farewell, farewell

(come back again to here knows when.)

"You better come back here, Jun! I'll never forgive you if you don't!"

"Hey, you can always count on me to come back! I'm incredible!"

"…You promise?"

"I do."

i.

Jun has to laugh at himself. There's only so much a boy can promise, especially at an age like that. They were young, and Kouki was so silly to worry about him not coming back.

There was no reason to worry. Jun was Jun, and he kept his promises – though he may have been late in finalizing them or completing them, but it didn't matter, because he always kept them. There was no way he would break them.

Kouki had been such a sick boy, and he had to postpone his journey after he had become champion. It was too much to handle, and his mother and Hikari were too worried that Jun couldn't just tell him to get over it and get on the boat.

It was much worse than that.

He had been too sick that he could barely move.

Kouki was intelligent, and powerful as a trainer and as a person, but that couldn't hide his weak immune system.

Kouki had kissed Jun before he had left, whispering the promise.

"Hey, Jun, you promised you'd come back safe… So, make sure you do, okay?"

ii.

Now that Kouki had grown ill, it was up to Jun to find Mars, Jupiter and Saturn and deal with them and their crazy, stupid antics.

It was cold on some days, but on others, it was boiling hot. The weather was annoying and Jun had to wonder how Kouki could do such a thing on a daily basis. It's no wonder he got sick.

"You're amazing," he whispered to no one in particular.

iii.

Jun called him on a random payphone.

His voice was raspy, and when he laughed, it sounded like it was hurting. Jun had asked him if he felt any better. He was eager to have some help, especially from Kouki.

"No, Jun, I'm sorry. I…" he paused to cough, "I think it's best you finish everything up with Looker. Even if I did get better, there's no way I'd make it out there in time. You'd be finished by the time I did."

Jun sighed. He was upset. "Alright, well… you just focus on getting better or I'm going to fine you one trillion dollars!"

Kouki laughed. Very hard. Jun winced. That sounded so very painful…

"I'll talk to you later Jun."

Jun mumbled out a yeah, he really would, because he needed to know if he'd get his money or not.

"There are so many things I love about you, Jun…"

Jun hung up. He didn't to hear him say 'I love you' like he sometimes did. Ever since they were little, Kouki always said I love you once or twice. It embarrassed Jun less and less over the years, and Hikari eventually helped him come to grip on his feelings for Kouki, and he was fine with it now. Sometimes he'd even say it back. But that wasn't what had been bothering him.

Kouki talked like he was dying.

iv.

Hikari called him on the phone, tears evident and voice like sobbing, broken records. She was a mess and she was telling Jun the words but he couldn't hear them. He didn't want to. Not when he was finally done helping Looker.

"He's… he's dead, Jun! Kouki's dead!"

He might have thrown the phone, he might have hung up. Jun's not sure.

v.

Hikari sobbed into his arms when he got back. She was so, so sorry, it was all her fault.

"No, it's not."

Jun and her friend, Riley, took turns comforting her, but she still felt like it was all her fault. She could have done something… But that was a lie.

"There was nothing you could do, Hikari. It's alright now. Stop crying."

vi.

The funeral is dreary. Jun goes, but he's not there. Hikari cries, but not as hard as before. She's begun to get over it, inch by inch, but Jun's afraid she'll always feel like it was her fault.

When Jun gets home, he lies on his bed and thinks back to everything the three of them did together. They were close friends, and Jun and Kouki had only started to realize their feelings for each other.

"He loves you, Jun. He always has."

"…"

"Now you need to decide how you feel."

Jun covered his face with his arms and started crying. They were the first few tears he had shed over Kouki.

"I'm sorry I never said it, Kouki!"

"I love you, Kouki!"

Jun half expects him to come back to life, like some sappy romance chick flick that Hikari loves.

It doesn't work.

vii.

Jun feels a chill.

"I love you too, Jun," a voice whispers, "All I needed was to hear you say it."

Kouki's ghost disappears and Jun begins to cry again.

Author's Note: oh god i'm sorry. You probably wanted something fluffy and I just... soiled it.

I'M SO SORRY THAT THIS IS LIKE TWOFDJAS YEARS LATE. I APOLOGIZE, DARLING, AND WHILE IT WAS SAD, I HOPE YOU LIKED IT!

I don't own Pokémon, I'm just a twisted, sadistic bastard.