“Yo~sh!” Faris smiles, pulling into the driveway. “We’re here, everyone!”
    “What time is it?” is Misty’s immediate question.
    She checks her wristwatch. “9 PM. You want to head to bed right away?”
    “No,” she says. “I just wanted to know what time it was.”
    Faris shrugs in response. “Whatever.” She opens her car door and steps out. The others do the same.
    “Pika pikaaaa!” Pikachu smiles, stretching and breathing the fresh evening air.
    “Rai, rai,” Raichu agrees, standing next to her.
    Batts opens one eye from the back of the minivan, awakening from his nap. <Hmmm?> He raises his head to see where they are; upon doing so, he teleports to the outside.
    Everyone proceeds to bring everything inside. Faris shows them all their rooms (some have to share), and they all proceed to unpack. Because that’s Boring Detail, we’ll just skip all that and get to the part where they’re all in the living room, which is to the immediate left of the main door. There’s a couch at the far end of the room; Starr, Misty and Ash are sitting on it, with Pikachu on Ash’s shoulder, Raichu sprawled across all three of their laps, and Togepi on Misty’s shoulder. Pikachu pokes Raichu’s tail once in a while, admiring the static. Strewn across the wall opposite the entrance near the front door are three chairs; two are cushy velvet and one is a rocking chair. Jessie and Faris are sitting in the velvet chairs and James is sitting in the rocking chair. Meowth is sitting in Faris’ lap, and Batts is at her feet. Brock has placed the frozen pizzas in the oven and set the timer, but since all the seats were taken while he was off doing that, he has to sit on the floor opposite the space between Jessie and Faris.
    Now that everybody’s position has been stated, we’ll continue.
 

   “You’ve got a really nice house!” Misty states for what must be the twentieth time. “You’re so lucky to have all this space to yourself, especially when the ocean’s so near…” She sighs contentedly. “And your furniture is soo comfortable!” Her eyes take on a starry sheen as she imagines herself living in such a beautiful house.
    “I could sell it to you, if you want,” Faris returns mildly.
    This startles Misty out of her reverie. “What?”
    “Would you really?” Jessie asks, an interested look on her face.
    “No,” she replies, scratching Meowth behind his ears. “I was just getting tired of saying, ‘I’m glad you like it, Misty’, and saying, ‘Would you shut up already?!’ is rude.”
    “Ahehe,” Misty blushes. “I guess I have been saying that a lot… but it IS a nice house!”
    “We know, Misty, we know,” Ash informs her in a bored tone.
    “Chu, chu,” Pikachu and Raichu agree in unison. Misty humph’s and crosses her arms in silent reply.
    “Say, Faris, tomorrow, do you mind if I take a walk in the forest outside before we leave for Cinnabar?” Brock speaks up. “I saw a lot of interesting Pokémon on the way here, and I’d like to get a closer look.”
    She shrugs. “Do what you like.”
    Brock smiles. “Thanks a lot!”
    “Just watch out for the property guardians,” she adds.
    “Property guardians?” Brock repeats, sweatdropping a little.
    <Lenna used to be a Pokémon trainer. When she became a breeder, she quit training,> Batts tells him for Faris. <Now some of her more… overprotective… Pokémon keep this area safe from Pokémon thieves. Those Pokémon include a Scyther, a Fearow, an Arbok, and a number of Voltorbs. In the ocean, there are several Tentacools to ward off those who come by boat.>
    “Tentacool?” Misty says eagerly, emerging from her bad mood in an instant. “Then I want to explore, too!”
    “Voltorbs?” James and Jessie repeat, oblivious to Misty’s comment.
    “What did you think he said? Jigglypuffs, maybe?” Meowth says sarcastically.
    “Expect to see me inside all day tomorrow,” Jessie states as an answer.
    “Me, too,” James concurs.
    Ash blinks. “Lenna was supposed to be really gentle, wasn’t she? Then why’s she have so many dangerous Pokémon guarding the place?”
    “Lenna Inverse had a reputation of being able to sooth even the most bad-tempered Pokémon,” Brock informs him.  “She would have made a great Pokémon doctor with that ability.” He sighs. “Well, I guess I’ll take my chances tomorrow.”
    “Have fun!” Jessie and James say in unison, waving good-bye. Brock piku’s in response.
