Chapter Title: Of Magazines and Heartbreaks

Challenge: Erase the main character's memory.

Shipping/Character: Main shipping is one-sided Haughtyshipping. Then there's one-sided OldRivalShipping, one-sided MangaQuestShipping, and one-sided CommonerShipping. Yes. There's all one-sided.

Summary: Platinum learns the hard way that not everyone gets their happy ending.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters in the story. I also do not own the vague idea that this one-shot was based on.

Quick Note: This is part two in a three part... story? Chapter 6 was part one. This was done on accident, but the idea stuck, so I wrote it. All other notes will be at the bottom. Thank you, and happy reading~!

"Alright, everyone! It is time for us, the magnificent, charming, and – if I do say so myself – beautiful water-type masters to have our very first meeting! Now... If anyone has any idea of how to get this meeting started, please speak now or forever hold your peace!"

Sunny skies. Warm weather. A town filled with happy, cheery faces. This was what I had longed for upon waking up that morning, perhaps a little to excited for my first Dex Holder meeting without any of the professors. Of course, people like myself rarely receive exactly what they wish for, and I, myself, am no exception. Cloudy skies. Cold, rainy weather. A dull town where every figure is as irritable as our senior, Green. It was sorrowful to say that this, those three measly points, were what we had been gifted for the day and it did not look as though it was going to clear up in the near future. Poor weather for such an important meeting in the lovely region of Kanto, surely.

The fire-type users, Green, Gold, Sapphire, and Pearl had all participated in their own meeting no more then a month ago. If things ran on schedule, then the grass-type users, Red, Crystal, Emerald, and Diamond were to hold their meeting in the month to come. This meant that we, owners of water-type starters were to hold our meeting on that day. Blue, Silver, Ruby, and myself... An interesting group, if I do say so myself. However, because this was a new process for all of us, no one had the slightest idea of how these meetings were to be run.

This included Blue, the female who had just been speaking.

"We could, I suppose, share highlights of the past month and grow off of that," Ruby muttered, fiddling with the clear glass in his hand and watching as the liquids inside crashes against every obstacle in their path. From the looks of it, I couldn't image that he had come voluntarily. However, about his comment, there were mixed reactions from the rest of the group. Silver grunted, mumbling something about already knowing where the conversation would be heading. However, the only brunette of the group grew surprisingly excited.

"Well, I think you all know of my wonderful accomplishments this month..." the eldest of the gathered four practically sang, waltzing around her dining room – the place she'd insisted we gathered. "That accomplishment being..." She didn't even need to say another word. The two males and myself finished for her in unison, already having her exact words down by heart.

"Getting Ruby and Sapphire - the "most unlikely couple" - together"

Ruby ducked his head at this, avoiding contact with Blue, Silver, and I and muttering under his breath. Much to my dismay, he had been acting in a similar manner throughout the past week. Perhaps being in a committed relationship had torn away the extravagant coordinator we'd all grown to love. Whatever the reason, I could not help but pity him in the slightest...

"But really, Ruby,"she cooed, wrapping her arm around the black-haired trainer's shoulders when she got close enough, "you so owe me. After all... I did get you together with the love of your life..." The male struggles to slip away from her grip.

"Yeah... The love of my life..."

However, as I stare at his seemingly more dull, red eyes, I can't help but feel a pang of jealously. She was right. Ruby and Sapphire went together like chalk and cheese, but they seemed happy together, aside from the male's more distant personality at that time. If I thought about it, Blue seemed to hold feelings for Green, as well. As for Silver, I doubted he even cared about love. But, then, that left... me. Where was I going with my love life? Unfortunately... I doubted I was headed anywhere. It wasn't as though he... He would ever hold feelings for me...

My mind continued to wander until he sound of Blue's voice successful snapped me out of my own, self induced trance.

"Well, Silver? What have you been up to this month? I haven't seen you since you almost spoiled my ultimate plan."

However, Silver was just as stone cold as usual. "I haven't done anything that concerns any of you." From where he sat, two seats from across my own frame, I could see him glaring at his elder sister. He, himself, didn't seem to happy. Worse then usual, I would say, but I couldn't bother to try and image why. Said sister, though, winced visibly, taking his words hard.

"Sapphire and I have been doing lovely, if any of you were wondering," Ruby butted in before things got worse between our seniors. "Why, I think she's finally starting to understand that I don't make a decent punching bag. That girl; sometimes, I swear I -" The male seemed to realize that two pairs of eyes – belonging to the only females in our group – were trained on him, staring at him in wonder. "Erm... Never mind..."

"Platinum, what about you, sweetie?" Once again, I was dragged from my own little dream land by an adult voice, noticeably calmer then before. Perhaps she was still slightly hurt from Silver's cruel tone of voice.

