?"
"True," I smiled. "And I'm glad to have someone like you in my life." I felt Keith tilting my head up. He then kissed my lips softly. As he released the kiss, he held me a little closer to him and he kissed the top of my head.
"I can safely say the same to you," he smiled.

To be continued…