My Heart Will Forever Ache For You

The sun rises over the tall evergreens of the Kasai forest. Soft pastel colours streaked the morning skies. Lush greens sparkled from the dew that had laden over the night. Pokemon raised up from their sumbler. Stantler awakened their young as they began to graze on the meadow grasses. The leading stag bleats out to the nearby herd. It waits for the call. Swablu chirp charmingly as Altaria mother feed them hurridly. Night breeds return to their dark caves or hollow trees for the day. Sentret sit on their tails to scan the forest nervously. The spring air is cold, very cold.

A call echoes throughout the forest.

The sky darkens, a thousand upon thousands of Beautifly, Masquerain, and fleeting winged pokemon fly. It is now a race for safety. Hooves pound into the ground, hands grasp and swing branch to branch. Torchic and Combusken follow their flock on feet while Blazekin jump high into the air. Even a Snorlax is moving as fast as it can in a quick pace. A Gardevoir is trying to keep her young from stumbling behind. The forest is no longer safe. It was not safe when it was full, but now that it is empty it will become a death bed.

She can feel it; the sickening energy suffocating everything around her. She twists and turns and the heaviness only strengths her ill feelings. She doesn't know what's going on, she just wants it to end.

" May, get up already!" Drew snaps, tempted to cross his arms. He wonders if he should just head down without her. It wasn't his fault if May didn't get enough food before they deport. But he's learned it's not worth and that is wasn't a smart idea to let his partner starve. So at the risk of ruining his amazing composure(even though May's gotten under it plenty enough), Drew reaches over and places a hand on her bare shoulder. May jolts, her eyes snapping open. His touch is warm against her skin. It's a gentle heat, not searing, is a sudden contrast to her frozen surface. Her body feels like it's made of ice, carved out of a glacier. Cold and heavy, slow moving. Getting up seems like it would take a millenium.

" Drew?" Her voice is thick and drowsy as May blinks slowly.

" Our boat leaves in a few hours, May, you need to get up before you make us late. Again." Drew smirks slightly. He expects her to jump up in a heat of anger. For those pretty sapphire eyes to flash and glint with frustration. And attraction of course. Because how could anyone not be attracted to this. But all he gets is a muffled 'okay' as May rolls over.

" I'm serious, May, I don't-" Drew growls as he tugs the covers off her body. His face contorts into horror. Blackness soaks the sheets and inks May's form. But then it's gone and it's nothing. Absolutely nothing.

" Drew?" May does it agian though she seems more awake.

" May?." Drew mocks. However, there's a slight tremor in his hand as he does.

" What's wrong with you?" May shouts but her voice is strained and the effort in her sheet tugging is weak. It's sad and childish. Drew tugs back despite himself.

" Nothing, I'm perfection." Drew says pointedly." Buts what's wrong with you?"

" Just let me go back to sleep." The girl gives another yank. Drew lets go, allowing May to fall back onto the bed and nearly smack her head on the wall.

" May." The coordinator is struggling to keep back his own little temper. No answer. His tone softens with worry." May, get up."

She moves under the sheets.

" I'll leave."

" Go ahead."

Drew's confused, worried and maybe a little hurt.

" May?"

There is no answer. He can hear his own breathing as he watches May barely lift as her heart thumps.

" I'm coming." May finally whispers and begins to crawl. He watches her as she pittifully makes her way to the bathroom. Drew hears the shower head swtich on and the curtain rings against the steel pole. He sighs a bit and eyes the mess his partner has left. Sheets lumped, pillows falling off; messy. His hands twitch. His left eye twitches. Drew begins to straighten out the linens methodically and even plumps the pillows. The bed matches his perfectly. Not that he's OCD. He just likes things clean and tidy and matching. And with no weird black gunk in sight. What had that stuff been? May could not have possibly produced it. Drew's nose wrinkles in disgust.

The bathroom door opens and May's dressed in her travel gear. She looks exactly how she did every day. Except her face. It was sad, not sleepy or remotely happy. Her eyes are dull and dark. She looks as if she's unconsiously frowning. It bugged Drew, a lot. He didn't like unhappy May. It made him unhappy.

" Food?" She tries a smile. The arms wrapped around her middle and her skin is a sickly pale.

" Come on," Drew flicks his bangs. May follows him like a sad little Poochyena. She's uncharacteristically silent. He's almost a chatter box. It's beginning to annoy him.

May feels dead and void. Forced smiles brought tears to her eyes. Every move she made was as if she was weighed down by a Snorlax. She wondered why she felt like this. Why did Drew seem so 'happy and free' to her? Did he notice how she notice how... light he was? May wanted to say something. Anything. But she couldn't. Her mouth wouldn't open and the words wouldn't form. It was as if her body wouldn't let her.

" Good morning!" Nurse Joy chirps as the pair walk through the lobby. What a surprise; no bickering. Drew gave her a most charming smile while May barely gave any acknowledgement. How troublesome. Nurse Joy looks at the green-hair boy questioningly but all he did was give her a curt shake of the head. The two headed to the cafeteria, Drew hoping May would cheer up after a Snorlax fit meal.