"There's... not much to report, I'm afraid," I replied truthfully. I wondered if I could ask her for some assistance, however, with... him... That would not be the appropriate time, I realized, after a moment. So, instead, I tried to come up with something else. It would have been better then nothing, I assume. "Well, Diamond and Pearl have been working on an act. They might be going around, recruiting some of the other Dex Holders to help... If you see them around, then you could..." Suddenly, I noticed that no one seemed to be listening to what I was saying and swallowed the growing lump in my throat. Blue was glancing at her red-haired brother with a worried expression. Said red-head had his arms crossed and was glaring at the wood table we all sat at with such intensity, I could have sworn a whole would be left in his gaze's wake. And then there was Ruby, who stared out the window at all of the Pidgey, Taillow, and Starly that flew to and fro through hollow eyes. Something was definitely wrong here. Definitely wrong.

"...Then you could... offer your... assistance..."

Silence.

"Oh, Platinum, are you done?" The most talkative of our peculiar group could have done a better job of hiding the fact that she, along with the others, could care less about what I was saying. Numbly, I nodded my head in answer. "Wonderful, wonderful... I guess... There's really not much left to do, is there?" she droned on, receiving some halfhearted "yes"s from the two males. But my mind wasn't on her or the others as she explained something about being absent for the next few days. It was focused on trying to understand why everyone was so dull on that particular afternoon.

Try as I might have, no answers graced my mind that day.

…

This was my justification:

It was an honest mistake. It was not like I knew Blue would not be there to help me. It was not like I wanted to commit an act of thievery. But, most importantly, there was always him to worry about. My problems with him were worse then my invasion of my senior's home.

And that was my justification.

Back and forth, to and fro I paced, my pink boots pounding against the cement that paved the front of Blue's new home. I tried not to focus to much on the tarp that was draped over the whole Ruby had blasted in her front door almost a month ago as I stared at the building before me. Did I dare ring the doorbell? The last time I had visited, the brunette had told me it would be quite alright if I walked in, invited or not. However, I was more... sophisticated then that. Sophisticated enough, I presume, to have an awful feeling about even knocking on the abused door without a warning.

But, then again, I had my justification to assist me if she grew angry, did I not?

"Senior Blue...?"

I grew angry with myself for letting my voice shake ever so as I neared the door, tapped the button that rang the doorbell, and waited. And waited. And waited. Something didn't seem right, however. And why, you might ask, did something seem amiss? Because I'd stood there, watching the door intently for what seemed to be at least five minutes. So, hating myself even more for being so rudely persistent, I hit the doorbell again. And a third time. And a fourth time. Eventually, my desperation won the better of me and I took the doorknob in my grasp, gave it a turn and opened the door.

Oh. That was why she had not answered.

No one was home.

"Well, then. This is an unfortunate turn of events," I muttered, taking a few steps into the home and flicking on one of the lights. The home was immediately illuminated in soft, pale gold light. I had not been there in quite some time. "That doesn't mean that I can so rudely intrude, though..." I'd wanted to see if my senior could assist me, even if only in the slightest, with my troubles when it came to my new found, one-sided romance. If she was not present, of course, help could not be -

Suddenly, a large stack of papers next to her tan colored sofa caught my attention and every thought conceived in the past minute was washed down the drain. My feet, though I willed them not to, carried me towards said stack, my curiosity getting the better of me. However, when I noticed what those papers truly were, a small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. "Surely, if I borrow one or two... Senior Blue would never even notice they were gone..."

I exited the home with much more then one or two.

"These magazines..." I muttered, leaning back a bit more so carrying the twenty or so books would be easier on my weak frame, "are the key to winning Pearl's heart..."

…

"Th-they're gone! Every single one! Oh, I knew I shouldn't have left the door unlocked... Silver! Silver, come help your sister look for her stolen magazines!"

Blue, who had gathered all of the water-type users at her favorite fast food restaurant would never know that the culprit behind my crime was actually there, sitting directly across from her at that tiny table. Not unless I told her. I never knew of the extent, however, that she would go to in order to rediscover her missing paper back books. She, after all, had nothing to worry about in the world of love.

I was a different story completely.

"Blue, they're magazines," Silver hissed menacingly, attempting to calm his pacing sister. "Why would anyone want to steal them? They're not worth anything."

The brunette turned on the black-clad male, growling, "Those magazines mean everything to me!"

"Okay, okay, you two, we need to calm down. Blue – tell me exactly what happened, up from the time you last saw them to the time they went missing." I still couldn't help but pity poor, poor Ruby. He was looking better – less haunted – but, now, he was having to calm down another one of his fellow Dex Holders.

"Well, I left them by my couch the day I left to go visit my parents at the Sevii Islands... And then, when I came back home, they were gone! Every last one of them!"

