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Finally Found

I felt myself realign against the ground. After being inside the ball for the whole day the feeling of standing was almost new to me once more. But after a moment of enjoying the ability to stretch and move, I then remembered how desperate I was to stay inside the ball for another hour. How I would kill to have just one more hour of alone time to think. As if the whole day wasn't enough for me. I knew what I wanted to say, it was just a matter of convincing myself that it was the right thing to do. Or was it me that needed convincing? Maybe I was right to be undecided and it was Nion's fault of bringing the whole thing up in the first place. I had no doubt that Nion knew that I knew about him loving me, but, I couldn't help but wonder if it actually wasn't my problem. But alas, it was.

"Luyo!" Draye semi-shouted. It wasn't like he was yelling at me, he just sounded a little angry at the time. "I don't want you to attack Nion again. If you do then you'll be spending a little longer than one day inside the ball." I gave a worried glance to the sphere in Draye's hand, the purple orb that robbed me of my freedom, then gave me a new one. I didn't know whether to praise, or curse the damn thing. But in the end, it wasn't my concern. "Now, you two be nice to each other for a change, there are a few things I need to do. I'll be back in about an hour, unless you two don't want to eat tomorrow..." I gave Draye dumb look, closely followed by Nion. "I guess you want food for tomorrow." Draye turned around and headed out the door once more. "Be good you two." He said while closing the door. A distinct clicking sound echoed through the room. But why did Draye emphasise on the 'good' did he know what Nion said? And if so, how? I thought it was a little sceptical, but I didn't have time to wonder on that, as Nion just stared straight at me. Not saying a word. Not moving. And I was the same way. If I could've described the scene in one word, awkward would be a definite.

I looked at him, he looked at me. We both just looked at each other. I glanced towards the window quickly, if not for a second, then returned my gaze back to Nion who had done the same thing as me. We both had no idea on how to react. He knew that I knew his feelings, but he didn't know that I didn't know mine. Everything was exactly the same. But, I couldn't do anything. I was frozen. As if my body was forcing my mind to do something other than waste time. I tried to tell my legs to move so I could lie down on my cushion, but to no avail, I just stood still, waiting for Nion to say something, anything. I almost needed him to pick an answer for me, or at least speak the first words so I could at least gather one thought in my mind. Because as of this moment, I had nothing.

We both stood still for several minutes, I stared at Nion who could do anything but stare at me. But eventually he had enough of it. Nion stepped forward towards me, passing in-front of me to lie down on his bed. And after a few seconds of watching, I followed Nion, except onto mine. After I had curled up on my bed I continued to watch Nion do nothing.

"Are you just going to stare at me?" He finally spoke. His words hung in the air for a moment as I listened to them. I wasn't sure if he was going to say something else, so I waited a little while before responding. No other words came from him.

"It's not like I had anything else to look at all day." Nion immediately looked at me, as if shocked by my words.

"Y-y... You could s-see me?" His stuttering was amusing to me.

"Haven't you been inside one of the balls before?" I answered.

"N-no!" He paused for a moment. "Well, not entirely. I have been inside one of the balls before, but it was only after long battles or a loss. And even then, I was either too tired or injured to worry about anything but myself. I found it calming inside at times. But I never knew you could see outside."

"Only the small circle at the front..." I paused for a moment. "Which you seemed insistent on staring into the whole day." Again Nion looked worried. It was as if he believed that I made everything last night up. Like I only guessed his reason for acting so strange. Again, we were back to the action of our first contact of that day. Still. I was staring at him again, and he would look anywhere but straight towards me.

"I'm not sure if you know this or not." Nion spoke once more, giving me an unexpected shock of expectation. "But if you remember what I said yesterday, if you want anything for me to answer I will not hide it any longer."

He kept his word. I had the opportunity to drill the Luxray for information, but, I already knew everything I wanted to. The only thing I didn't know was... "What is behind the door?"

Nion gave a heavy sigh. "I wish you hadn't have said that first, but that is something I can't explain. I can tell you, yes, but when Draye comes back I can show you. And that will have more of an effect."

He lied to me, again. But this time, I didn't feel like getting up and slashing him for it. Stubbornness had gotten me nowhere, so I would go on his terms. No further action would be done. I trusted Nion. He could've told me, but if it's half as good as he's making it out to be, I will wait for it. For the second time Nion looked at me, expecting another question. So, despite the fact that I had figured out the answer, I would humour him.

"How did you find me up in the mountains?" It was a simple question, with a simple answer.

