Not sure what made me revive this chapter again after so many years... Although the story is not complete, I don't expect to update. Reviews tend to encourage me to at least try to revive it, although I really cannot guarantee that I'll continue this story to its proper completion. I'm sorry. Please savor this chapter...

Chapter 6

From the moment he saw N standing at the other side of the clearing, Touya couldn't help but cry. His tears had been fueled by relief, but now they flowed in hurt. N's words cut him like a serrated knife. He'd followed N this far – and he'd gladly have traveled farther, if only to be with N – but N didn't want to see him here.

'N doesn't want me here… After I traveled all this way… he doesn't want me…'

The thought seared him with a burning anguish. How could N not want him? Hadn't the green-haired young man said he loved him? Were N's words a lie – empty words tossed about in the heat of the moment that were worth nothing to him now? How could N do that to him, pretend to love with him when Touya truly loved him in return?

Something clicked inside Touya. Whether or not N had meant those words, Touya had. He loved N, but he didn't know anymore if N loved him back. He desperately hoped that he did, but if not… Touya shook his head stubbornly. He didn't know if N loved him, but he was determined to find out N's real feelings for him, no longer how long he had to wait.

"You can't make me go, N," Touya said stubbornly. "Like it or not, I'm staying."

Touya expected the young man in his arms to argue, but instead, N went limp, bowing his head in defeat. He shrugged out of Touya's grip and turned away from him.

"I wish you'd leave, Touya, but I will not ask again," N mumbled in a monotonous voice that conveyed more emotion than it hid.

Touya's heart quickened painfully at the misery and quiet resignation that radiated off of N. He took a step forward, reaching out a hand to grab N's shoulder, but the young man moved silently out of his reach, walking over to Zekrom and settling at the dragon's side. Zekrom stared down at his trainer with concern and disapproval, then turned his head to address Touya privately through thought.

'N doesn't mean what he says,' the dragon told him. 'He thinks he wants to be alone right now, but he's happier than he will say to have you here.'

'What's wrong with him?' Touya asked the dragon silently.

'He doubts himself, as a person and a Hero,' Zekrom responded. 'I believe he's having what you humans call an identity crisis.'

Touya's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly hid it and walked over to N. Sitting down beside the young man, Touya frowned at him.

"Hey, N? Are you ok?" Touya asked softly, allowing his worry to show in his voice.

N didn't respond. Instead, he tucked his knees against his chest and rested his chin on them, staring blankly across the clearing. Touya's heart quivered painfully to see his beloved in such a state, but he did not know what consolation he could offer. Sighing, he stood up and took off his backpack. The sun was going down, and soon there wouldn't be enough daylight to see by, let alone fly or travel through the unfamiliar woods in search of a town to shelter for the night in. He rummaged around in his backpack, searching for his travel tent.

Suddenly Touya's fingers brushed against an object that caused them to burn. He yelped in surprise, withdrawing his hand quickly to examine his burnt fingers. But upon inspection, he found his fingers to be unharmed. Puzzled and apprehensive, he nervously searched his backpack for the object that he'd thought had inflicted him with a burn.

Unpacking a stack of clothing, Touya found a most unusual object among his things. It appeared to be some kind of stone, glittering yellow and smooth-surfaced. Cautiously he reached into his bag, bracing himself as his fingers touched the stone. Yet again he felt the burn, but he realized that it was not a burn of heat, but rather cold!

Marveling at the strange stone, Touya carefully picked it up. It was freezing to the touch, by far the coldest thing he'd ever handled. The stone was shaped like a rounded pyramid, its rounded point fitting perfectly into the palm of his hand. He winced as the cold bit relentlessly into his hand, but he was growing numb to its effects. Holding the stone up to catch one of the rays of sunlight flitting through the trees, he stared at it as the sun's light flashed dazzlingly underneath its surface.

"What is this?" Touya breathed out loud, awed by the stone that he'd never seen before.