    “Pansy.” Starr throws a cushion at James, who in turn throws it at Jessie. “Voltorbs only Self-Destruct when they’re pissed off or scared. If you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone.”
    “Even so, I’m staying in.” Jessie makes a face. “I’m sure there are some perfectly NICE Voltorbs out there, but I’ve had too many bad experiences with them.”
    “You’ve had bad experiences with Meowth and you still like him,” Misty points out.
    Jessie and James piku, then bust up laughing. Meowth sulks.
    “Great. Even my own teammates hate me. Next think ya know, they’ll be replacin’ me with a POISIAN.”
    Faris rolls her eyes. “I’d take a Meowth over a Persian any day. They’re smaller, have a way better attitude, and learn attacks faster.” She smiles and scratches Meowth behind his little black ears. “And besides… Meowth is much, MUCH cuter than any pussy Persian.”
    Meowth sighs happily, a grin plastered all over his kitty face and a few billion stars shining in his eyes. “I think I’m in love…”
    “Martina’s Persian used to be my Meowth,” Faris goes on, “but one day after I left for Pokémon Tech, she decided he was ‘stylish’, but he’d be far more chic as a Persian, so she went and evolved him. Too bad she didn’t take into account that Persians tend to have nasty dispositions.”
    “Ten bucks says he walked all over her after that for being such a sucketh trainer,” Starr grins.
    Faris nods, grinning evilly. “Nothing’s more hilarious than a trainer who can’t control their Pokémon.”
    “Oh, THANKS.” Ash drops his head, thinking of Charizard.
    Faris looks thoughtful. “Maybe you could trade that Charizard of yours at the Summer’s Festival when we go.”
    “No way!” Ash protests, looking back up. “Charizard was abandoned once when it was still just a Charmander—she might think all her trainers will ever do is leave her!”
    “That’s so, but there’s really no point in keeping a Pokémon you can’t control,” Faris points out. “Besides, you’re not abandoning Charizard, per se—you’re just giving it a new trainer.”
    “…” Ash traces a circle on the arm of the sofa, a shadow covering his eyes.
    Brock looks up at Faris. “If you love Pokémon as much as Lenna…Faris, why did you join Team Rocket?”
    “You’re a persistent one, aren’t you?” Faris grins mildly.
    “I’m persistent!” James says proudly.
    “Yes, but nobody was talking to you.”
    James sulks as Brock presses, “Sooo…?”
    Faris rolls her eyes. “Fine. I’ll give you a straight answer. It’s because it was destiny.”
    Brock stares at her. “…What?”
    Pikachu does likewise. “Pi?”
    Jessie gives her a disbelieving look. “You joined Team Rocket because of some silly ‘fate’ notion?”
    “Fate’s not silly,” Starr informs her.
    “Rai?” Raichu sits up in her lap.
    Faris shifts so she’s kneeling in the chair. “Ara, I think you misunderstood. I said destiny, not fate.”
    “What’s the difference? They’re the same things, right?” Misty asks.
    Faris leans back and starts scratching Meowth behind the ears, causing him to purr cutely in contented delight. “That’s where you’re wrong! Destiny is not the same as fate. Fate is adamant: for a living thing to die is fate. However, destiny is flexible. Destiny is formed according to our choices and lifestyle.”
    James and Jessie stare at her.
    Faris doesn’t seem to notice and goes on.  “Destiny is not just what you make of it, though—it’s the choices and lifestyles of everyone else in the world, even those of people you’ve never met, because everything is connected in some way or another. If a butterfly flaps its wings a certain way on one side of the world, it could start a long sequence of events that ends in a tornado on the other side.”
    Brock nods. “The chaos theory.”
    “Yeah, that’s right.”
    James now looks as though he’s thinking very, very hard about this.
    “I hope he doesn’t hurt himself,” Misty stage whispers to Starr.
    Faris smiles a little at the remark (to which James was totally oblivious), then continues. “For instance, if I’d never joined Team Rocket, you and your friends would have never met me, Brock. Therefore, right now, you would be sleeping in the woods. However, there is always a possibly that my never joining Team Rocket might have inadvertently caused Ash’s mother to not go on that vacation, so you could be sleeping in a bed.”
    Starr strokes Raichu, raising a little more static. “Sounds a lot like time to me.”