The cafeteria wasn't too busy, people just starting to finish up their spot of breakfast. The Head Chef and their team is beginning to settle with cooking small portions till the busy lunch hour. Bus Boys were clearing off glass tables, wiping down the white chairs and placing dishes in bucket-trays. The tall windows allowed the rays of sunlight to pour in. It made the hanging crystal to bounce off tiny rainbows. You could see the ocean just past the sandbar. It's dark blue water sparkled prettily along the horizon.

Drew was reminded of yesterday, when May had managed to get him into the water. He had been rather cautious of large bodies of it since the Wynaut incident. Yet all May had to do was smile and laugh and hold his hands as she lead him in. he wondered what happened to his May. The boy promptly forced a blush down.

" Drew, May!" Solidad called from a table near a window. May managed a smile that hurt like a thousand Pika-bolts. The pair grabbed a chair each at the table, another one already reserved by an ugly hat.

" Good morning," Solidad smiled. She was certainly rather happy when there was a certain ugly hat sat just to her right.

" Morning," Drew held back a yawn. May simply stared out the window as if she was trying to see into space.

Clouds were coming. They were grey and ugly and casting a dark illusion in the sky. May wants to shrink back. She wants to hide in her own cowardliness. Something whispers incoherently in her ear. She flinches back slightly as she looks for where ever it had come from. Nothing was there except Drew, Solidad and something purple and green snarking at something near the buffet. Maybe she was just hearing things. Maybe she was hallucinating.

" May, are you okay?" Solidad asks. The usually cheerful teen didn't even respond, barely making a move as she breathes. Solidad tries to follow her gaze out the window but she can't figure it out. The pink-haired girl gave Drew a puzzling look. But Drew just shrugs. He didn't know what was going on with May. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots the Contest poster plastered on an add stand. It's in two days and May plans on entering it. Drew already as all five required to enter the Johto Grand Festival next month. There were only three contests running in the span of time in the region. May, needing two more, was heading off to Sinnoh for the Wallace cup right after she got her fourth.

Drew can't help but clench his jaw as he is reminded that May would be meeting up with Ash. That dense idiot with the Pikachu. The coordinator always wondered if May liked the fool in a more than friendly way. It made jealousy give him an ugly side. Solidad looks at him, as if she knew what he was thinking, and gives him a secret smile. Drew beats down another blush.

" Solidad-sweetie, Drew-dear, May-doll! Isn't is a lovely morning?" A shrilling voice calls. It's a voice that causes fear and annoyance. May crosses her arms on the table and burrows in. Solidad tries to be nice and shows a smile. Drew ignores all that is gay and green and mess in the head as the violet haired man waves manicured hands around." Aw, May, wake up! Make my little family happy!"

Drew raises an eyebrow at Harley's creepy, cheerful attitude. But since when was he not. Solidad keeps up the strained smile except Harley's doesn't even notice it. People around them start to stare. Drew does not sink into his chair as girls begin to spot his beautiful, sexy physique. He gives them a die-heart smirk and a flick of his silky bangs. There is a row of squealing, sighs, and fainting, of course. Solidad also noticed this, watching a few glares heading her and May's way.

" May-doll," Harley pokes the girl with a nervous expression." You alright honey pie?"

May incoherently mumbles as she shifts in her seat. She doesn't seem to notice the evil glares. She doesn't get up to 'save' Drew. The boy rolls his eyes and takes a sip of cool water from a glass set out by a waiter. Girls squeal almost silently as he drinks. As if to respect his moment. Drew closes his eyes to add to the effect.

" May, perhaps you would like to go grab something to eat?" Solidad asks, expecting the girl to jump up and run over to the buffet line. Harley even moves out of the way, as if he was expecting to get run over. Drew takes a peek at her to see if she would move. She does, head raising with a tired expression and hardly leaving her arms.

" I'm not that hungry." Then she closes her eyes and buries back into her arms. It took a few seconds for the three to take in what she said.

" WHAT?" Harley and Solidad yelled in shock and Drew choked on his water, eyes wide. May just groaned at the loud commotion they were making.

" May? Are you alright?" Solidad seems to be running out of breath as she pressed a hand to May's forehead." No fever! Maybe delusional?"

" May hon! What's wrong? It's ok, Harley's here for you!" Harley sneaks an arm around her shoulders. Drew sends him a glare, face set tight. Solidad would've been pleased by this if it weren't for May's condition. Whatever it was. But Drew changes his face into a smug look as May shrugs off Harley's arms, sending the Cacturn loving-cookie making man a glare.

" Leave me alone." May snaps, very unlike herself. She gets up, moving the fastest she has all day. She storms out of the cafeteria while the others stare after her in surprise. Drew gets up from his seat, ignoring everyone else as he takes off after the sapphire-eyed girl. His face holds bit of worry as he rushes out of the automatic doors and into the darkening day of the sky. He ignores his surroundings and runs in the direction of the forest.

" May!" Drew calls out, not even noticing that there are absolutely no pokemon around. His teeth grind and his eyes narrow. He shouts for her again as he searches for the brunette. Drew runs deeper and deeper, not knowing what he was getting into or where he was going. His breath is shortening, he's running out of energy.