"And you're saying you left your door unlocked while you went on a trip?" The black-haired male looked somewhat baffled by her logic while Silver simply slapped a palm to his forehead and shook his head in a displeased manner.

"Please; I never lock my doors! Besides, I always leave Ditty to watch after things while I'm gone. He hides as my lamp shade, usually, and attacks any robbers."

"Then..." he continued, "does your Ditto attack anyone it knows?"

"What?" Blue blinked at him a couple of times, trying to understand what in the name of Arceus could he have meant. "No, not unless I tell him to. But what does that have to do with -" What her junior was implying must have dawned on her at that moment, as her expression went from confused to triumphant. "That means that someone he knows really well stole my magazines! Ruby, you're a genius! Thank you!"

"Yeah, don't mention it," he huffed, still somewhat out of character.

"Whatever. Can we go now, Nee-san? I have things I need to do."

"Fine, fine. Just... Keep an eye out for my magazines, will ya'?" With that, the red-head stormed out of the room, still angrier then I could ever remember him being. Ruby followed suit.

However, when I tried to do the same...

"Oh, Platina... You don't know if there was anyone after my magazines, do you...?" Was she onto me, I wondered, swallowing hard. … No, I do not think she was. There was a truly hurt expression in her eyes that told me she was just very, very desperate to get them back. I would have to lie to keep her from knowing, as much as I hated the sport. I did, however, leave a mental note in the back of my subconscious to return them all to her that night.

Well, maybe I'd keep one.

"No, Blue, I'm sorry..."

The poor woman looked crestfallen. "Well, if you find out who did it... Let me know, okay?" I nodded, trying to ignore the voice in the back of my mind screaming at me to tell her the truth. To tell her that I, myself, was the thief and that she had every right to punish me.

I pray that I made up for it that night when I left a large stack of magazines at her door step.

…

I had heard the phrase "ignorance is bliss" more then a few times in the span of my life, but never had I ever thought it could have been applied to love. However, according to the one paper-back book I had kept for myself, it did. The words "How to Get The Special Someone to Notice You More" were written across the top of one page in colorful letters and had captured my attention immediately. I'd read every word in that article at least five times, questioning more then once if any of them would actually work. As unlikely as that seemed, I was desperate. Desperate enough to steal something from one of my seniors. I couldn't let all of that go to waste, could I?

"According to this," I muttered, turning the magazine every which way from where I laid on the floor of my rented hotel room, "if I ignore Pearl, he'll start to notice me more... As foolish as it sounds... It might just be foolish enough to work..."

Foolish enough to work.

I liked the sound of that.

…

It was all wrong. Every bit of it. Every single word, every single step, every single breath was wrong. I had been leading myself to my own downfall, I realized on that dull Saturday morning, hiding behind a wall I had built up myself to protect my infantile conscience from the dark world around me. Every day was as dark and rainy as that fateful morning. Every single day in my life.

Because I had been foolish enough to think that something as foolish as a magazine could help me solve every single problem I had.

I tried to think of where it had all gone wrong. Thinking, I presumed, was the answer to everything. There wasn't a thing in the world that couldn't be solved by utter and complete brainpower. So, once again, I thanked whatever higher being may have existed for putting such a knowledgeable brain in that head of mine and tried to pinpoint the exact moment where I'd ruined the entire plan.

Oh, but wait.

I already knew.

If it was not throwing myself into the cascade that was created by Senior Blue's nonsensical stack of magazines, it was probably the point where I had spilled the first thing that came to mind out of my mouth. The point where I told the inquiring Pearl that simple lie. The lie being that... I could not remember him. Not his golden hair, not his striped shirt that reminded me ever so much of oranges and cream... Not anything. And, to make things all the more realistic, I went even further to say that I could not remember any of the other Dex Holders, either.

However, this could have all been avoided, could it have not?

If I hadn't taken that ludicrous magazine's words so much to heart, then I would not have neglected Pearl. I would not have neglected any of the Dex Holders, for that matter. And, had I not ignored them, I would not have been questioned by my two dearest friends. And, had I not been questioned, I would not have told my blonde acquaintance that I could not remember him.

Everyone, every single owner of a Pokedex was in a frenzy, and all I could do was sit, watch, and lie.

"I knew that I was not one of the better people in this world..." I muttered, trying to stand as tall as I typically did as I walked down the streets of Cerulean City in solitude, "but I never had imagined that I would be this terrible of a person... I probably deserve to be locked away in prison for all of the hardships I've forced onto my friends..." And, it was not like they were living happily on their own, either. For the past week, both Ruby and Sapphire had been seeming more and more distant, whether it was from the other or from every other Dex Holder. Silver only grew more and more angry at nothing in particular as the days went on and I began to wonder if there was something that truly was bothering him. And Blue... I had never seen her so saddened. Word of her troubles with her fellow Kanto trainer, Green, had been drifting around our group of thirteen for some time and I feared that she was nearing a breaking point.

