A/N: Oh hey look, a full year since posting anything. I've been extremly sluggish in doing literally anything on this site the past...however long, but I'm not dead. Astral is still being worked on, and Playboy is also still being worked on so no worries there. I've been trying my hardest to re-capture the feel of both of those fics and whatnpt. I'm sorry for anybody who have been waiting for an entire year for any sort of update.

In case they are still active and wandering around here, I would like to give a supe special thanks to everyone who allowed me to use their OC's for Phoenix and I'm deeply appreciative of that. It's definitely one of the things that keeps me and this story going.!

Ecruteak City

80 days Before Ecruteak

She blinked a few times, making sure that she was really seeing what she thought she was, making sure that she was really sitting there in bed in a Poke-Center, that she wasn't imagining it. Seria's eyes came into focus just as her ears tuned into a deeply foreign and almost brooding voice.

"Miss Day, you look lost, and I apologize for this sudden intrusion, but I really do have something to speak with you about." Seria then suddenly became acutely aware that she was staring at someone, a stern looking young man maybe two or three years older than she was. He was sitting next to her bedside, looking caught between the strange middle ground of being distant and attentive.

The situation registered in Seria's head, and she rolled back over the words that he had just said moments before. That was right. He had said something about "needing to speak with her" even earlier than now. Seria realized then that she had to have been even more disoriented than she was now; she really didn't remember anything besides this man's "need to speak with her".

More of his face came into focus and Seria's eyes were soon darting every way about him, taking in his lightly tanned skin, and messy, somewhat lengthy hair that dropped down enough to nearly touch his shoulders. He stood suddenly, as if he knew that she were observing him and the sudden movement had almost startled Seria, but she held firm and her eyes continued over him.

He looked strong.

He seemed to dress in a way that only subtly implied his pure power, with simple purple and blue laced sneakers, simple blue jeans and blue shirt that was simply styled with a single purple stripe running through the base of the collar. Over that, he wore even more purple, a jacket with a blue stripe running down each side the sleeves. The man really enjoyed his purple it seemed. Something tugged at Seria and she lifted her eyes to his. They were a nice, if not deceiving grey-blue, and they wore an unerring expression, much like the rest of him.

Seria must have blanked out again, as a shuttering click! had caught her unaware. She re-focused again and found a small blue digital camera resting expertly in Ryuu's hands. Seria felt a grin tug at her lips.

"You like photography? I wouldn't have guessed it just from looks." She chuckled lightly, though the man gave no response. "But," Seria looked over herself. She had suffered some burns, but not as bad as she would have thought. She remembered stepping to shield the Dewott that she had spitefully 'stolen' for lack of a better word, and being encased in fire. The more Seria thought on it, the more she realized that she really shouldn't even be alive at all. "I don't think I'm really in any condition for a photo shoot…" Some places on her arms were bad, the skin bubbling and peeling. Other places on her body were less irritated, only coloring her skin a few shades red. Seria checked her face, finding that her cheeks burned violently, but were not at all sensitive to touch or really warped at all for that matter.

"You're fine," was all the man said. Seria lifted her eyes back to him. She took a breath to respond; he interjected. "You're face isn't burned or anything, so you're fine. And even if it were, it wouldn't matter." Seria's response was small.

"You think?"

"I know." Seria raised her brows at that. "Any moment and every moment is the perfect time for a photo. Candid shots are the best, and the most authentic." He paused as if to think for a moment, and Seria began to see that this man wasn't as intimidating as he dressed himself to be. In truth, Seria had already had an idea that he was nothing like he dressed. He was kind at heart and in this moment, it was truly beginning to show. "Authentic is the only way anything or anyone should ever be, and it's the only way any one can capture the world and its entirety in a photo. Anything less is more or less a lie. Plain and simple."

The grin at the edge of Seria's lips grew wider, she felt it. It grew even wider still when she caught the sparse flicker of emotion that also tugged at the man's mouth. He suddenly let out a small laugh, something that Seria wasn't fully expecting.

"I'm sorry. I tend to get a little caught up in myself at times." He paused again. "At least, when it comes to photography."

"Or authentically sharing yourself with others," Seria added in confidence. She heard the man let out a breathy "yeah" in response, as if he couldn't quite believe it, almost like he hadn't met anyone like her. "You know," Seria started. "I never got your name." The young man looked down at his feet boyishly and a little bashfully.

"I apologize." He put his hand out. "I'm Ryuu. Ryuu Sinclair. It's nice to formally meet you, Miss Day." Seria took his hand, wincing audibly as she shook it but she tried her best to smile through the pain; her burns were more extensive than she thought she supposed.

"You already seem to know who I am, but…I'm Seria Day. It's nice to meet you as well." Ryuu slid his hand free shortly after, but was quiet and Seria figured that he didn't really know where to go from there. Seria was just as lost if she were honest, but she figured that an awkward conversation was definitely better than an awkward silence.

"So…Ryuu…you said you needed to talk with me? It sounds important…" She watched as Ryuu's face darkened a great deal, his smile fading into replete sternness.

"Yeah, about that…" The man's voice grew deeper, even more brooding. It seemed to Seria that he had completely forgotten about why he had come here in the first place, and it seemed as though he would have rather have been there talking to her about photography. Seria figured that that was exacty what he would rather be doing.

"Oh, um… Ryuu, we can talk about something else if you want. We don't have totalk about it right now. We can wait, can't we?" Ryuu shook his head.

"I would like that, but…" She felt his eyes wander over her this time, making note of how his eyes hanged over each of the places where she could feel her burns, and how they glided from mark to mark. "I can't do that." He finished.

"You can't?" Ryuu shook his head again.

"I can't. Someone attacked you, didn't they?" Seria tensed a little, but did her best to speak evenly.