    Faris nods. “That’s right. Destiny and the possibilities of time have a lot to do with each other.”
    “Faris, you are beginning to sound like Setsuna,” Starr smiles.
    Faris grins back. “And your point is?”
    “No point, just thought I should mention it.”
    “Anyway, the choices that we make in the present all has to do with what events made up our pasts, and the possible events that may make up our futures. I believe that a long chain of events caused me to finally join Team Rocket.”
    Misty blinks. “You sought out to join Team Rocket?”
    Faris looks over at Misty and raises her eyebrows. “Don’t be dumb. I never said that. I only joined because the Boss offered me a position on the team.”
    Jessie smirks and (pointedly) crosses her arms in front of her chest. “Telling that flat-chested twerp not to be stupid is like telling a fish not to swim.”
    Misty b’iiiiiiiiiiiiihs her. “At least I’m smart enough to win Pokémon battles!”
    Jessie glares at her. “That’s got nothing to do with anything!!”
    Misty laughs. “That might be true if you weren’t a Pokémon trainer!”
    Togepi is standing on Misty’s lap and waving its tiny arms, trying unsuccessfully to get the two girls to calm down.
    Starr stands up and clears her throat. Raichu leaps off onto the floor. When everyone turns to listen, Starr clears her throat twice more and proclaims, “In the words of my dad, SHUT UP AND LISTEN!!!!”
    Misty and Jessie stop arguing.
    Starr nods happily. “Better. Okay, Faris, continue.”
    James perks up. “Yeah! What happened, that you decided to join Team Rocket? You’ve got me curious.”
    Pikachu jumps onto Ash’s head. “<Spill it already!>”
    Faris looks pensive and sad at the same time. “…I guess it started in this very house.” She sighs. “But honestly, I don’t want to talk about it. It’s like throwing battery acid on an open wound to me.”
    Starr cringes a bit at the analogy. “Now you sound like Kenji. Oh... I’ve been meaning to ask...I know you hate red, and you can’t stand roses—”
    “I learned that the hard way…” James’s lower lip sticks out.
    Starr picks up a cushion and throws it at him. “Shush. Faris, why is that? I hate to be forward, but I always wondered…”
    Faris rests her chin on her hands and her elbows on her knees. “Why do I hate the color red? Well… it’s because… a pool of red signaled the end of my happiness as a child…”
    Everyone is quiet.
    Starr leans a little bit toward Faris, green eyes reflecting concern. “……if you don’t want to go on, you don’t have to. The end of happiness is a pretty hard subject to discuss.”
    Faris shakes her head. “No, it’s okay. It doesn’t really matter anymore. Roses I don’t really mind, it’s just red roses I hate. That’s because, at her funeral, my aunt Lenna’s coffin was engraved with a red rose. Her grave was covered with red roses. Whenever I see a red rose, I see Lenna’s dead body. It’s kind of a hard image to erase.”
    James abruptly stands up and stalks off into the kitchen. Seconds later, there’s a loud shredding noise.
    Starr turns and yells, “James, what in the name of SEPHIROTH are you doing?!?”
    James hollers back, “Getting rid of all my red roses! I’ll never touch one again!!!!!!!!!”
    Faris laughs. “You could try white roses. They’d suit you.”
    Ash lifts his head suddenly. He sniffs the air. “Huh?”
    Raichu’s nose twitches and Pikachu sneezes. “Chu!”
    Ash sniffs again, then asks, “Hey guys, is it just me, or do you smell something burning?”
    Brock immediately begins to spazz. “AUUUUGGGHHHH!!!! THE PIZZAS!!!!!! I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” He dashes off into the kitchen as James also begins to spazz within.
 

            Later, in the dining room…

   “Yum. My favorite. Charred pizza,” Starr says dryly as Raichu pokes lightly at the round blackened objects on the dining room table.
    Faris wields the pizza cutter, inquiring, “Would you like your slice burnt or well burnt, Misty?”
    Misty makes a face. “I’ll take burnt.”
    James glares. “No way, I want burnt!!”
    Misty crosses her arms. “Then you should have called it!”
    As they argue, Jessie glances quickly around the room, then helps herself to the ‘burnt’ pizza. “YOINK!”
    James and Misty notice. “HEY!! THAT’S MY SLICE!!!!!!”
