I lied.

Ah, well. I was thinking while I was drawing (not this couple, but Prince Justin from Howl's Moving Castle): what about Iris' life? Not much is known about her. So, here I go.

God, this one's a sad one. ;.;

Orphan

Iris stared with longing at the little boy being coddled by his loving mother. He stood there as his mother fussed with his hair and clothing. They spoke softly to each other; there were smiles, the mother pressed a kiss to his forehead, and another to his cheek. It was a sweet sight. Iris stared at the duo, wondering what it would be like to be treated like that.

"Iris?"

The girl twitched, and she turned to look at Satoshi.

"You okay?" he asked, arching an eyebrow to her.

That caused Dent to turn around, staring at her with a confused look as he shifted the bag on his back to disperse the weight.

"Pika," the small mouse Pokémon breathed.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Iris fibbed, quickly flashing a smile. "I was just thinking, that's all."

Dent stared at her, analyzing her face. She could feel his disbelieving stare and smiled in his direction. He nodded, and smiled in return.

"Thinking about what?" he asked as she approached his side.

"Ah, nothing," she said, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. "C'mon, let's go find a Pokémon Centre and relax." She grabbed Dent's hand, and reached over to grab Satoshi's hand, pulling both males along, not before getting a last look at the mother and her child as they went down the ground road.

Iris' mind continued to return to that lucky little boy. However, he did not know how lucky he really was. He was so lucky. The dark-skinned woman looked at the ground with a sad expression, her Kibago staring at her with a concerned look.

"Kiba," it called to her gently, nudging her with the tip of his nose.

She glanced at him, and smiled right at him, though it was a forced smile. "Hey, I'm fine," Iris said, reaching up to stroke his snout.

Dent looked at her from the corner of his eyes. She looked off somehow. She was not as bright and cheerful as she always had been. It was like a dark, rainy cloud was hanging over her. The green-haired boy nudged Satoshi, causing the other male to give him a questionable look.

"What's wrong?" Satoshi inquired, his Pikachu shifting on his Trainer's shoulder.

"Have you noticed there's an odd taste about Iris today?" Dent asked with a worried tone in his voice.

Satoshi glanced at Iris, analyzed her for a moment, and then turned to his other friend. "She looks fine to me," he said with a shrug.

Pikachu eyed his Trainer, and shook his head. "Pika," it breathed, its ears twitched. The mouse Pokémon noticed that there was something wrong with the female human, and it turned to the female with a curious and worried face.

Dent frowned. Satoshi was not the best when it came to certain things, especially women.

"Never mind," the Gym Leader breathed, placing his hands into his pockets. "It's okay."

Satoshi blinked, and then shrugged. "Alright, then," he said with a smile. "C'mon, let's keep going. I bet the city for the next Gym is coming up!" He threw up his arm, pumping it into the air, and picked up his pace on the dirt road.

Dent smiled at the other male lightly, but paused, waiting for Iris to catch up with him. "Iris," he called to her.

She snapped up her head, and met with those lovely emerald orbs. "Yeah?" Iris asked with a cheerful smile. "What's up?"

He cocked his head to her. "Are you okay?" Dent inquired.

Iris felt her heart skip a beat. "What do you mean?" she asked, forcing a smile on her lips.

"You look . . . sad."

She stared at him, her eyes gazing over his slender form. They came to stop at those beautiful giving eyes of his, and she felt cornered. Iris grinned quickly to cover up what she was feeling. "Oh, Dent, I'm fine," she said, reaching her hand up, and lightly punched his shoulder. "Stop worrying. I'm fine."

Dent pursed his lips, arching a thin eyebrow to her. Just to enforce her lie, she reached over to hug him tightly, causing him to tense up in his blushing surprise, and she pulled away, grabbing his arm and yanking him along the way.

"C'mon! Let's go!"

He looked at her, smiling a little, but there was still something wrong with her. She was trying to cover it up. Dent would have to get her to talk.

"Guys, walk faster!" Satoshi cried over his shoulder.