"It's my comet stone," N answered, shifting to stand at Touya's shoulder as he looked at the stone, "or at least that's what I call it. When I was younger, Zorua and I used to watch shooting stars from the orchards. One night, this fell from the sky beyond the castle walls. Zorua helped me to sneak out and find it. Ghetsis once told me that it possessed a spirit that could bring out the best and the worst parts of our souls. But I always thought of it as a good luck charm, so I put it in your backpack for safe keeping…"

Sensing a second meaning behind N's last words, Touya turned to stare determinedly into N's eyes, searching for deeper hints into his feelings. For a brief second, he thought he saw a flicker of deep caring glow softly in N's eyes, but then it was gone, replaced by his mask of apathy. Blinking as if to dispel a trance, N stepped back and turned away from Touya.

"You mentioned your Zorua," Touya commented, frowning as he thought back to earlier that day when he'd entered the throne room to find Zekrom defeated at Reshiram's hand. "N, what about your other Pokémon? Did they fight against Touko's team too?"

Cringing, N gave a small nod. Touya knew from the young man's tight-lipped frown and clenched fists that N was fighting to keep his composure. He knew that it hurt N to watch his Pokémon friends fight in battle, and losing this fight must have been a painful blow on top of that. However, from the small trembling that was shaking N's shoulders and fists, Touya sensed something was wrong.

"Are they okay? Have you looked at their wounds yet?" Touya pressed, frowning in concern.

Shaking harder now, N shook his head. Worry washed over Touya. Every trainer knew the importance of tending to their Pokémon's wounds as quickly as possible. It was necessary in order to stave off infection. But the battle with Touko had taken place hours ago; an infection could have taken hold by now.

Realizing the risk N's Pokémon could be facing, Touya began rummaging through his backpack. His search produced a dwindling collection of potions. He frowned at the potions, knowing they wouldn't be enough to heal all of the wounds, but daylight was fast fading, and they were alone in this unfamiliar place. Touya sighed. He'd have to make do for now, and in the morning he would search for the nearest Pokémon Center.

"Let me see your Pokémon," Touya ordered N.

Doing as he was told, N released his Pokémon from their pokéballs for Touya to inspect their injuries. The boy looked them over with a careful eye. None of their injuries appeared serious, just scrapes and bites for the most part. The most serious injury he could find was the blood matting N's Zoroark's fur and hair, but when he tried to examine the wound more closely, the Zoroark growled menacingly at him and backed away. Its increasingly loud snarls grew more frightening, but Touya knew he needed to get a closer look to assess how bad the wound was.

A series of sharp barks from behind him caused Touya to turn and see N at his shoulder. He watched, mystified as N and the Zoroark exchanged barks and growls. With a last wary growl, the Zoroark fell silent. N let out a faint sigh of relief, the ghost of a smile twitching at the edge of his lips. Walking forward, he placed a hand on Zoroark's head, stroking its red hair reassuringly.

"You'll have to forgive my friend," N murmured without looking up at Touya. "When Zoroark first came to me, he was terribly abused and sickly. It was hard to get him to trust me, but he never warmed up to other humans. But you're different from other humans. Maybe he'll learn to look past his shortcomings and trust you."

Taken by surprise at the odd words, Touya stared at N. Yet again he sensed a double meaning behind the words, but he couldn't quite grasp at their hidden meaning. Frowning slightly, he walked forward to examine the Zoroark. His fur was thickly caked with blood, but Touya managed to flatten it aside to get a better look at the wound hidden beneath.

There were two long slash wounds in Zoroark's chest that wrapped over his left shoulder. They were deep wounds, and though they had stopped bleeding, they were far from beginning to clot and heal. Touya stared at the wounds in quiet horror. Even for a trainer battle, these were an extreme.

"How did he get these?" Touya breathed.

"Reshiram," N murmured. "When I told Touko… about us, Reshiram attacked Zoroark. If Zekrom hadn't flown in at that moment, Reshiram could have killed him."

Nodding his head, Touya returned to staring at the wounds worriedly. He only had nine potions left. That left one potion for each of N's Pokémon with a few left over. But Zoroark's wounds would require at least two potions if he hoped to keep out infection for the night. Touya pursed his lips. On top of that, Zekrom was also severely hurt, and he highly doubted he could just walk into the nearest town with the legendary dragon following behind and not expect to be noticed.

