Hi guys. I'm here with a new fic and this will be my first ever ikarishipping multi chapter fic. Now, I'm usually a pearlshipper but I wanted to challenge myself with unfamiliarity. I do believe that Paul and Dawn would make a good couple if given the chance.

So welcome to my ikarishipping fic! I hope you guys will enjoy it.

July 25th; 6:00pm…Shinji Residence. Lumoise, Kalos.

The sky was painted a tinted orange. It appeared to be calm and serene; nothing could be heard except the occasional horns of cars and some quiet chatter from some of the residents of Lumoise. This detail contrasted the city's nature however, due to the fact that this city was one that normally never slept.

Or, perhaps, it was another reason why it was so abnormally quiet.

A tall, broad male gruffly entered the kitchen with anything but a smile upon his face. It was more of a scowl, as if he had given up on life already. The plum haired teen gripped a glass from the cabinet and poured himself some water, drinking it and quenching his thirst. He carefully set the glass down and looked around, taking in his surroundings. His expression altered, as if he had never noticed the atmosphere before.

Dirty dishes were left in the sink, the trash had yet to be thrown away and Paul noticed an unpleasant stench forming. As he walked out of the kitchen, his eyebrows raised at the condition of the living room, which appeared to be worse than the kitchen. The thought of his house untidy caused a feeling of bitterness to build in the pit of Paul's stomach.

If Paul were to describe himself in one word, it would be neat. He wouldn't call himself a neat freak, of course, but glancing at the moved furniture, books misplaced and thrown recklessly on the floor, unfolded laundry, and broken pieces of glass undoubtedly left a sour taste in his mouth.

As he reluctantly tried to put everything back in order, he realized that he had never felt so alone before. It wasn't a feeling he could normally suppress or put aside, but he knew he had to get accustomed to this reality. It was a harsh and brutal one, and normally it would be Paul's nature to easily accept this kind of life, but judging from the past week, he knew that this would be too much to handle.

Sure, Paul was not the most pleasant person to talk to, or one who you could easily engage in a conversation with. He kept to himself and respected other people's privacy, and he preferred it that way. He wasn't sure if this trait came with birth, but he surely developed this quiet nature growing up with his only older brother, Reggie.

Paul wouldn't reminisce about his childhood. If anything, it was filled with painful memories that made the hole in his heart grow bigger. Growing up with only his older brother as a guardian has to be the most troubled period of time a child can experience, especially after a fatal plane accident that caused their parents' death. He had only known his parents for a couple years, and at the innocent age of nine, he experienced fourteen year old Reggie working constantly to sustain the two of them. They were both financially and emotionally wrecked. They'd had to worry daily about minor things, such as the possibility of having a decent meal.

It didn't stop there. When Paul had finally approached high school, Reggie had already made it into college while managing to keep another job. He'd constantly send additional money to Paul, but he knew he couldn't depend upon Reggie emotionally and financially forever. So in order to sustain himself and not cause Reggie to worry whenever there was a financial crisis, he'd stay after school every day and assist with minor tasks to earn some extra cash. Soon enough that became his weekday job, and the pay was enough to be satisfactory for his basic needs.

Growing up together with Reggie instantly made Paul connected with him more than anyone else. The two were very different in terms of personalities and opinions, but Paul was very grateful for having a brother like him, even though he never admitted it out loud. Like any other siblings, they'd argue, but it wouldn't last too long. Paul would do anything for his older brother and Reggie knew that.

Currently seventeen years old, Paul watched as the sky above turned ominous and grey. He nearly snorted to himself, considering how this depressing weather coincidentally synced with his mood.

They say that behind every grey cloud there was a silver lining.

Streaks of light filled the night sky, and thunder boomed from the rooftops. That was followed with a slow pitter-patter of rain and then suddenly more thunder, almost deafening to his ears.

The plum haired boy clenched his eyes shut and slightly groaned to himself. He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't bear another burden.

He glanced at the picture frame placed upon the wall, and he nearly lost control of his emotions at seeing this slightly older version of him. He huffed, clenched and unclenched his fists a number of times. He then let a sigh escape and walked slowly upstairs to his bedroom, every step lifeless and dull.

He didn't manage to sleep that night.

July 25th; 6:20pm…Berlitz Residence. Lumoise, Kalos.