    Jessie finishes off the slice and licks her fingers, then wipes her mouth with a napkin. “Not anymore.” She looks thoughtful. “Not bad…That one was actually pretty good, it was just charred a little on the surface.”
    James and Misty sigh disappointedly, exhaling little tiny puffs.
    Brock nods to Jessie. “Yeah, this entire side of the pizza is good! It’s just a little black.”
    James and Misty jump. “REALLY????” They look, but unfortunately for them, see that ‘this entire side of the pizza’ is on everyone else’s plates.
    Faris grins. “Of course, the rest of the pizza is all black and charred through...” She finishes her slice. “Mmm, yummy.”
    James and Misty exhale the little puffs again. “Oh, no fair......!”
    Faris rewards them with a mildly amused look. “Life’s not fair.”
    Ash beams, pizza in hand. “You shouldn’t have wasted your time arguing!”
    Jessie has been staring at something on the floor throughout Misty and James’s entire exchange.
    Starr notices. “What the heck are you doing?”
    Jessie indicates a small dark spot. “That…did somebody spill something on the floor there sometime, Faris?”
    Faris looks where Jessie is pointing. “Hmmm?” She takes a closer look. “I’m not sure… it looks like—”
    Her ruby eyes go wide as the words catch in her throat. The silence in her throat threatens to choke the life out of her. However, Faris does nothing but stand up silently.
    Jessie and the others stare at her. “Faris?”
    Faris turns as though she’s sleepwalking. She’s physically here, but her spirit is a million miles away, or perhaps a million miles within.
    “That stain is blood, Jessie…Lenna was shot near there….”
    Jessie’s face goes pure white, and a collective gasp rises among the others. “Oh, Faris—”
    Faris walks to the stairs and leaves the rest of them behind.

    Faris closes her eyes.
    With a ragged sigh, she buries her face in her pillow.
    Professor Oak was right; coming here was a mistake. There are too many bad memories here…
    It’s not Jessie’s fault. She didn’t know. Even though she probably still feels horrible about pointing out the dark stain in the woodwork…
    They never had managed to get the blood out of the floors. They never bothered to replace the floorboards, either. They just covered it up with a rug, as if that would make it all better, as if that would make it go away.
    A salty tear streams down Faris’ cheek.
    She settles into her bed and wraps her blanket around her. This place used to be so warm, so full of life, when Lenna was alive. Now it’s cold, dead… just like Lenna.
    Faris hugs her pillow tight, beginning to cry. Just like Lenna…
    “I forgive you.” Her last words to her murderer, her last words before she died. How could she forgive the person who was going to kill her? How could anyone forgive someone like that? “I forgive you.” Who did she forgive? His face was hidden in shadows, so she never had seen him, only heard his voice… Faris curls her body into a fetal position. Who was it that Lenna loved so much that she could forgive him, even though he killed her, even though she knew he would probably kill Faris as well?
    That memory is shrouded with the haze of time and the fog of repression. She only barely remembers it—she remembers the words, the gunshot…the pool of blood, the pool of red that ended her happiness…
    “Why do I hate the color red? Well… It’s because… a pool of red signaled the end of my happiness as a child…”
    Her grave was covered with red roses. Lenna’s death was strewn with red roses. Carved on her coffin were red-painted roses.
    That’s why she hates red roses. That’s why she hates the color red. The color of blood and death, of hatred and anger and innocence lost…
    That’s why.
    A sudden, too-loud rapping disturbs Faris from her thoughts. With a jolt, she sits up in her bed. When she realizes it’s only the door, she sighs, and her heart begins to calm again.
    “Go away,” she calls to whomever is knocking. “I want to be alone.”
    “Faris, what’s wrong?” a familiar voice calls back pleadingly. James. “You’ve been holed up in here all night!”
    “Go AWAY, James!!”
    A flash of light, and James and Batts are inside the room. <We will not go away,> Batts states resolutely. <Locking yourself in your room is no way to confront your past.>
    Faris swipes at her eyes to wipe away the tears; then she lies back down. “I don’t want to talk to anyone right now,” she whispers, lying back down.
    She cringes when James sits down at the foot of her bed. “Faris…” he starts, unsure of what to say. “I… Is there anything I can do?”