Considering his options carefully, Touya decided on a course of action. Taking the potions, he laid out one bottle in front of each Pokémon, giving one of the extras to Zoroark and the last two to Zekrom. He turned to N for the next part of his plan, and it occurred to him that N might have more potions.

"Do you have any potions?" Touya asked. "These are all I've got."

N shook his head in response.

"Then I guess we'll have to use these sparingly," Touya sighed, picking up the nearest bottle. "Use only as much as necessary to keep out infection for a day or so. Tomorrow I'll go look for a Pokémon Center down the mountain."

"By yourself?" N asked, glancing up at Touya.

"Well, yeah," Touya replied, applying a small dab of potion onto a scratch on N's Carracosta, "Someone has to stay here to look after Zekrom and my Pokémon. I figured you would want to stay here."

Pursing his lips, N turned his face downwards and nodded. After giving Zoroark's hair a few more strokes, he moved away to help Touya treat his Pokémon. After tending to his Klinklang, he took particular care treating the wounds of his Vanilluxe, knowing how deceptively delicate the ice-type was. He had to be careful when applying the potion to not let his hands rest for more than a few seconds on the Pokémon's ice, or the Vanilluxe would melt under the heat of his hands.

By the time N was finished tending to Vanilluxe's wounds, Touya had treated his Carracosta and Archeops. The young trainer was hesitated to move on to Zoroark, but N placed his hand over Touya's and guided him forward. Swallowing his nervousness, he squirted a generous amount of potion onto his hands and began applying it to the wounds. Zoroark hissed as he worked, but he stuck determinedly to his task until the slashes were treated. He sighed when he was finished. The small amount of potion would not be enough to heal the wounds, but it was the most he could do for now.

Last but not least, Zekrom was awaiting treatment. Touya frowned as he studied the wounds that covered the great dragon's chest and head, not even daring to think about what wounds were on his back. He had to choose carefully which wounds needed the most attention. He only had three potions left, and that wouldn't be enough to treat all of the dragon's wounds by a long shot.

"Zekrom, which wounds hurt the most?" Touya asked the dragon.

'Never mind my wounds,' Zekrom responded, though a pained hiss escaped his ivory teeth. 'Treat the others. They are not as tough as I am.'

"But you have the worst wounds, and besides that, I can't take you to the Pokémon Center," Touya argued. "If your wounds aren't treated now, an infection will set in and you'll get weaker."

'My wounds will be fine without your potions,' Zekrom snorted disdainfully, fixing the boy with one ruby red eye.

"But Zekrom–"

'No!' Zekrom snapped, baring his teeth at Touya. 'Pokémon have lived for centuries without human potions. I am a legend! I will recover just fine without the use of potions, just as the ancestors of all Pokémon have.'

Touya frowned, dismay washing through him. Zekrom may seem strong, but he could hear the pain that threaded its way into the great dragon's every breath. He knew that if Zekrom refused treatment, he would surely die. His hands began to shake, the potions sloshing in their bottles as his fear for the dragon grew. Tears threatened at his eyes, and each breath he sucked in made his head spin dizzyingly.

In the clouds of his worry, Touya felt a calming presence sweep through him. At the same time, he felt a hand rest over his, steadying his shaking. He glanced up to see N standing at his side. The young man was staring at Zekrom, his blue-gray eyes narrowed determinedly. He nodded towards the dragon, and Touya drew in a deep breath, understanding what N wanted him to do. Stepping forward, he gave Zekrom a level stare.

"Look, I don't care if you want me to treat your wounds or not," Touya declared. "I will treat your wounds, so accept it!"

Marching forward, Touya half climbed, half scrambled up onto Zekrom's chest. The dragon made no move to stop him, only watching him with narrowed eyes. The boy felt small and insignificant standing on the large dragon's chest, but he drew courage from an inner source that he did not know he had. Gathering his thoughts, he began work upon one of the deepest wounds on Zekrom's chest. The dragon hissed slightly, but did not stop him.