Lying in bed flat on her stomach with a palm against her cheek and her legs in the air was a smiling, cheerful blunette. The female sighed happily to herself, as she grew yet more interested in the book that was placed beneath her on the bed.

It was a perfect day to indulge in a good book, and Dawn proceeded to get comfortable by sitting upright and placing said book in her lap. She ignored the thundering rain against the rooftop as her smile slowly widened.

Any random bystander could take one glance at Dawn and instantly agree that she was breathtakingly beautiful. Her flawlessly smooth and white milky skin was enough to get anyone in a heartbeat. Her eyes were a light shade of blue; almost seeming like a pool that you'd get lost in. To top it off, her silky smooth dark blue hair gave Dawn a greater advantage in terms of beauty than other girls.

A half hour slowly passed, and Dawn sighed happily as she closed her book, satisfied with the ending. She placed the book on her bedside table and crawled over and opened her window slightly to let some cool air in. The blunette rather enjoyed days like these, and she would take every golden opportunity when it knocked, regardless of whether it was a sunny or rainy day. It would seldom rain in the month of July, but when it did she'd always make herself useful by reading.

Reading had become her favorite pastime whenever her mother was busy working. She slowly got accustomed to it ever since her mother became an executive in one of the biggest companies in Kalos. The position required extensive hours, so Dawn would barely see her mother at home. No doubt, being an only child often felt lonely and there wasn't a day she didn't hope for a sibling.

Dawn remembered visiting her mother's workplace one day. She recalled how her mother looked so out of place, and so frustrated. Three years back, her mother was a simple clerk and the job only required very menial tasks and compensation. It was a fortunate day when her mother made an effective and detailed business plan to push them towards greater profits, and she was deemed to have potential. She remembered seeing her mother deprived of many nights of sleep to get where she was now. She had undoubtedly worked hard to reach that esteemed position, and Dawn couldn't be happier for her.

Now she barely saw her mother. The thought saddened her, but she kept in mind that she deserved the position, so not conversing with her for two or three days at a time shouldn't do any harm. But the blunette knew that this was difficult, especially since she had such a strong bond with her mother in a single parent household. She didn't only consider her as her mother, but also her best friend and heaven knew how much she loved her.

Dawn glanced at the clock. Seeing that it was just a minute past seven, she smiled eagerly to herself, her stomach growing warm. Her mother had promised to be home around seven to spend some quality time with her daughter, which Dawn looked forward to. It had almost been a whole month without seeing her mother consistently, so Dawn anticipated her mother's arrival. She hoped to watch some good movies, like they used to. She quickly reminisced watching The Lion King repeatedly on the television screen. She'd lay on her mother's lap while she caressed Dawn's hair lovingly.

She missed those times.

However, fifteen minutes went by and her mother had yet to return. Dawn frowned.

She gazed at the window, noticing the raindrops slowly falling against her window. She quickly composed herself and assured herself that the weather was keeping her back. It may have been wishful thinking, but it was a possibility.

Rain kept pouring, and suddenly Dawn wondered if this rain was going to cease at all. It was half past seven now, and Dawn was growing extremely worried. She didn't care about the promise right now or at least she put that behind her, as she dialled her mother.

By the tenth missed call she knew something was wrong. Dawn knew her mother would always answer her after at most three missed calls, and she also knew her phone was never out of battery.

She quickly took some deep breaths, calming herself down. She grabbed a glass of water from her bedside table to soothe her worked up nerves. While doing so, she continuously told herself that that there was no need to worry and that she was just blowing things out of proportion. There had to be some reasonable explanation.

She nearly jumped when her phone vibrated beneath her on the bed. She gulped, not recognizing the number. She found herself taking shaky breaths, her hands fumbling as she put the phone to her ear, beginning to speak. As the deep voice spoke, a tear flowed down her cheek and the phone fell out of Dawn's grasp as she went into shock, eyes slightly widened.

Her mother never arrived at home that night, and the house was empty after the phone call.

So that's the first chapter. It will get more interesting in the later chapters so stick around.

If you guys liked this chapter so far, feel free to leave a review or things I can improve on. And suggestions are welcome as well.

This won't be my main fic, but don't worry, this will receive attention every once in a while. The next update will come out in the next two weeks or so.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys next time. :)