    “There’s nothing you can do,” is her muffled reply.
    James blinks and stares down at the floor. “…”
    “James, just go away. You’re not helping.”
    <Faris, James is concerned for your well being. He is concerned because he is your friend, and he cares deeply about you. All of the others are concerned about you as well, because they are also your friends, but James loves you. Do not reject him.>
    Faris shudders involuntarily. ‘Don’t say that…’
    <“Trouble is a part of your life, and if you don’t share it, you don’t give the person who loves you enough chance to love you enough.” James wants to help you because he loves you, and he continues to love you even though you reject him to the point where others would have given up long ago. If you refuse to love him back, you will be alone for the rest of your life… is that what you really want? To always be alone?>
    She answers only with a quiet sob.
    “Faris?” James says, concerned.
    “I always feel as if I’m alone…” she whispers. “As if there’s nobody who can understand me. But it’s always because I push others away… I don’t want anyone to know my pain. I make myself be alone, yet I don’t want to be alone…”
    James gazes at her a moment, then gets up from the bed, walks up to her, and kneels down so their faces are level. He takes her hand from her face and holds it to his. “You’re not alone,” he tells her softly, reassuringly. “No matter how many times you push me away, I’ll always be here for you. I care about you, Faris, more than anything in the world.”
    “I wish I could believe you…” is her quiet reply. “But everything I care about eventually goes away…”
    “I won’t go away,” James tells her firmly. “I’ll always be by your side. I’ll always be there for you when you need me. I promise.”
    “Promises are empty,” Faris whispers. “I don’t believe in your words. I believed once before… but my ability to believe died a long time ago…”
    James closes his eyes and sighs. “I love you.” He opens them, gazing upon her with sadness in his eyes. “I love you beyond measure. Why can’t you understand? If I promised you the Moon, no matter how long it took, I would make sure you got it, because I love you and I want you to be happy.” He holds her hand to his lips. “I’ll do anything for you, because I love you.”
    Faris stares at him for moment, then wrests her hand out of his grasp and turns her back on him without a word.
    James stands and sits on the edge of the bed. “You told me that even though you push others away, in truth you don’t want to be alone,” he reminds her gently. “You’re not alone; you have me.” He turns his gaze away from her. “I promised you I’ll always be here for you, and I meant it. You’ll never have to be alone as long as I live; all you have to do is let me love you.”
    Faris remains silent.
    James is silent as well for a moment, to let his words sink in.
    <…> is Batts’ only commentary.
    For several long minutes, stretching into what seems to be eternity, there is only silence.
    Then, a dry chuckle arises from Faris’ throat as she slowly sits up. “What irony…” she says, half to herself. “At first I hated you beyond measure, and now I’m letting you see a side of myself I never show anyone else. I already told you before, James, that I’m not interested in falling in love, but that’s because I’m afraid of getting hurt.” James gazes at her, and she pulls her legs in and hugs them to her chest. “But if I’m so afraid, why am I letting you come close to me and see these things I never let anyone see? It’s something I can’t understand about myself…”
    <Maybe you are falling in love with him,> Batts suggests quietly. <Only you don’t seem to realize this yet.>
    Faris opens her eyes and gazes over at James. He meets her ruby gaze evenly, an uncharacteristically serious look on his face. “I don’t want to belong to anyone, through loyalties of friendship or love or anything. More than anything, I want to live for myself.” She breaks off the gaze and looks over at the end of the bed. “But can I really be happy, living only for myself?” She smiles mirthlessly. “I’ve been a fool to myself; I thought that I could live for no one else. If you live strictly for yourself, are you really alive?”
    “…” James pulls his legs up onto the bed and kneels, facing her. “Faris…”
    She smiles over at him, then leans over and rests her head on James’ chest, much to his surprise. She looks up at him and smiles faintly. “You’re really someone special, James, you know that?” Then she closes her eyes.
    A faint blush spreads over James’ face, and it stays. “…” he says; then he smiles as well, and gently wraps his arms around her. Faris’ body tenses when he does so. “I must be, if you’re letting me love you,” he replies, stroking her hair.
    She sighs softly in response, curling up closer to him. James rocks her gently, continuing to stroke her hair, as if she was a small, defenseless kitten.