"I thought that you would've started with this one, but that is a simple answer. As the seasons change, so do our behaviours. You would probably have known that through instinct, but each season has a specific meaning to us pokémon. Summer is heat, obviously made to enjoy the warmth so everyone is in a much happier way. Fall is to prepare us for Winter. Whether it be to stock up for the cold or to migrate to a warmer location, Fall is just a warning. Winter, obviously cold, is for pokémon to spend, what usually are longer hours asleep, waking later so that the only thing we lose is time. And Spring, which we are already one month into, indicates the rebirth of the world. Like the way the flowers bloom, so do pokémon, so to speak. It only happens once a year, but when it does it's hard for anyone to avoid it unless they are just hatched or too old. Put simply, you are nearing your heat." Nion stayed so serious over the whole time, it was as if he had practised saying it during the day. But my interpretation of it, and his explanation were two different things, so, I just continued looking expectant waiting for him to speak more. After all, the more he talked, the sooner Draye would get here, the earlier the room would open. "Because you are a female, once a year you gain the uncontrollable desire to mate with another, and you 'lure' the males in by subconsciously spreading your scent around, indicating that you are nearing your time. That is how I found you. And I can only assume that no others did because of the fact that you are an Absol." No doubt, my kind strikes again. "But that made finding you so much easier for Draye."

"Because you knew I was an Absol, just by my 'scent'."

Nion was slightly put off by my bluntness, which I assume was why he recoiled a fair bit towards his cushion as he had moved closer to me while we were talking. "Yes, and I knew it was you because each species has a different array of odours. But because you spent most of your time siting on the edge of the cliff, it was so heavily concentrated that I almost dragged Draye along the ground to find you."

I wasn't sure why he added that last bit, the fact wasn't relevant, nor was it needed. But he was explaining everything, so I let him speak no matter how pointless it may've been. "So does that mean my 'scent' is everywhere in this place?"

Nion shifted uncomfortably for a moment then realigned towards me. "Yes." His answer was simple, yet forced. Why? I continued to stare at him for a while longer, while I waited for him to speak more. I guess that topic was over. "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"Why were you staring at me all day?"

"I didn't know you could see me."

His answer was so quick and simple, but I could tell why anyway, so I would ask something else. "Is what you said last night true?"

"What part of what I said last night?"

I thought I would put him on for a moment. "The part about you not loving me." I was going to drag every last inch of information out of him for this one, but not make it look like I didn't know the answer.

"No."

"No?"

"No. I don't, not love you Luyo."

Oh, right... The double negative. So he did love me! Now all I need to know are my feelings. "Then why did you deny it last night?"

"Because I wasn't thinking. I only denied it because you weren't listening. Because you couldn't wait one more day for me to tell you myself. I wanted to tell you Luyo, I just wanted you to find out in a better way than me just saying it in a dream." I couldn't help but watch him wipe a paw across his face. "I was going to tell you this morning. I would find you lying on Draye's bed in the sun, I would join you eventually, and then, somehow, I would've told you. But you gave me no choice. That was why I stared at you all day, even if I didn't know it. I just wanted to wait until then. But you decided that you didn't want to wait." Nion wiped his face again and turned away slightly, facing the window.

I however, wasn't going to waste a moment. With all of the unexpected information Nion had given me, it brought up a different question. "Do you know when my 'time' will come?" I wondered if he remembered what had I asked one minute ago.

Nion picked up his head and angled it towards me, but stopped after a moment. He stood up, as if not happy with something. Nion motioned his head towards me, as if asking to approach. "May I?" Well, at least he asked this time.

"If it will give me the answer." I answered back.

Nion closed the gap between us with one step and leant in towards me. He sniffed at my body a few times each one moving towards my hind legs, but he quickly backed off and returned to his cushion. "I-I can't tell... But soon would be an understatement."

"And this is why you were going to tell me that you loved me today? This is why you said you were going to tell me everything today? Just because of my heat?"

"That was one of the reasons I found you."

"Yes, you told me that, bu-"

"No, it was why Draye chose to search one last time. We heard reports of an Absol being spotted around Route 211 in EternaCity, and so he wanted to check it out. But that was over three months ago. The reason he waited until a week ago to look again was because of me. Draye is a smart person at times, and climbing along the outside of the mountain this close to mating season was almost a sure-fire shot at finding an Absol. Because you are rejected by all other kinds, and are very rare to find at all, Draye figured that it would be easy. And turns out he was right. I didn't have a choice in the matter. Even if I wanted to avoid you, instinct had another choice, and by the time I did have self-control again, Draye had seen you, and I had to battle. That was one reason I said what I did that day. But I wasn't strong enough to kill you, you said it yourself. And so here we are. Yes, my thoughts on you have changed, they have changed a lot. But don't just think I am telling you this because you're going into your heat. It's because I want you to know how everything has come to be." Nion placed his head in the cross of his paws and gave a deep sigh. "I don't know if you believe me or not, but even though we're going to be locked in the other room for about a week as of Monday, believe me when I say I don't want it now anymore than you do."

"What are you talking about?"

"Why do you think Draye gave you all those potions? He knew that your heat was approaching and he wanted everything to be fine. That's why we're going to the park tomorrow. He wants us to enjoy our time outside while it lasts. He knows that... This... Will happen between us either next week or the one after, but when it does I just want you to know that I do feel for you now."

"You mean that we're going to be locked in that room instead of having this whole place?"

"Yes. But once you've seen inside there, you won't mind at all."