I had not realized how lost in thought I truly had been until I felt someone brush against my shoulder. Whipping around, I muttered a quick apology to the person who I had bumped into. That was, until I recognized the brunette who was trying so very hard to get away as fast as she could.

"Oh – Senior Sapphire!" Speak of Giratina and he shall come, I suppose. "I didn't notice you! Er, what brings you to Cerulean City?" I, myself, had chosen to stay in Kanto after the water-type users' meeting a while longer to explore a bit more. Sapphire hadn't partaken in said event, so she had no reason to be there in the Kanto region... The brunette, however, did not turn around and continued walking away. For a moment, I stood there, baffled before I gathered my courage and reach out to grab for her. Anything to make her stop and actually look at me. I hadn't even dusted her shoulder when blue eyes whirled around and glared into my own gray ones and, within a matter of moments, I had recoiled back, lifting an arm to protect myself in case she attacked.

"Leave me alone, you stupid rich girl!" the blue-clad female growled, raising a fist in the air in preporation to bring it down on my skull. It was then that she seemed to snap out of some sort of daze; her scowl faded into an expression I could only describe as hurt and her hand fell to her side. "Just - just go away!" Spinning around and dashing off in the opposite direction all in one smooth movement, I found myself all alone once more. A small part of my mind willed me to give chase and possibly catch up. The rest, however, was focused mainly on one thing.

That thing being the tears streaming down the brunette's face.

...

Not all is right in the world.

I am a fool for not coming to this realization sooner.

Even in the seemingly perfect group of Dex Holders, where everyone is friends with one another and there's always someone they can confide in, not all is perfect. In fact, it is anything but. And, perhaps, it is these very uneven relations we have with one another – where we can trust some with our lives while can only go as far as sitting down and chatting with others – that only tear us more and more apart. Do we rely to much on others, to afraid to let them go? Do we rely to little on some, making them feel hurt and left out? Do we share feelings that aren't mutual that only drive the stake further between us?

And the answer is... yes.

Yes, we do.

That is why we don't all lead perfect lives.

Why Operation Orange, Blue's seemingly ingenious plan to get Red and Yellow together as a couple was a complete failure. Why that very same female can help others with their romances, but can't seem to help herself when it comes to love. Why Crystal hates Gold so much. Why Silver is always alone. Why Ruby and Sapphire will never be happy, even when they are together as a couple. Why Emerald stares at them with such envy in his eyes, knowing that he may never find love as they have.

… Why I have reduced myself to thievery and lying in order to achieve my own goal.

A goal doomed to failure from the start.

And it only occurred to me on that rainy Friday afternoon in Pallet Town where Blue had purchased her own home so long ago. Where I pressed my ear against her door, eavesdropping on a conversation meant only for she and Ruby, the other participant in their discussion. I had intended to return the very last magazine – which I had no need for anymore – while she was unaware of my presence. However, at the sound of a certain Hoenn trainer's voice, I had stopped and made the decision to listen in on what they were saying.

I deeply regretted it.

"You broke up?" Blue's voice was desperate as she spoke, almost as though she were begging him to tell her it wasn't true. "But... But... You love her! And she loves you! And you looked so happy together... Why did you -"

"Break her heart?" I could not see what was transpiring indoors from where I hid at the base of the front door, but an image of the black-haired boy smiling weakly at his gloved hands entered my mind. It seemed fitting for the moment. "I'm sorry, Blue. I know you tried so hard to get us together. But... It's not right. Sure, we were happy at first, but... We saved the world together. We're partners in defeating the villains, not star-crossed lovers."

The image of Blue crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently against her floor seemed to real in my mind, I told myself it was real. "So what you're telling me is... You two are heroes. You beat up some bad guys. Now you'll never find love? Because, let me tell you, in all those gooey movies I've watched -"

"Before you finish that though, Blue, think about this. One, we don't live in a movie. We don't always get a happy ending. Sure, things have gone pretty good for us in the past, but we can't rely on luck to promise us that everything will work out in the end. Two, who are the lovers in all of those movies? Are the main characters a girl and a boy who have to save the world numerous times together, or are they a night in a shining armor and a damsel in distress?"

"Ruby, you know Sapphire hates anything having to do with romance. And yet, there she was, telling you that she loved you and was willing to do something as girly as date you, even though it would completely ruin her image. She gave up things for you, yet you turn around almost two months later and turn her down? Two months? You could have at least waited a year before you dumped her..."

"That's just it, Blue. I don't want someone like Sapphire; tomboyish and short-tempered to the very end. I want someone who thinks the same way I do and who wants the sames things as me. Someone who doesn't have to give things up to be happy. Sapph just isn't to right person for me."