    ‘She really is like a kitten right now,’ James realizes as she begins to relax in his arms. ‘The way she’s acting now is really not like her.’ He runs a hand through her hair, feeling the softness of it beneath his fingers and loving it. ‘I wish we could stay like this forever… I feel so happy like this. No other girl’s ever let me treat her like this…’ He closes his eyes and makes a contented noise. ‘No other girl’s ever let me be in control…’
    There’s another tap on the door then, much softer. They look up to see Starr and Jessie. Suddenly embarrassed, Faris pushes James away and faces the two.
    <I told you two to stay downstairs and leave Faris to James and myself,> Batts reminds them.
    “Yeah, we know, but… Faris… are you okay…?” Jessie asks tearfully, not commenting on how they had been holding each other—a surprise, to Faris. “I feel so awful…”
    “It’s okay. You didn’t know,” Faris shrugs, trying to act as if nothing had happened.
    “Thanks…” Jessie sniffles, a tiny sad smile growing on her lips. “I really am sorry…I must look terrible. I’m going to fix my make-up. I’ll be right back, okay?”
    As Jessie goes, Starr shakes her head. “Is it okay if I sit down…?”
    Faris nods and Starr sits on the corner of the bed. “I don’t know about Jessie…but I heard almost the whole conversation. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I didn’t want to disturb you, and at the same time I didn’t want to just leave. I really need to talk to you, Faris.”
    She gives her a tilted glance. “What about?”
    Starr looks at Faris seriously. “I just want to warn you. This might seem totally uncharacteristic of me since normally I’m ricocheting off the walls, but deep beneath the psycho exterior is a normal human being.
    “I’m a lot like you in some ways…though I don’t know the same pain you’ve had. I feel as though my experiences in the past scarred me a little, and I worry sometimes that the scars don’t heal, that I’ll always be scared that…one day the people I love trust the most will stop knowing me someday.
    “I carry a lot of memories…some happy, some sad…and though I know the sadness in my past shaped me into who I am and made me strong, it kind of made me cynical. I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop or assuming the worst case scenario. I know it hurts the people I love to be judged as though they were the people I disliked so long ago.
    “Everything’s changed. Everything’s over. The people who I fought with so often, so long ago smile at me and say hello now when they see me…because they know it’s past. I suppose they regret what they did. I suppose their laughing at my tears was only childish ignorance, not deliberate meanness. I was always kind of weird to them...and people tend to find it hard to accept what they don’t know.
    “I found out that a lot of people thought I was a snot because I didn’t talk. In truth it was fear, fear that if I spoke up they’d tell me to go away. I regret not having the courage now, but, hey...it’s the past.
    “I’m strong because of what happened to me, even if I am kind of a cynic. In my heart I know it’s past, but sadness takes a long time to fade. Memories of hurt tend to linger on long past their usefulness, unwelcome thoughts that only impede our joy... I still worry that everything I love will someday go away. I worry, too, that I’ll be all alone, and this time I don’t know if I’ll be able to take being so alone.
    “But…no. There’s no reason for anyone I love to go away.”
    She smiles and takes Faris’ hand. James takes her other hand tentatively, as though he expects to be smashed, but Faris only squeezes his hand lightly.
    “And there’s no reason for any of us to let you down, either,” Starr goes on. “You’re one of my best friends, and because I know how much it can hurt to be left, I’ll stay with you. There are still a few lost, broken shards of the past somewhere in my mind…but…they keep me strong more than pull me down. You’re strong, too.
    “The sadness will always be, but you’re only scarred if you want to think of yourself that way. Don’t let the memories weight your joy down...it has wings, and just because they were once broken doesn’t mean it’ll never fly again. True, it’ll be more cautious at first, and afraid of being hurt again, but if you stay afraid, you can’t fly. Who knows...the endurance of pain and sorrow makes the wings of your joy stronger, maybe, and you’re more grateful for it when it comes.
    “I never take happiness for granted. True, it’s silly to fear everything I love ending.  I’m grateful for everything I have. I’m grateful for my friends and my love. Even if this does end—and this is me being very pessimistic—I’ll be grateful for the joy I had. But don’t push away a love just because of fear. Love is stronger than fear.”
    Starr grins, then looks over at the periwinkle-haired young man smiling at Faris adoringly. She turns back to her friend with her usual bright smile.
    “That… and James is really, really persistent.”