When he had finished with the worst of Zekrom's chest wounds, the dragon suddenly lurched and rolled beneath him, causing Touya to drop his potions and slide off of the dragon's chest. He dropped to the ground and whirled to face the dragon. Zekrom stared at him through one half-lidded eye, baring his teeth slightly.

'That's enough,' the dragon stated. 'The rest of my wounds will heal naturally.'

Touya opened his mouth, ready to argue – he' barely treated any of the wounds on Zekrom's chest, let alone those on his face or elsewhere – but he recognized that he was lucky that Zekrom had let him treat any of his wounds at all. He sighed in defeat as the dragon's eyes closed. It was well past sunset by now, with dusk rapidly gathering in around him. There wasn't enough light left to set up his tent. He sighed again, realizing he'd be spending the night out in the open without so much as even a fire to keep away the cold and any wild Pokémon roaming these woods.

Turning back to his pack, Touya's eyes widened when he saw a camp fire already crackling at the edge of the meadow, his tent set up nearby. N emerged from the tent, shaking out his hair.

"You set up the tent?" Touya asked, coming over to stand in front of him.

"I saw you were busy tending to Zekrom, and it was getting late," N explained, glancing towards the fire. "I did not want you to catch a chill in the middle of the night. Did Zekrom let you see to his wounds?"

"A little," Touya sighed, looking in the dragon's direction with a concerned frown, "but he wouldn't let me treat all of his wounds. I'm worried he won't heal properly."

"Zekrom has an adversity for potions," N murmured. "That's partly my fault and partly his. I never treated him with potions because he insisted that Pokémon hadn't needed potions in ancient times, and he believes they still don't. I never argued because I agreed with him. It would only make it harder for Pokémon to adapt to a world separate from humans if they relied on potions and antidotes instead of berries and nature. But I see now that I was wrong."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Touya implored, turning his gaze back to frown up at N. "Maybe humans and Pokémon weren't meant to be separated, but that doesn't mean Pokémon should be completely dependent on trainers, nor that trainers should use Pokémon as tools. I try not to push my Pokémon when I know they're tired, and they prefer to forage for fresh food instead of eating canned Pokémon food. But we're still a family, no matter how much or how little we depend on each other."

"Perhaps you're right," N sighed, staring into the fire with a troubled look on his face. "I just wish I could have realized this sooner."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Touya repeated, resting an encouraging hand on N's shoulder. "Come on, it's getting late. Why don't we turn in for the night?"

"I don't sleep in tents," N informed him. This didn't surprise Touya.

"You can't sleep outside, you didn't bring a sleeping bag," the boy pointed out. "How will you keep warm?"

"I've got my Pokémon," N stated flatly.

Pausing, Touya tried to find a counterargument, but it was a hard feat to accomplish. After all, N was probably used to relying solely on the body heat of his Pokémon to keep warm while he camped between cities – and who was to say he took advantage of the free rooms at the PokéCenters when he did come across a town? But that didn't mean he was just going to let N sleep outside.

"Come on," he sighed, reaching out and grabbing N's hand – he felt it twitch in his grip, as if N were considering tugging away, but he wasn't going to let go that easily – and dragged the young man into the tent with him. With much fussing and directing N with what to do, he managed to get them both snuggled up in the single sleeping bag.

"We only have the one sleeping back, but I can buy another one tomorrow in town if you want," Touya offered, trying to wriggle into a more comfortable position in the minimal space they had. He stopped when he felt N's hand rest on his hair, glancing up at the pensive face of the man he loved as N gave his hair a soft stroke.

"This is fine," he mumbled before taking his hand away.

Touya frowned at this reserved treatment. He missed the warmth he'd felt from N this morning, or even the comfortable friendship they'd had before two days ago. Anything was better than watching this much distance come between them, as if N had constructed a wall that he just couldn't overcome. Feeling tears welling up, he pressed his face into N's chest, wishing that N would snap out of whatever had come over him and revert back to his normal self.

He wasn't sure how long they stayed wrapped in that position before one after another they fell asleep.