"... So that's it? So there's no more "Ruby and Sapphire" anymore? You're just going to walk away from this as if you never loved her at all?"

"That's what I'll try to do."

A moment of silence followed. "Well, I guess there's nothing I can do to change your mind. But, if you want my two-cents worth, I say you seriously rethink about what you're doing. I'm going out for lunch. If you'll excuse me, you can show yourself the back door." The sound of footsteps, each one getting louder as they neared my hiding place brought me to my feet in a frenzy. I could not let Senior Blue know that I had been spying on her! That would be rude and crude and -

"Really, Blue, I am sorry. It just... wasn't going to work out." The sound of his already more faint voice stopped my race to flee and I found myself waiting by the door again, eager to hear what else was left to say. For what I assumed, he was already leaving the room and would be exiting through the back in a matter of moments. That meant that I would need to get out of there as soon as I could.

"Yeah, sure, whatever..."

Before I knew what was happening, the door was being opened and, in my panic, my reflexes had sent me crashing to the ground. Lifting my head to face a now baffled brunette, I expected a long lecture about listening in on others. However, she simply blinked at me in confusion.

"Oh, Platina. I didn't see you there. Did you come to see me?" After a moment of hesitation, she asked a bit more quietly, "Is your... memory any better?"

For a moment, I stared at her, just as confused as she. I remembered my mission, to return the last magazine to it's rightful owner. All it would take was a simple lie, a "I found this on the road somewhere and wondered if it was yours". It was then, however, that a thought occurred to me.

Blue had gotten Ruby and Sapphire together. Ruby had just broken Sapphire's heart by dumping her. That meant that something was amiss in their relationship and Blue had been wrong to get them together in the first place. That also meant that the magazines could not be trusted, either... And then that left me. If I had taken advice from a non-reliable source...

Before I knew what was going on, tears were streaming down my face and my arms had twisted around the female's thin frame.

"Platina, what's -"

"It's a lie! It's all a lie!" I buried my face into her bright blue shirt, not even stopping to notice how damp it was growing.

"What, sweetie? What was a lie?"

"The amnesia! Forgetting you all! It's all a big, fat lie! I'm sorry, Blue! I really am! I don't know where it all went wrong! I just -"

"Why...? Why would you tell us all something like that?" The blue-eyed trainer's voice was not mad. It was... sad. Tired, even. If she was disappointed in the least, she was hiding it well. The remaining paper-back book, the monster that had started it all popped into my head and I grabbed it weakly, holding it out for her to see.

"I-I stole your magazines... I wanted help, because... Because... I really, really like Pearl... But I didn't know how to tell him... I thought that, since you got Ruby and Sapphire together, you could help me... B-but you weren't home... So I took the next best thing... And then... And then... I listened in on what you and Ruby were saying... Is it true? Is it true that your plan to get them together backfired?" I felt something wet fall onto my left shoulder and, upon looking up, I realized that tears were beginning to wet my senior's eyes.

"... Yeah," she whispered, pulling me into a comforting hug. "Yeah, it's true."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" The words spilled from my mouth like water over the cliffs at the Tohjo Falls, begging, praying for an answer. "I-if I tell him I was lying, he'll hate me for sure!"

"Oh, honey, I don't know what to tell you," Blue said, closing her eyes and stroking my hair the way a mother would to her child. "Obviously, I'm the last person you'd want advice from..."

"Th-then... Who could I possibly go to...?"

"I'm... not sure..." It was at that moment that the brown-haired Kanto trainer straightened noticeably, her eyes widening with shock. "Wait, I know! It's a bit of a stretch, but, really, on his good days, he could get a Rattata and a Kricketot to find love if he wanted to..."

Looking up, I asked the million dollar question. "And... who is that...?"

…

… Was it wrong of me to question Blue's sanity?

… No. No it wasn't.

A rock and low hanging tree. That was all there was to be seen. The disguise could have foolen anyone - the place looked so untouched and natural, one would not have been able to guess that it had been tampered with - but I knew better. For one thing, I had followed Blue's directions perfectly. And then there was the fact that noises... no, voices were emitting from inside. Loud voices. Therefor, I knew that this was no silly landmark. This was one of Silver's many, many secret bases, this particular one being less then a mile west of Viridian City, his place of birth.

Silver.

The name ran through my mind multiple times incredulity.

Silver.

Silver

.

Of all of the people who could have played matchmaker and actually be successful, I had never once in my life thought it would be someone like our red-haired friend. But I have almost never questioned Blue's word. Maybe some of her schemes were on the peculiar side, but almost every one ended with a decent outcome, even if it was not the intended outcome. I just could not imagine the cold male having any idea of how to get two love birds together, though, no matter how hard I tried. It was Silver who we were talking about. Silver. He, himself, had not found love yet. How would I be able to put my own love life into his hands and expect a semi-decent outcome...?