    Faris smiles softly as Jessie re-enters the room, along with Brock, Misty, Ash, Pikachu, Togepi and Raichu.
    “Hi… sorry, Batts, but we couldn’t stay downstairs any longer,” Ash explains, a little embarrassed.
    “We wanted to see how you were doing, Faris,” Misty adds. “It’s the least we could do, after you’ve been so hospitable to us.” Brock, Raichu, Togepi and Pikachu all nod in agreement.
    She blushes slightly, smiling. “Thanks, all of you…” She swipes at her eyes, as if to brush away tears. “I’m fine. I… I just need a little sleep. It’s been a long day…”
    They all nod sympathetically and begin to leave. Batts, Starr and James are the last to leave, and they give her a long glance before actually leaving.
    Faris lies down on her bed, the sheets twisted between her arms and legs. The faint blush is still on her cheeks, and grows slightly stronger as she thinks about the embrace she’d shared with James.
    “A rose-scented embrace…” she whispers to herself. She smiles slightly, exhaustion finally catching up with her. “Maybe you’re right, Batts.” She closes her eyes, and before long she is asleep.

    “Roses…” Starr suddenly says out of nowhere as she stares up at the ceiling.
    “Roses what?” Misty asks, wide awake. Togepi, beside her, is fast asleep.
    “That’s what it was…”
    “What WHAT was?”
    “That’s what I couldn’t figure out…”
    “What couldn’t you figure out? Starr, tell me what you’re talking about!” Misty wheedles.
    Starr moves so her head tilts back over the edge of the top bunk and she’s looking at Misty upside-down. “Have you ever stood next to James?”
    Misty shakes her head and turns a little red. “We’re still on different sides, after all.”
    Starr smiles. “No big. You might not notice anyway…but…” She trails off, then starts over. “When he was first trying to get Faris to like him, she kept smashing him and turning him down. Seeing HIM sad made ME sad, so I gave him a hug to comfort him…that happened twice, and both times I wondered, was he wearing some kind of cologne? Now I know what it is…he always smells kind of like…”
    “Like what?”
    “Roses.” Starr’s smile grows. “Look at me having a crush on a guy who’s already taken, and besides which smells like roses.”
    Misty smiles too. “James IS okay…when he’s not stealing Pokémon…but don’t you find it weird? A guy who smells like roses?”
    Starr nods. “Yeah, but somehow James manages to do so and be cute about it.”
    Suddenly her grin fades, replaced by a distant sad look.
    “Faris is so lucky to have someone as special as that.”
    Misty sits on the edge of her bed. “Are you all right?”
    “Sort of,” Starr replies. “You know…I have the most terrible timing.”
    She closes her eyes.
    “I only realize now when it’s too late. I’ve fallen for that guy.”
    “Don’t cry,” Misty pleads. “You’ll make me sad, too. Lost love is always so tragic.”
    “I won’t cry. Don’t worry.” Starr opens her eyes and smiles a little bit again. She sits up and wanders over to the window, sitting down on the window seat and looking out. “It’s a full moon…how romantic. I wonder if James and Faris are out tonight…” She sighs to herself. “I hope they’re happy together.”
    Misty nods. “If that’s what you want, then I hope so too.”
    Starr smiles at her. “Thanks, Misty.”
    Misty smiles back.

    James stares up at the ceiling from his bed, his hands crossed over his chest. Lucky for him, he managed to snag a room for himself, right next to Starr and Misty’s room. They’d been talking for a bit before going to bed, but he couldn’t catch any of it. He didn’t really want to, anyway—it’s none of his business.
    Ever since he’d held Faris in his arms, he’s been unable to fall asleep. No amount of tossing and turning has helped.
    He sighs, frustrated, and turns onto his side for maybe the one hundred and fifty-first time that hour. “It’s because I can’t stop thinking about her,” he mutters to himself.  “I can’t concentrate on anything else when I think about her.”
    James lies facedown on the bed and hugs the pillow to his face. ‘Faris…’
    He closes his eyes and lets his thoughts drift to her, finally giving up on ever sleeping. Her soft hair… her eyes, shimmering with tears… her tear-stained cheeks… the warmth of her body against his…
    Just before he falls asleep, James thinks dreamily, ‘I’ve fallen in love all over again…’