Nion just stared at me while I silently cursed Draye. I was set up. Everything from the moment Nion attacked me six days ago was all part of a plan Draye had to find one of my kind. But, through Nion's words, what he did to the Luxray was almost as terrible. Draye knew that this time was approaching and used Nion to find me, leaving him with no choice but to try and fix everything himself. It wasn't like Draye was a bad person, it was just that he had planned everything to the absolute minute. It was a smart plan, he got what he wanted. But as for Nion, I almost felt sorry for him. "So, tomorrow, at the park. It will be our last chance to enjoy fresh air for a while?"

"No." Again, I waited for him to elaborate further. "It will be our last chance at getting some exercise unless your time doesn't come until next week. But there is a balcony overlooking the park in the other room. So, we can sit outside instead of staring out a window, but, that would be it." There was something that Nion wasn't telling me, but I let it go as he had told me more than what I had expected.

I started my stare at Nion once more. After he told me about everything that had happened, and was undoubtedly going to happen, his words of his feelings came back to me. After sharing with me how he too was a victim of the situation, manipulated by Draye in his continued efforts to try and find an Absol, I started to feel that everything, despite how set up they may've been, was almost completely perfect. I didn't mind the idea of having Nion as a mate. He was almost the perfect fit for one at that. But after all this explaining and talk about what was going to happen, I still hadn't told Nion my feelings of him. I still wasn't completely decided, and I was sure that he wasn't going to push me for them, which gave me a sense of security. Like he respected my choice no matter how good, or bad, the answer may be to him. I personally didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I also didn't want to just say it just because he did. But Nion was right in his way of going about everything. He tried to sort everything out before my time came, which also added to the security. Knowing that it wasn't just going to happen all at once, then stop and go back to hating each other once more. He was kind, considerate, intelligent, and had more than a few good reasons to feel just as used as I did. But, all in all, from how he explained it, we didn't have a choice of what was going to happen, the only thing we could control was if it was going to happen again before the next Spring.

Yet for some reason, I couldn't help but look forward to what was going to happen next week or the one after. I didn't mind the idea of mating with Nion. It was something I would almost happily get used to, all I needed was the right time to tell him. Wait. That was it. My mind was set on one answer. After the whole day of remembering and replaying memories and conversations, I had found my answer. The looming thought that everything was going to happen between us was regardless, I didn't care about that. It would be done through instinct only, it would mean nothing. But when Spring had passed and our actions were actually our own again, that would have meaning.

I did love him. It didn't matter how long it took me to admit it, or whether or not I was going to say it today, no, I was going to say it today. I had to. I couldn't leave him to think that nothing was going to work out between us. I had to find a way to let him know before tonight.

* * *

Draye had returned and disappeared into his room after putting the bags of food into cupboards in the kitchen. Unfortunately for me, Draye didn't take Nion into the other room, which would in turn reveal it to me. But knowing what we were going to be doing in there I didn't care anymore. I could assume what I would find but that was the extent of my anticipation. I was going to spend the entire week in there, it couldn't stay that exciting for long... Not with just the items in it anyway.

Night had come, and once more Nion and I were alone in the room. The only difference was that now it was dark. I still hadn't thought of a way to tell Nion how I felt, but I had vowed to before he fell asleep. And I wasn't going to stop following my word anytime soon.

"Well, I was going to show you what was in the other room today." Nion spoke slowly and quietly. Only further indicating his tiredness by yawning after his words.

"It's ok. I don't care anymore."

"But you spent almost the entire week trying to get me to tell you what is inside there..." Nion was obviously confused. Now was a better time than never.

"That's because I know what is going to happen in there either next week or the one after. And knowing that we're going to spend the entirety of next week in there only tells me that it can't remain exciting for that long."

"It's nothing special."

"Look, Nion." He looked at me expectantly, it wasn't often that I started a conversation, but whenever I did he was always interested. Oh well... Here it goes. "I know what next week is all about, but that will mean nothing unless there is something else we can put with it." That's not what I expected.

"What?" Nion questioned me. Damn. I didn't think that would work.

"What I'm trying to say is... Next week won't mean anything to me because it all has no meaning. We are to be driven by instinct, not by our own free will." He continued to look dumbfounded.

"I told you this earlier tod-"

"Let me finish... Please Nion." Although I interrupted him, Nion was quick to stop speaking. "Although it might not mean anything to us in our minds, it might mean something to our bodies. But that is what I don't want. I don't want something like an egg to come from this if we have no feeling for it. And that is what I want to tell you now."

I took a deep breath, and waited for the words to come. I was sure that everything was just going to work out like how Nion had told me.

Silence.

Just say it! Say the words... I opened my mouth to speak again, but again.

Silence.

"Luyo?"

"Yes Nion?"

"What were you going to say?"

Obviously my silence had gotten the better of me. I made a heavy sigh and refocused on what I wanted to say. "Nion I-" Oh forget it...

I stood up and took a step closer to him, letting an image from my mind drive my actions. Nion lifted his head, as if wondering what I was doing. But the moment I came within reach of him, that was when I acted. I pushed my neck forwards so I could reach him and pushed my lips against the soft black fur on the side of his face. It was then that the words came.

"I do love you Nion."