But I swallowed my pride, reguardless, pushed back the branch that block the entrance, and knocked on what I assumed was the door.

No awnser.

I contimplated knocking again. Certainly, it would be rude of me to do so. But there were voices inside, and I knew that someone, even if it was not Silver, was home. Perhaps they had not heard me...? Against my better judgement, I lifted my hand to knock once again. However, the moment my knuckles collided gently with the door, it slowly creeked open as if by magic. Freezing, I remembered that this was something that happened quite frequently in horror movies where ghosts and like tormented poor, unfortunate souls. I also remembered that ghosts did not exist and brushed my initial fears away, instead slipping indoors to consult my fellow Dex Holder. I did not forsee what was going on inside.

Gold was there, sitting on a ragged sofa, looking up at Silver and... crying?

"I-I just don't know what to do!" said male exclaimed between sobs. I could not help but feel a pang if pity for him. "Everything I do seems to make her hate me more then before! Even when I try to be the nice guy, all she sees is some idiotic pervert and kicks me out all over again! I'm about ready to -" He paused, seemingly sensing my arrival and turned to face me. "Oh, hey, Platina." I wiggled my fingers to him in response.

"Good afternoon, Senior Gold."

"Great. More people. As if this moron wasn't enough to deal with," Silver practically growled at me, his eyes narrowing into a glare. I took a step back, slightly afraid of the hatred in his eyes. Had I done something to wrong him? I could not recall...

"I am sorry if I am a burden to you... If you wish for some privacy, I can certainly -"

"Privacy?" He laughed bitterly. It was not meant with good intentions, I realized, flinching. It sounded more like he was gasping for air then anything. "Like I'll ever have any privacy with him clinging to my like a baby does it's mother." He went right back to scowling, metalic eyes raking over my form and making me take yet another step backwards. I could not remember a time when I was more afraid of one of my seniors then this. I doubted I would ever in the future, either. "So what did you come here for?"

"B-Blue sent me," I stuttered, grabbing the slip of paper with his address on it and handing it to him. "She said that you could... That you would help me with Pearl..." He snatched the paper out of my hand with reflexes like that of the Weavile he owned and, upon looking it over, frowned even more.

"Blue sent you?" he asked. I nodded in confirmation. "Well, then, looks like I've got no choice. She'll make me regret turning you down later, anyways. Take a seat next to Gold. I'll see what I can do for you."

Something told me he wasn't so thrilled about the whole senario.

The next half hour or so went by like a blur, leaving me with hardly any time at all to process what was happening. Gold continued whining and complaining like a five-year-old who had just lost their favorite blanket about how, for months, he had been trying his hardest to get Crystal to realize that he wasn't the preverted moron she thought he was and how terribly he was failing. He was no longer crying, but it would take someone with little smarts to not see how miserable and tormented he was. Had Blue also told the raven-haired trainer to come here, forcing Silver to assist him at the risk of her ruining his own life? Part of me doubted that was the answer I was seeking. If I recalled, the two males, though seemingly different, were quite alike and always had one another's back in case of emergancy. If Silver went anywhere with anyone, it would either be his elder sister or his fellow Johto trainer.

But that was not the task at hand, was it?

Before I knew what was happening, I caught a glimpse of our red-haired friend shooing Gold away with a flick of his wrist. What? Had I completely missed the advice given? Had he even given any advice? I had little time to dwell on the thought as more talking hit my ear drums.

"B-but Silver! You can't just kick me out so soon! Can't I at least stay for dinner, or something?" The person being spoken to gave him a look that said, "Seriously?" and I was forced to surpress a loud laugh.

"I let you in my house, I listened to you whine for an hour, and I gave you advice without anything in return... And now you're asking me to make you dinner?"

"... Yes?"

A groan was thrown his direction in responce. "Remind me again why I hang out with you..." he muttered under his breath. However, he spoke just loud enough for his friend to hear.

"Um, because I'm awesome and you can't stand living without me?" A grunt. "Oh, come on! Just let me stay until Platina has to go! I might be able to add in some... helpful imput?"

Rude as it was, I could not imagine myself accepting any sort of "helpful imput" from such a man as Senior Gold. However, his perky attitude and ability to lighten the mood would be quite appretiated in the hour to come. Senior Silver was, at the moment, someone I did not want to face alone. Having his dearest friend - aside from Senior Blue, of course - on my side could prove helpful... With all of this in mind, I shot the stone cold Dex Holder a pleading look, letting him know that I would rather go through with that with Gold then no one at all. Said male let out a sigh as our metalic colored eyes met, shaking his head and muttering something inaudible under his breath.