"Yeah…? Do you…know something about it?" Seria saw the thoughts passing over Ryuu, each one like a shadow.

"You seem a little frightened." Seria frowned. He had said that a little defensively. "I must scare you, huh" He was staring at her in completeness, barely moving, barely blinking. Seria shook her head now, her frowned lining her face even deeper. She spoke, her voice soft.

"If you scared me, then I wouldn't be here now. And I would have never even tried to have a conversation. Since we've been talking, I figured that who you really are is nothing like how you dress. I think everyone deserves a chance." Seria offered him a timid smile, her voice softening even more. "I just…have a hard time with people in general. So please don't take it personally…" Seria noted that Ryuu seemed to relax then.

"I'm…glad," was all he said.

They each fell into silence then, which wasn't quite as awkward as she had thought it would be though Seria had curiosity burning in her chest. Seria suddenly turned to him, a definite urgency coating her posture and her tone.

"Ryuu, can I ask you something?" He stared at her, only giving her a curt nod and silence. "You seem like you're a very guarded person, and I feel like that stern look you seem to were so much isn't what your face really looks like. I might be prying when I ask and I'm sorry but…what happened to you?"

Ryuu closed his eyes and Seria wasn't sure if he were taking time to think or if he were simply going to ignore her.

"We've only just met." Another curt and defensive reply.

"Yeah, but you seem to know a little bit about me…" Ryuu chuckled in response to that.

"You are a Coordinator aren't you? I'm more or less a photographer. Is it really so strange that I may know a few things about you?" Seria's breath caught. That was a really strong point he had made just now.

"Does that mean you were at the Violet City contest?" He nodded. "Then have you been following me this whole time?" Seria watched him closely as he took a moment to respond.

"I wouldn't say I've been following you, but that we were simply going to the same place." He was holding her eyes again, and Seria felt a tingle up her spine that made her want to turn away. He was probably trying to scare her for whatever reason, but Seria would not let him drive her away.

"You definitely came here with something in mind though." Ryuu conceded.

"That's true, and that was also after I had heard that some kind of chaos had gone on in Ecruteak." Seria felt her breath catch a second time. Everything was slowly coming together, which probably meant that Ryuu was here because of her battle with the mystery trainer that had come to take Dewott.

"What kind of chaos," Seria asked.

"More than likely the same chaos that left you unconscious in the middle of the street in Ecruteak." Seria winced inwardly at the stern but honest remark. She saw Ryuu's features soften then. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so stern. It's just…" He paused again and Seria waited for him. Ryuu took a deep breath.

"Hey," Seria caught his attention and for what seemed to be the dozen-th time, their eyes caught again. "It's okay. This is important." Ryuu's face shifted, and his lips twitched, at first into a half-smile, then into a melancholic grimace; he held her eyes all the same.

"I feel as though I know who came after you." Seria blinked at him incredulously.

"You do?"

"I think so. Did whoever attack you say anything about who they are?"

"No," Seria said with a shake of her head. "They didn't say anything about who they were or why they wanted steal from me." Another dark shadow passed over Ryuu's features, something that Seria was growing rapidly accustomed to.

"You said 'steal'? As in thievery?" Seria nodded again. "What kind of Pokemon did she use?" Seria rose a brow.

"Well, actually, 'she' was a 'he' He looked really young too, but he was pretty aggressive for being that young…" Ryuu was still holding her eyes, unflinching and undeterred, for only a few seconds longer before smoothly gliding them away. Seria heard him mutter something. "Is something wrong Ryuu?" He didn't answer. "Do you know them?" Seria's voice sharpened marginally. Ryuu still didn't reply. "Ryuu, could you please answer me?" moments flittered by before he finally responded.

"I do know who came after you." His body was facing Seria now, but he kept his eyes averted. At first, Seria felt betrayed and lied to, despite not even really knowing this person all that well. Seria went to speak before she caught herself. SRyuu knew who her attacker was, but that didn't mean he sent him after her. In fact, Seria didn't know much about Ryuu or this mystery attacker. Her anger wilted and a gentle curiosity settled in its place.

"You know them," was all Seria allowed herself to say.

"I do," Ryuu conceded. "I know them pretty well."

"Do you know his name?" Ryuu chuckled, morose in tone.

"The kid who came after you was probably a kid named Cody. Cody Frost, and he was probably sent after you by his 'sister' Victoria Reed." Silence settled again between them. "You must be thinking that I'm a thief also." Seria shook her head.

"I don't know what or who you are, so I'll just sit here and let you tell me." She saw Ryuu grin genuinely at that.

"Thank you."

"'Thank you'?" Ryuu nodded.

"A lot of people are actually frightened by my appearance and how I choose to dress, and even more frightened at what you think is not my 'real face'."

"The stern look," Seria added lightly.

"Yeah," Ryuu nodded. Seria smiled at him, opening up to a genuine and chaste laughter.

"I'm guessing that's why you seems a little defensive about a lot of things?" Again, Ryuu nodded.

"I'll tell you all about it."

"Good!" Seria's reply had been unusually peppy, a little explosive even. She wondered if Ryuu's face had changed in surprise; she hadn't been watching. "I'm glad that I can help you out too…" Seria was still grinning, and she felt as though she were actually glowing for the first time outside of a contest competition. "I think we're going to be good friends, Ryuu." He slid a cool expression her way.

"You think?" Seria nodded.

"I know." Ryuu laughed, and again it was something that took Seria by surprise. He actually laughed.

"Well, if we're going to be great friends, then I think I should tell you everything that I know about Cody and Victoria." Seria decided to jibe at him then, to give him a free shot.

"You think?" Ryuu smiled.

"I know."