Hey there! This is my first Fanfiction, well the first I publish on this site and also the first English one. *duck* Yes, my native language is not English _ I still hope you can enjoy this little one shot :)
In that story, Serena and Ash are around 14 or 15 years old. Oh and reviews would be great! ^/^ I actually plan on making an AMV about that story - this will be published on my youtube account: KanameXSisters.

Anyway, have fun reading!

"Satoshi? From now on, we'll always be travelling together, right?"
"What are you saying? Don't ask something obvious like that."

Obvious, huh? A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

Absent-mindedly, Serena continued brushing her Fennekin's fur as she looked up into the night sky, reminiscing about those sweet, old times.
Because old they were – well, roughly a year had passed since she'd met Satoshi in Santalune City again.

Together with Citron and Eureka, the four of them had been through so much that it was almost impossible to count. Gym battles, Tripokalons, Team Rocket and especially Team Flare, the Kalos League, the final Performer Round… she could go on and on.
The past couple of days leading up to this night had been everything but dull.

"He did it," Serena whispered.
Yeah. After all this time, he could finally make his dream come true. Satoshi.
She laughed, but it felt more painful than anything.

"He did it," she then repeated with the same scratchy voice and her hand lingered on Fokko's tail, no longer moving the brush. "He beat Cynthia yesterday. He became a Pokemon Master. I'm… I'm so happy for him."

Fennekin licked her hand. "Fen?"

"It's okay." A wide smile plastered across her face, Serena let her gaze wander to the endless sea in front of her and watched the waves caress her bare feet.
She was sitting alone here in the middle of the night – no-one else around but her Pokemon, the beach, the sea, the stars.

"Satoshi was truly amazing out there. Just how he mega evolved his Lucario in the end… it was such a breath-taking battle. But I knew that he was going to win and achieve his goal. I knew it from the start."
She paused for a moment. "I never believed I would make it, though. It's so… weird to think I'm the Kalos Queen now. We've surely come a long way, haven't we?"

A happy bark was the answer.
"Fennekin! Fen! Fenne- Fen?"

The tears were flowing freely now, one by one dropping onto the fox's fur, followed by muffled apologies. "I-I'm sorry, Fennekin. I try to be… I really tried not to…"

Serena sniffed, attempting to swallow down another cascade of tears, but it soon proved to be a completely fruitless endeavour. "I just c-can't bear the thought of losing him."
His words were still echoing in the back of her mind, words he had spoken yesterday – and in a way, she had seen them coming, she had known their journey wasn't meant for eternity after all.

"I'm not done yet! There are still so many new places and Pokemon to see, so obviously, I can't miss that chance! First, I'll go back to Kanto, get ready and stuff and then, I'll head to the Alios Region!"

This was good-bye. Satoshi would leave tomorrow and there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. Part of her had hoped he'd at least be in Kalos a little longer after becoming the champ, but then he found out about the new region and yes… Arceus knows, there was no stopping him.

Serena swallowed hard.

Even if she had the guts to beg him to stay or take her with him, she still had her own duties to deal with. For example, she was supposed to attend another photo shooting this week now that she was the new Kalos Queen, a position strongly tied to this region alone.
Alright, she wasn't going to lie: She would give up this job the second Satoshi asked her to, but he'd never do that.

How could her love ever stand a chance then? Not that it had a chance to begin with. After a whole year of travelling together, she still hadn't told him about her feelings. Starting from tomorrow evening, he would never know how much he meant to her, to that girl who'd had a crush on him ever since Professor Oak's summer camp.

"Why am I such a coward?"

With shaking hands, she held Fennekin closer whilst curling up into a ball and waiting for her tears to dry.

In the meantime, another Pokemon trainer couldn't find any sleep, either. He tossed and turned in bed, but no matter what he did, he stayed wide awake.

Pikachu was already asleep, lying by his side and even Citron's soft snoring could be heard from the bed next to Satoshi's.

"Damn, what's wrong with me?" Frustrated, the young man sat up and ran a hand through his messy hair. "It's not like that's the first time I'll have to say good-bye to my friends. And besides, I'm sure we'll meet again someday."

He lowered his voice to a whisper, "So why am I so worked up inside?"

Satoshi let out a sigh. Serena, Citron, Eureka… they were all very good friends. Over the past year, they'd certainly grown close and of course he was going to miss them, but still… hadn't it been the same with Kasumi, Haruka, Hikari and all of his other friends?
It was sad that their ways would part, sure, and nevertheless he'd always been the optimistic type of person, looking forward to his new upcoming adventures.

Furthermore, he had finally won a Pokemon league! This alone should be the most consoling thing ever in this matter.
Except, it wasn't.

The day before, he hadn't been able to stop celebrating his victory. When Professor Oak asked him to explore a brand-new region, he had jumped at that chance, assuring that he would be in Kanto as soon as possible.

So… just why? Satoshi clenched his hands into fists. Just why did the thought of leaving tear him up inside?

"Okay, it's fine. Calm down," he mumbled to himself, deciding to mentally go through the good-byes to make them seem not so frightening anymore.

'Citron, I'm really glad I met you. I'll never forget our Gym battle, it was awesome! And I sure hope you'll become a famous scientist one day! Take care!'
Yup, something like that. Next to…

'Eureka, I wish you all the best in the world once you become a Pokemon trainer! Keep taking such good care of Dedenne and don't tease your brother, okay? Pikachu's saying bye, too.'

An amused smile graced his lips as he imagined Eureka squeezing Pikachu too tight, which would lead to an electrifying experience just like the day when they'd first met.

