Okay you guys, I'm really sorry for the incredibly late update, I'm kinda running low on inspiration. There's not much to say anymore, and I need to get things done in this story that I just don't want to get done.
;; SO, it'll be on slow progress, so slow that it may be on Hiatus for some time...again...
The song is Still, by Ben Folds
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This time, it was my turn to be the one awake all night, and Sapphire’s turn to be asleep in mere seconds. Unlike her, I couldn’t stand just lying in bed doing nothing, and so I wondered how I could break it to her the fact that I just couldn’t wait for her when we arrived at Lavaridge. There was nothing waiting for me there, and I needed to get to Fallarbor if I wanted to make it in time for that contest.
Again, it was my turn to stare at her sleeping figure, and unlike her, I was sure that she was sleeping like a rock. I was on the other side of the room then the bed, and was packing my things for tomorrow in the light of a lone lamp, that only dully lit the room.
She was so sensitive! For some stupid reason, she could take everyone else’s jokes beside’s mine. Did it really take her that long to forgive someone?!
I for one, had already put our fight in the past, though the thought of what had triggered that huge quarrel still made my cheeks burn with frustration and embarrassment.
Shaking my head, I realized that my cheeks were burning again, so dragging my thoughts away from that rather touchy subject, I clipped Coco, Nana, and Zuzu’s pokeballs onto the strap of my yellow backpack. In another attempt to keep my mind away from that incredible violation of personal space with Sapphire, I wondered where Blue was, and how Green and Red were doing with their search for her.
Probably not very well for Green and Red.
I heard a light pitter patter on the window of our room and realized that it was raining. It wasn’t a pouring rain, just a light drizzle. I found it odd, because just today, the sky was cloudless, and it had been a warm and clear day. Then again, this was exactly why Eliadon and Toren had left.
“I’m sorry Ruby.”
I wasn’t surprised to see that Sapphire had awakened. She’d been asleep since we got back from the gym, and that had been a few hours back.
“For what?” I asked, turning around.
“For not taking your jokes and stuff like that.” Sapphire shrugged, her arms hugging the pillow, “I’m still getting used to being friends with you right now. Eventually though, it’ll be fine, because I’ll know when you’re joking and when you’re not.”
I blinked. She was making this all the harder, telling her that I was going to leave after we got to Lavaridge. I couldn’t tell her during this day of glory, the day she’d received her Dynamo Badge.
“It’s fine. That’s what friend are for.” I replied.
“Yeah, I guess so.” She smiled, and said, “But I am being a hypocrite, because I joke too, and you never get mad at me, so I felt kind of bad.”
“Don’t.” I shook my head, “I don’t take any kind of those insults seriously. I hear too many of them to take any of them seriously.”
She furrowed her brow and asked me, “When do you hear them?”
Ah, I had baited myself into this. Her too, so I couldn’t really blame her but… “Home.”
“…Oh.” She shifted uncomfortably, and I shook my head again, “Don’t let it bother you Saph, you can go back to sleep.”
“Nah.” She said, “I’ve been sleeping for a long time, I’m not tired anymore.”
Awkward silence. These were the worst for me. It always meant that Sapphire was going to break the quiet with something sappy again. She acted normal enough around me during the day, but at night, she was an entirely different person. Quiet and contemplative.
“Hey Ruby?” She asked.
Here we go.
“Yeah Saph?”
“Why do you fight with your dad so much?” She cocked her head to one side to emphasize her confusion.
I narrowed my eyes, and my grasp on my backpack strap tightened. She must’ve seen it, because she quickly added, “You don’t have to answer me if you don’t want to!”
I looked up at her, her blue eyes slightly nervous for my reaction. Staring at her I asked, “Do you really want to know?”
She paused for a second, then said, “Is it bad?”
“No,” I kept my gaze on her, “I’ll answer you if you really want to know, but if not, then I’d rather not talk about Norman.”
“Would you mind if I did want to know?” She asked, treading lightly.
“Nope.” She nodded, and I sighed, “Thought so. I’m…not entirely sure why we always end up fighting. We just do. He’s so pushy. No matter what I do, it doesn’t seem like it’s enough for him.”
“He’s always giving me long lectures, about the smallest things. My battle strategy, the people I hang out with, the things I say. And so, I stopped hanging out with people, to stop him from criticizing my friends, and I stopped talking around him, to stop him from yelling at me for saying something bad. Then he started lecturing me on how I needed to be more social. Nothing I do is good enough for him, as I said.”
I was spilling my guts out, but she was listening, so, why not?
“I can’t beat him in battles, he says I don’t try, because I don’t like battling-“
“Why not?” Sapphire asked me.
I fell silent and she added, “Okay we’ll cover that some other time, continue?”
“And, he said that I wasn’t allowed to go participate in contests. I ran away and left for Littleroot and I met you. Professor Birch sent me back home, and I ended up getting in another argument with him. I hate him so much!” I snapped, and she smiled at me.
“What are you smiling about?” I asked, flushing as I realized that I really had spilled my guts out.