"... Alright, fine. You can stay. But when Platinum leaves, you make sure to follow her out." Turning his attention to me, he continued, "Er... Let's begin, I guess. What's your problem? Why are you so desperate for help?"

I swallowed the growing lump in my throat, suddenly noticing how dry my mouth had become. When Senior Gold was pouring out his heart to Senior Silver, he made it look so simple. Made it look like he had done it every day in his life. I had never anticipated how difficult it would be to explain myself, especially to someone who looked as though he would be overly critical of my choices.

"W-well..." I began. Was the swear tearing down my forehead real or just my imagination? "I... I think I'm in love... in love with Pearl..." Why did it feel like a Snorlax had decided to claim my chest as it's resting place? "And so... I went to Senior Blue for help... But she wasn't actually... She was really... there to help me... So I stole - no, borrowed some... some magazines, and they told me -"

"Oh, so you're saying you're the theif who stole Blue's magazines?" His hard eyes burned into my own and I found myself flinching all over again. Sinking further into his uncomfortable sofa, I responded with the slightest of nods. I had expected him to scold me. To say anything, really. Instead, however, he copied my movement, nodding in understanding and allowed me to go one.

It was at this time that I finally found my voice.

I explained it all. Everything. The meeting, my longing for romance, the open door, the stack of magazines, the poor advice, the faked memory lose. Then I went on to explain Ruby and Sapphire's break up and how I had realized the slightest bit to late that I was going about everything the wrong way and how I desperately - oh, how desperately - I wanted to right the wrongs I had done and finally let my blonde aquaintence know that I held feelings more then "just another friend" for him. Tears were streaming down my face by the time I was done and the fact that my seniors stared at me in confusion and utter anger respectively did not help one bit. There was a moment of utter silence once I had finished my story. Then, Silver's cracked voice broke through the eerie quiet that enveloped us all.

"... You lied?"

"Yes."

"To get some boy to fall for you?"

"Yes."

"You do realize," he continued, pacing to and fro in front of the couch his guests had claim and laughing that terrible, chocked laugh of his, "That you've just caused all of us, not just Pearl, a great deal of trouble? And for something as stupid as love?" Was the pain in his voice imagined...? "Oh, I've seen the way you look at him in comparison to the way he looks at you. I've known for quite some time that you've liked him, to be honest. And I've also known for quite some time that those feelings aren't exactly mutual."

"You mean -" I began before being cut off.

"Oh, yes. Pearl doesn't love you. Maybe he did. Or maybe he still does and has just accepted that it won't work out."

"But then... What do I...?"

"I can't make people fall in love with each other. You're just going to have to accept that, right now, he doesn't want to be in a relationship with you. But what you can do is clear all the confusion about your false amnesia."

"B-but I can't tell everyone! Surely, they will hate me..."

"Please, Platinum," Senior Silver said, his tone no longer angry. Just... tired. "Tell them what you told me. I'm sure you'll all see eye to eye."

"And Pearl...?"

To this, he had no awnser. At least, that was what I had gathered from the silence that followed and the blank look he had given me in reply. Instead of responding, he gave the same gesture to me that he had earlier: a flick of the wrist to say "get out". I was prepated to oblige, to gather my few belonging and leave him in peace; that is, had it not been for that one factor. Something was amiss with the red-haired teen. I had noticed it from the day of the water-type users' meeting. At that moment, I had the moment to consult him about it; so, swallowing my pride, I did just that.

"...Senior Silver?" I practically whispered, making sure my voice was just loud enough for him to hear. This, of course, caught Senior Gold's attention, causing him to freeze right in front of the doorway and spin around to face us. "Is something... the matter? You have seemed strangely out of character for quite some time. I am beginning to worry about you..." A glare was thrown my way in responce.

"It doesn't concern you!" he snapped bitterly, not making eye contact. Instead, he seated himself on the spot previously vacated by his raven-haired partner, staring at the wall parallel so he would not have to look at either one of us.

"Senior Silver... You have taken the time to listen to our problems..." I took a seat beside him and gently started rubbing the male's back comfortingly. "Perhaps it is time for us to take the time to listen to your's."

"Yeah, come on, Sil!" Senior Gold piped in, strolling over casually and sitting on the arm of the chair next to his friend. "And, if you're worried, I won't make fun of you too much. Blue won't even know, if you don't want her to!" The bcenter of our attention did not even have the time to say one word when I stood up and made my way over towards what I believed was his make shift kitchen.

"I think I will prepare tea. Senior Silver, what kinds of tea do you have?"

"Aw, that's an easy one! Sil's got sleepy time and black chai. That's all he ever drinks. I think there's some hot cocoa mix in there, too, if you want something that doesn't make you want to vomit."