'Serena… congratulations on becoming the Kalos Queen! I knew you could do it. Thank you for the great time together -'

No, this didn't sound right.
Satoshi squinted.
She didn't deserve such a cliché good-bye; this just wasn't how he wanted to…

His stomach turned, making him feel sick all of a sudden.
Somehow, it was not really the idea of leaving this region or all of his friends which kept him wide awake.

It was the idea of leaving Serena. Serena alone.

Seconds, maybe minutes passed, he wasn't sure.
All he knew was that he felt more confused than ever before.

Why would he think about Serena like that? Like she was someone special among his other friends?

He liked travelling with her, talking to her, looking at her – Well, simply because she happened to be a pretty girl, not like he was checking her out or something.
Her Fennekin outfit or the dress she had worn at the final Performer Round, though… let's just say he'd been impressed.
He felt his cheeks burn up when he remembered and quickly shook it off. Seriously, what was he thinking?

Unfortunately, none of his pondering helped him find an answer. Every time he thought of Serena, his heartbeat fastened for whatever reason.
In the end, he couldn't help but get up and tip-toe out of the room in hopes that seeing Serena would give him some peace of mind.

When he quietly opened the door to her and Eureka's room, however, she was nowhere to be found.

The next thing he knew, he was running out of the Pokemon Center in his pyjamas and started looking for his female companion.
Fear clutched at his heart. What if she had been kidnapped? What if she -
His train of thought was cut short by soft sobbing sounds coming from the beach.

"Serena!" Satoshi called out and ran in said direction.
And there she was, sitting in the sand with wet feet, no hat and Fennekin on her lap.
Her head jerked up.

The words Satoshi wanted to say caught in his throat when he saw her face. Even in the darkness, only brightened up by the light-house and the Pokemon Center (Joy had a night shift), he could tell she was crying.

"S-Satoshi!" Serena squeaked and jumped up, dusting off her pyjamas. Fennekin hopped onto the ground. "W-What are you doing here?"

It took Satoshi a moment to answer. "I could ask you the same question."

She laughed. "Oh, um, I just couldn't sleep, so I came here. Don't worry."

Strangely enough, this made him worry only more. Without thinking, Satoshi laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Serena," he replied urgently. "Why are you crying?"

"C-Crying?" Her voice broke. "I-I'm not crying. What makes you think that?"

She was obviously lying, even he could hear that. But why? He couldn't bear to see her like that. Serena never cried unless there was a good reason for it.
His chest tightened. "What happened? Please tell me! Is it about Fennekin?"

"No," she whispered, her head hung low. "No, it's…"

And then she wrapped her arms around him, leaving him completely stunned.
It must really be something terrible if she went so far as to cling to him for support, right? He swallowed, trying to fight back the blush spreading across his cheeks. This was not the time to… whatever.

"Serena, what's wrong?"
Hesitantly, he hugged her back.

At first, she didn't answer and all he could see was Fennekin looking at him with a sad face as though it was counting on him to cheer up its trainer.

Then Serena's soft voice cut through the night. "Satoshi, I just… I don't want you to leave."

This is… about me? He thought and struggled for words. "You… I… I'm sorry, Serena. I know it's hard to say good-bye. I'll miss you, too."

She stirred in his arms. "You don't understand. It's… particularly hard for me because…"

Confused, Satoshi waited for her to finish her sentence, but she didn't go on. Not that she needed to. It seemed that they both had thoroughly enjoyed their time together.

A sad smile formed on his lips. "Alright, Serena. I'm touched you like me that much. You have become one of my best friends as well. I really-"

"Satoshi!" she suddenly interrupted him. With a desperate sigh, she pulled back and looked him straight in the eye. "I like you more than a friend. In fact, I'm in love with you!"

"In… love?" Everything seemed to stand still at that very moment. Satoshi's mouth hung open, his arms dropped to his sides as though every last ounce of strength had left him.

He wasn't sure at all how to take this in, how to feel about Serena's confession. At first, he thought of a misunderstanding, but the way she'd said it left no room for speculation.

She loved him.
Not like two friends care for each other. No, she loved him like a woman loves a man and the other way around and… so on.

He had never thought about getting a girlfriend or falling in love; his mind had always been set on Pokemon and battles. Even so, he couldn't deny the back flips his stomach was taking when he heard Serena's confession.
He felt… all giddy inside. His heart was beating so loud that he was actually afraid she might notice it.

"I'm sorry…" he heard her continue quietly. "… this comes so sudden. I don't mean to burden you. I have no right to hold you back. But… at least, I'm glad you know how I feel before you… leave."

When she smiled at him, more and more tears were streaming down her face and he knew she was trying her best to keep it together.

What Satoshi didn't know was how he – who didn't have a clue about love and anything related to it - gathered the courage to stroke her cheek as gently as he could and then pull her into a tight embrace.
It seemed as though his body was acting on its own as he inhaled the sweet scent of her hair and closed his eyes.

All of a sudden, the words came naturally.
"I'm not going anywhere."

Both of them flinched in surprise. Serena lifted her gaze, staring at him with widened eyes. "Do you mean it?"

"Yes. I'll stay here for a while and uh, we can celebrate both our victories some more."

Her face fell. "I see. And after that, you'll leave."

He scratched his cheek. "Uh, no. Actually.. When I leave, I hope you'll come with me. I kinda… need you around, you know?"

In the back of his mind, part of Satoshi started panicking. 'Hang on a second, what am I doing? I've already got a plane ticket for tomorrow, I told Mum I was coming, I have to go to that new region Professor Oak keeps talking about!'

But as he saw the most beautiful girl give him the most heart-warming smile in the world, he knew he had done the right thing.

I don't want to let go of her. She feels so close to me.
No-one has ever made me feel this way.
If this is love, I hope it never ends.