“You know, Norman’s right. You are pretty anti-social to people other then me, Green, Eliadon, Blue, and well, you know. I’ve never seen you talk to a stranger, or, someone who’s name you don’t know. That is, unless you’re defending yourself in a verbal war, like how we met.”
I thought about it for a moment, and said, “Making friends is just harder for me. People think I’m girly and just sort of avoid me.”
“I think you’re girly and I don’t avoid you.” She said.
“Thanks.” I said sarcastically, “The encouragement is really a big help.”
She cocked her head to one side and shrugged, “I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”
I looked down at my hands, and entwined them with each other, chewing on passing thoughts, a war of choices ravaging within my mind. Tell her now? Or later?
Later, I decided on.
“So, are you ready for the battle with Flannery?” I asked her casually, and she looked away.
“No. I need more pokemon. I may go down to Slateport first, you know, follow the real route we were supposed to take?” Sapphire said, and I froze. She ruined all my plans “Something the matter with that plan?” She asked, noticing my sudden tenseness.
I turned around and laughed uneasily, and said, “Well, my contest is in Fallarbor Saph.”
She blinked, and narrowed her eyes, “Oh yeah.” She said bitterly, turning back over onto her bed, her back facing me as she fell silent.
“Sapphire, I can’t hold your hand around Hoenn forever.” I said, flinching as I realized that I’d tread on sensitive ground. We shared an awkward silence for a long time, before she sighed.
“I know.” She said, shifting, and falling silent…again.
I rolled my eyes at her, careful not to make a sound as I crossed my eyes and stuck my tongue out, and then turned around, picking up my backpack and tossing it at the foot of my bunk “Well, goodnight then.” I said, throwing myself upon the sheets without even kicking off my running shoes.
“…Night.” She replied, her tone sour.
Honestly, sometimes I wondered if she was starting to consider me her mom or something. She couldn’t do anything alone! Suddenly, the idea of being looked up upon was so appealing. I wasn’t sure if I could handle the responsibility of constantly being her confidante, when I could hardly be my own.
I looked up as my pokenav started to beep, the red light flashing and piercing the darkness of our room, and I sighed, reaching over for it.
“Hello?” I said into the screen.
“Sorry for calling so late, I lost track of the time, being chased by wild mightyena does that to you!” Professor Birch’s cheerful voice came, the man laughing heartily, “How’s the journey?”
‘Perfect timing.’ I thought sarcastically, plastering on a smile, and saying cheerfully, “Great!” Sadly, my voice cracked, and Professor Birch narrowed a suspicious eye at me.
“My you’re hormones are acting up aren’t they?” He laughed, and I sighed in relief. He was like Wattson right now, and he asked for Sapphire.
“Sure hold on.” I covered the three holes marked, ‘mic’ and looked up, “Saph?” I whispered gently.
She sighed, turning over and draping an expectant hand over the side of her bunk, I stared at the hand for a moment, then placed the pokenav in her hand as I felt kind of guilty.
Leaning back and ignoring their conversation, I closed my eyes and thought. I knew she depended on me right now,
still fresh in the world, and that was probably why I’d felt so nervous about telling her I was leaving.
I, must, give the impression,
That I have the answers for everything.
I needed to unwind. Perhaps the time away from her this time, instead of making me sick to my stomach, would make me less tense.
You, were, so disappointed to see me unravel so easily,
It’s only change, it’s only everything I know
Either that, or it would have the same effect as last time. This time though, I wouldn’t have Eliadon and Cammy arguing all the time, reminding me of the way me and Sapphire used to fight. Maybe I might be able to forget about it for awhile…
It’s only change and I’m only changing…
You, want something that’s constant,
And I only wanted to be me…
I sat up, and stared at my yellow backpack. If I went to Fallarbor…and she went to Slateport, we wouldn’t see each other for a long long time. I could go to Slateport as well, there was a contest hall there…but I would miss Fallarbor. I would miss a chance to win a ribbon, and I only had so many chances before I failed to enter the Grand Festival…
But, watch, even the stars above,
Things that seem still are still changing….
“Here.” She handed me my pokenav and retreated back to her bunk.
I took it back, and held it for a moment, then, clipping it back onto the strap of my backpack, I sighed, and said, “I should be the one who’s sorry.”
“…Why?” She asked me.
“I shouldn’t have let you lean on my shoulder.” I shrugged, and she leaned over the side of her bunk again, staring at me with a very strangled expression.
She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again, glaring at me before pulling herself back onto her bunk, saying, “I’m not leaning on your shoulder. I can stand by myself just fine.”
“Then, you shouldn’t have a problem without me, right?” I asked, looking up at the mattress.
She was silent and said, “It’ll be quiet.”
I laughed softly and whispered, “And it’s not quiet anyway? Sapphire, you should see the world alone. It’s a new…experience. Trust me.”
She took a deep breath and let it all out, “Fine.” She mumbled.
Sapphire trusted me. That was a news flash. Smiling up at her, though she couldn’t see, I scoffed, and leaned back again, and she asked, “What?”