"Uh, we're coming!" Dent called to his other friend.

The duo reached the other Trainer, and the trio glanced around the area. Dent shyly pulled his arm from her light grip, and placed his hand to his hip. "This seems like a tasteful place to rest for the night," he said, glancing up to the sun-set above. "I'll get dinner ready."

"Alright!" Satoshi cried, pumping his fists.

Iris shook her head, staring at Satoshi with a blank face. "You're always thinking about eating, aren't you?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Such a child."

"I am not!" Satoshi whined.

Dent chuckled nervously. "Okay, okay, let's not fight," he said, waving his hands down.

"I'll go get the fruit!" Iris said, rushing off to the forest.

As Dent started to set up his portable kitchen and started to create the soup, he noticed that Iris had not yet returned. He glanced up, stirring the soup in his pot with the silver ladle. "Satoshi, has Iris returned yet," he called.

"Ah, no," Satoshi answered, surveying the area.

Dent frowned, and he started to worry. He glanced down at his soup. He had to search for her. Something was telling him that something was wrong. The taller boy grabbed Satoshi, and positioned him in front of the pot.

"Watch the soup," Dent instructed. "I'm going to search for Iris."

And with that he left. Satoshi stared down at the soup pot, and soon said: "Is something going to happen with the soup?"

Iris sat dejectedly on the grass, her Kibago wedged tightly between her legs and flat chest. The spring air washed over her body, her purple-black hair ruffled in the wind. The Pokémon shifted in her gentle yet firm grip, and nudged at her lovingly with his snout.

"Kiba," the little creature said.

Iris opened her brown eyes, and stared at her first Pokémon. She smiled, and forced back the tears wanting to fall. "Hey, cutie," she said, reaching out to tenderly touch the side of the Kibago's face. "You're so cute."

The little claws of the Kibago touched his Trainer's face, looking at her with confusion as a tear trickled down her cheek. Iris blinked, trying to rid her eyes of that burning sensation.

"I—I'm okay," she stammered.

Her Kibago looked at her, and reared its head up, licking away the salty tears. She chuckled sadly, and held her Pokémon close. She pulled back, placing a kiss to his head. All she had were her Pokémon. No father. No mother. Had Satoshi and Dent wondered where she had gone? Probably not. They probably weren't searching for her.

She hated falling into this darkness. She wanted to be in the light, but it was a constant thing. Iris had hoped she had gotten over it, but the need was too great. The dark-skinned female started to silently cry.

"Iris?"

She shivered, her senses now on high alert, and her tears beaded from her cheeks. She did not make eye contact to the owner of the voice as she quickly reached up to dry her tear-stained cheeks.

"Yeah, Dent?" she called, turning her head around to smile at the young man behind her.

Dent stood there for a moment, looking over her with a confused expression on his face. "Are you okay?" he inquired, his voice calm and gentle like Asian silk. "I wanted to start dinner. Do you want to help me gather the food?"

"Oh, yeah," she said, quickly standing up, holding her beloved Pokémon close to her chest.

Something was off about her, and he knew it. He stepped in front of her, looking down at her with his kind emerald eyes.

"Iris," he breathed softly. "What's wrong?"

She looked at him, her mouth slightly opened. Iris turned her gaze away from his, and shook her head. "I—it's nothing," she rasped. "C'mon, I'll go find some fruit to eat."

His hands came forward, gripping her shoulders gently. Iris shivered as he lowered his head to look into her eyes. Pain swirled in those chocolate irises of hers. He had such a stern, yet kind look on his face. He wanted to know the truth, and she could not leave until he had heard it.

"Iris, please, what's wrong?" Dent inquired in a gentle tone. "You've been sad all day. I've never seen you hurt before. What's wrong?"

Iris blinked, and tore her gaze away from his. "It's nothing," she whispered. "You'd probably don't want to hear it anyways."

"What makes you think that?"

She shivered, and glanced up at his soothing face. Her jaw was slack, and she shivered, her hands going up to grip at her shoulders self-consciously.

"Iris . . .?"