" MAY!" He yells louder and louder, making his voice become hoarse. Then, out of the blue as if it was a miracle, he spots her favourite red bandanna. It's on her head." Hell, May, why'd you run off like that?"

May doesn't say anything but she's suddenly running. Drew goes after her.

" Oi, May! MAY!" Drew runs after her, unsure if it's a good idea. They suddenly break out of the forest. There's a small beach sided by forest the ocean stretching out. A rocky path leads out to the ocean to a tall piece of jagged rock.

May is taking off her socks and shoes, leaving them behind as she walks across the sands without another thought. Drew is following but he's having trouble moving. The sand is sinking him slowly. His shoes are sticking. Drew growls and shouts as May steps onto the rocks. The grey stone seems to darken under her feet. Drew suddenly couldn't move. He was trapped. The sand was nearly up to his knees. And all he could do was stare as she somehow gracefully dances on her way.

Wind begins to blow, getting stronger with every whip against his face. It's wraps around May like a tornado and then banishes into the stone. Drew's brain is having trouble registering everything he's seeing. May is no longer May. She is graceful and solemn in a delicate white night gown that lifts with every hip movement. White lace grasp her neck, her ankles and her wrists. Her hair is free to swish and tangle. Her eyes are closed, dark eye lashes brushing pale cheek bones.

Drew struggles, trying to move. He needs to get to May. Though her innocent appeal is overwhelming, the nature of it all is dark and sinister. He must get to her. Before whatever it is happens to her. Whatever it is, it was bad.

Glowing, harmonious wings spread from her back. Black begins to ink like veins. It begins to feed. Wings disintegrate, crumbling into shadows as a shrieking hiss echoes. The jagged rock is turning into a molten black and the rock is beginning to crumble. The earth is shaking. Rain is begin to pour. May reaches out to the rock. There's a glowing light, from behind Drew, but he can't turn around. He's frozen and staring right a head.

And then it strikes.

Something blurry and black grabs May, snapping Drew out of his trance and the light flashing out.

" MAY!" Drew screams out. He can see her being brought into the clouds above. Someone is holding her; red eyes glinting. The boy grins coldly, sending chills down Drew's spine as they disappear from the dark cloudy sky. Distantly, as a sound of thunder rolls, he can hear her suddenly shout.

" DREW!"

He's reaching for a pokeball and activating it with a press of the button. It's isn't working. Something's jamming it. He's clicks again and again but nothing's happening. His heart is racing. It's too late. Their gone, probably miles away. The rain has soaked him to the bone, the trees are nearly tipping over as lightning cracks the sky.

She's gone. His May is gone. His best friend. His rose. His smile. His heart and soul. Drew shouts for her in desperation to hear her voice scream back. But there's nothing but the crashing waves and howling wind. He's running towards the rock but it's quickly flooded by the ocean. It's a split second before the waves drag him in. He struggles for air at first, twisting and trying to swim to the surface. But the salt water makes it way through his nose and his throat. Drew hopes that the darkness will take his conscious, and his life.

Drew's life isn't flashing before his eyes. He's choking and sputtering on icky-tasting water as he bolts up. His vision is blurry but he can make out the person hovering over him. Solidad keeps pressing down on his chest, shouting. Drew winces as her voice is sending a shrieking-signal to his brain.

" DREW! DREW! GET UP!" Solidad screams, tears blending in with the rain. A gasp is tugged in sharply by the young woman as she notices he's awake. Solidad hugs him, holding him close. Drew struggles to get out of her grasp. His chest hurts, but it isn't as heavy as his heart." Drew, where's May?"

Drew pushes her away, her words hurting him even more than her hug. He doesn't want Solidad. He wants May. He feels like a child but that's what his mind is telling him. He needs to find her. So he's running without thinking. He's running back into the forest, feet hitting the muddy ground heavily. No matter how logically useless looking for May might be, he was going to. Because his parents taught him that love wasn't logically or rational. And he didn't want to lose his.

" Drew! Drew, where are you going?" Solidad calls after him. She's trying to follow him but there's a part of her that knows it's useless. Her voice is lost behind him. Drew just keeps going. He looks behind bushes and trees. And then he can hear crying. He can't help but hope that it's May. That the creep had dropped her off somewhere in the forest because he didn't want to eat her brains or something. But it's not May.

It's a Ralts, badly hurt as it tried to get out of a sticky mud pile. That wasn't what triggered Drew's tears though. It was the familiar red bandanna is sitting on it's head, damp and slightly torn.

" Ralts!" The pokemon cried as Drew stands in front of it, scared by the human's presence. Drew comes down to Ralts's view, and places a hand on the creatures head. Ralts stares up at Drew, not sure what to make of it. Drew's handsome figure looks more like a fallen angel, tears falling down and a smile trying to form pathetically. Drew hugs the pokemon.

HIIIII! I'm back. And rewriting bits and pieces of the chapters so that it's clearer for the plot. I hope. But rewriting will hopefully bring back inspiration.

With much hope, Death's Best Friend