~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~
“Nooo!” Cammy groaned, “You’re a little stalker aren’t you?!”
Sapphire narrowed an eye and said, “I need to go to Dewford! It’s you’re fault you didn’t tell me the right way to go! Now I have to totally backtrack!”
“My fault?!” Cammy asked in indignity, “Try Eliadon! He’s the one with the Pokenav!”
“You’ve already gone through Hoenn once before.” Ruby pointed out, and Cammy glared at him.
“Well, I’m not waiting for
you, because my friend is waiting for
me.” She said, and Sapphire flared.
“I never asked for you to wait for me!” She snapped.
Cammy rolled her eyes and breathed out a sigh, “Whatever.” Before she let out a Swellow, flying off south toward Slateport.
Sapphire clenched her fists in annoyance, not noticing Ruby who was shifting from foot to foot, trying to decide whether or not to show Sapphire who he really was. The boy who hated getting his pokemon and himself dirty and who hated battling in general.
“Well, I’ll uh- see you later!” Ruby said, turning around, but-
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Once again it was Professor Birch, but he didn’t look the slightest bit happy this time. Sapphire couldn’t hear exactly what her father was saying into the speaker, but Ruby looked rather surprised to hear what he had to say, before replying, “Sure, she’s right here.”
Sapphire tentatively took the pokenav from Ruby’s hand, giving him a questioning look as he stared passively at her.
“Hi dad!” Sapphire said cheerfully.
“Hello young lady,” Professor Birch said, becoming cheerful as well, “May I ask you a question?”
“Sure!” She said, immensely relieved that her father was only angry at Ruby and not herself.
“Why is Ronono’s pokeball here under your pillow?” He asked, his voice still cheery. Sapphire sweatdropped, and mouthed without sound, wondering just how her dad had found the little Aron.
“Um…er…I…forgot?” Sapphire tried.
“Nope.” Professor Birch said, and Sapphire sighed, not knowing what to say, but her dad did all the talking, “Me and your mother, have been sitting here at home, wondering just how you could’ve possibly survived out in the world of pokemon, with ONE unexperienced torchic.”
“I guess I just got lucky.” Sapphire said sheepishly, and Ruby turned the speaker toward him to say, “Yeah, that and she was lucky that I was around.”
“You and everyone else! You hardly did any of the battling!” She snapped, pulling the device closer to herself “Anyway, I’m not traveling around with just one pokemon.”
“What?” Ruby whispered, but Sapphire stomped innocently on his foot, continuing, “Oh yeah, I caught a um…a er…Donphan!”
Ruby looked at her in confusion, mouthing the word, “Donphan?!” In a disbelieving tone.
“Uh huh!” Sapphire continued, “I’ll show it to you next time I see you! Yeah, it’s great, and oh, Chaka evolved into a Combusken!”
Sweatdropping, Ruby sat down on a nearby bench, waiting for Sapphire wrap up her lie of catching a Donphan, and holding out an expectant hand for his pokenav.
“Look for Pidgeotto, I’ll be sending Ronono your way. The poor pokemon’s getting sad being left behind.” Professor Birch said.
“Okay, well, I can’t stay for long, Ruby’s trying to talk to me.” Sapphire said sweetly, and she hung up, before her father could persist.
The boy in question raised an eyebrow and folding his arms, leaned back, sighing and asking, “A Donphan?”
“It was the first pokemon I could think of!” Sapphire defended, slapping the pokenav back into Ruby’s hand, “And better yet, now I have to go CATCH a Donphan, because I promised my dad that he’d see one the next time we met!” She groaned and plopped down beside me.
“Nice.” Ruby said, standing up, “Well, I can’t help you battle or catch it, because I’ve got a contest in a week, and Nana, Coco and Zuzu need to look their best.”
She stared up at the boy in confusion, “What?” Sapphire asked.
“Well, there’s a contest, I can’t get their fur all mangled and stuff.” Ruby replied, hoping that he wouldn’t crush her too much.
“Oh.” She said shaking her head at the weird way the boy was acting, “Whatever.”
Ruby shrugged, and bid farewell to the girl, walking north to Fallarbor, but once he turned around, he let his jaw drop as he thought of the last word she’d said.
’Whatever?! So much for crushing of the spirit! She could care less!’ He thought, as the two walked their separate ways. North and South, Fallarbor, and Slateport. Sapphire wouldn’t find anything for herself in those two cities. Merely the places she’d visit along the way, or, her destination.
Releasing all his pokemon, Ruby let them romp in the fresh air, but warned them not to get too dirty, because he would need them to be in top shape for the contest.
“So, who wants to do the contest this time?” Ruby asked, and all three pokemon jumped up in enthusiasm. Coco slapped away Nana with her tail, meowing something in her haughty attitude. Probably something about how he’d participated in the last contest, their first one to boot.
“Well, I’m not sure how I’ll pick, but whoever does better’ll go, so you should all pull off the stops.” Ruby grinned, glad that his mind was already able to wander from Sapphire.