The young woman slouched down to the grass, her knees brought up to her chest. Dent looked at her, his eyes glancing over her frame as her Kibago crawled from her hair and by her feet.

"Kiba?" it called to her, his little claws resting against her shoes. "Kibwa? Kiba?"

Her brows were furrowed, her eyes distant almost—it was like she was gazing past her beloved Pokémon. Dent swallowed thickly as he crouched down next to her. His hands dangled between his bent legs, and he stared at the small dragon-like Pokémon.

"I was never loved."

Dent blinked and snapped his head up to look at her.

"Never was I loved," she breathed thickly.

"What do you mean?" Dent inquired. "Don't you have a mother—"

"I'm an orphan," Iris cut in. "My mother ditched me on the step of my village's Matriarch's front door."

Dent eyed her, suddenly finding his throat tightening. No mother? He could not stand to know what it would be like not to have a mother in his life. He loved his mother with all his heart. She was the one who taught him everything he knew—how to cook, how to a decent person, and everything else. Never to have her . . .? What a tragic fate.

Iris swallowed the growing lump that was threatening to lodge in her throat. "I was never loved. Never. My father did not want me, my mother threw me away; I was never loved by anyone," Iris whispered, her voice trembling. "Only the Matriarch cared for me. But she did not love me as her daughter—more like an apprentice." She dare not make eye contact with Dent. "W-when I see other children being fussed with by their mothers, I g-get envious. I want that. I've a-always wanted that. I wanted to be loved. I still do."

He looked at her with sad eyes and an open mouth. His jaw closed, and he turned to look away from her, but when Dent looked back at her, tears where like miniature rivers rushing down her face. Dent shifted, and reached past his vest and to his breast pocket, pulling out a small white handkerchief.

"There, there," he whispered, moving closer to her, and reached up to dry those wet tears. "Don't cry."

Iris tensed up with those soft touches from him and his small square piece of cloth. She felt the other hand come to rest on her shoulder, supporting her towards his frame. She sniffled involuntarily, and made a small hiccup sound.

"Please don't cry," Dent whispered, his voice raw like a newly-formed bleeding bruise on a limb. "It hurts me to see you cry. Please."

Kibago made a sound as if to agree as he affectionately nudged his Trainer.

Dent was desperate. He wanted to make her feel loved. All should know what that should feel like. It was such an intense and euphoric emotion; love was. Not to have felt love was inhumane. In a desperate move, his hands reached up to grip her wet face loosely, and he pressed his mouth to hers.

The first reaction that hit Iris was to push him away, not in anger or disgust, but more out of fear and confusion. But as he moved his lips against hers, she . . . Iris liked it. Kibago moved back, watching the two teenagers with wide and innocent eyes. Dent pulled away, his breath hitched, his heart racing, his eyes wide, and his hands shook.

"I-I-I'm sorry!" he cried, moving away from her. "I—I didn't know what I was doing." Dent's rational mind searched for a reason for his ungentlemanly behavior. "Please forgive me. I just didn't want to see you cry anymore."

Two fingers reached up, pressing against his lips, and he stopped speaking. He looked at her with curious eyes. There was a smile on her lips as she looked at him, however, there were still tears rolling down her face. His hand came up, drying those tears as both leaned in to kiss each other. Iris clung to Dent like a child would cling to their parent. It was an innocent kiss, but it was a needed kiss. Dent held her as he lowered himself down to the grass, pulling her on top of him, still kissing her ever so gently. When they pulled back, they stared at each other for a moment before Iris came to rest her head on his chest, right over his beating heart. His hands came to hold her head there, his fingers tangled in her locks of hair. Kibago approached his Trainer, and rested in her arms as she held her darling Pokémon close.

"Do you feel loved?" Dent asked in a low, comforting whisper.

Iris smiled, tears forming in her eyes again.

"Y-yes, Dent, yes I do."

Dent smiled, holding her head close to his heart as a single tear escaped from his eye and slipped to the welcoming earth below.

And Satoshi's still staring stupidly at the soup pot, expecting something to happen.