Within a few mintues, I had handed our bitter friend a steaming glass of tea and our not so bitter friend a glass of hot cocoa. With Senior Silver sitting in the middle, we'd all claimed a place on his love seat, each one of us sipping on our own drink while we patiently awaited for a story to commence.

"I don't know why you both want so badly to know... It's not like it's anything that concerns you..."

"But, Senior Silver, you are one of our friends. Besides - it is not healthy to hold things like this in. You can tell us; we won't mock you." He looked over at me for a few breif moments before sighing and looking down at the tea I had prepared for him.

"... Fine. ... I guess we Dex Holders would make great story book characters. For a drama, I mean. Have you seen the things we've done outside of saving the world? Honestly, I'd take fighting Team Rocket over the love traingles and one-sided love intrests anyday."

"Wait a minute, Sil... You don't mean that you -"

"Yeah. I'm no different from you, or Blue, or even Platinum here. You see... There's this one person... No. That's a lie. There are actually two people. But..." Silver eyes met gold as the red-haired trainer looked over at his second closest friend. This motion sparked a fire of intrest in me. What did Gold have to do with the situation? Did he already know who one of the two, if not both were? Or... maybe... Just maybe... "One would never love me back. Ever."

"Senior Silver, you don't know -"

"Trust me, Platinum. I do know that. It's been years since I started having feelings for them... If they knew... If those feelings were mutual in the slightest... Don't you think they would have at least consulted me about it?" There it was again. The sound of a lonely, broken teen gasping for air like a fish out of water. If he laughed like this all of the time, I would not have been able to stand it. "... Heh. Seven years, almost, and this is the first time I've ever even talked about it." Clearing his troat, he continued. "And then... there's this girl. You wouldn't know her, I don't think. We... we met in the park. She was being chased by some thugs all day, so she clung to me all afternoon. Well, at least... she said she was being chansed by thugs. Now that I think about it, I think she was just making up an excuse to follw me around. But it was... nice, I guess. She was... She was unlike anyone I'd ever met... But she would never... She's just to sweet... I could never... I would never be able to..."

A hand brushed my cheek and, for a moment, I was confused. But, then, I watched as Senior Gold's arm wrapped around Senior Silver's skinny framed and the younger of the two was pulled into an awkward hug. Golden eyes watched me expectingly and, though with more hesitance, I joined in the group hug.

This was the last hug I was experiance for quite some time.

...

"Oh, yes. Pearl doesn't love you."

Oh, how the words spun around my head like water being sucked down a drain.

"I've known for quite some time that those feelings aren't exactly mutual."

"Oh, Senior Silver, please don't let that be true... Pearl... Pearl has to love me back... If not... Then where... Where's my happy ending...?"

Oh, how foolish I was. How foolish I still am.

There's never such a thing as a happy ending.

They were all upset with me. Every last one of them. Especially Pearl. He demanded to know what I had lied and gotten everyone so worried about me and my false lack of memory. But I couldn't tell him. He would never know that I'd done it for his attention and his alone.

And, while everyone was a little angry about the whole scenario, they had all found it in their hearts to forgive me, despite the fact that I refused to tell anyone but my three Seniors why I had done such a thing.

Then there's this.

Pearl is there, standing in front of me, looking more excited then he has in a while. I cannot bring myself to share his enthusiam and for one tiny reason. That reason being what he has just told me.

"Missy! Dia told me not to tell you this, but... I think he's in love with you!"

Ah, black chai tea. That and half my container of sugar add up to wonderland in the form of tea. XD I've never had sleepy time, but there's always a big box of it in our house.

I AM SO SORRY FOR THE RIDICULOUSLY LONG WAIT. I SWEAR, I HAD THE WORST CASE OF WRITERS BLOCK I'VE HAD IN A WHILE. Plus, there was so much happening in this chapter, it was actually kind of intimidating typing it all out. I will try, try, try to not do that again. I will probably fail. Next chapter's gonna be kind of long, too, so do not get mad if it takes a while, too. But don't worry! After I post this, I'll get something to eat because I'm starving (as per usual) and then I'll get right to working on it! It's gonna be an awesome conclusion to our accidental three-part fanfic!

All of my reviews get something out of Silver's makeshift kitchen, whether it be tea, cocoa, or... something else thar would be there. Sorry to anyone who didn't review. You get to eat the dirt outside. ... For your sake, I hope it tastes like chocolate milk.

HowlingDomain: Daw, thank you so much! :'D Glad that I could actually make someone laugh~!

Whitewind of ShadowClan: Aw, it did? Dang it... Sorry that it was rushed... This one probably will be, too... OTL

FedoraForever: Yes! I can actually write as Silver! That means I'm not a complete failure! :D Thank you so much for the review!

Well... I'm off to go eat popcorn and type up more! Hopefully, I'll see you all in a week, if not sooner! See ya'~!