Hello all! It's been a long time since I last did a shipping related fiction, so I decided that with the holiday season and my upcoming Red vs Leaf rewrite The First Warriors, now would be a perfect time to shed some light on the love of two of my biggest characters: Red and Leaf. I hope you enjoy having a glance into their lives

Chapter One: Arrival

High in the mountains on the very border of Kanto, there is a single house.

Those passing by would be rather surprised to see this house there, as there doesn't appear to be anything for miles. It is halfway up a mountain with no clear way of access asides from two balconies on different levels. They would also be surprised as the building was considerably modern, compared to a lot of other houses in the neighbouring Viridian City. Sleek reflective glass doors and sturdy, intimidating looking concrete made the house look stylish but significant at the same time, almost blending into the rock so much that you wouldn't even think it was there.

Of course, this had been part of the Indigo League's plan when they had the house constructed.

At the very foot of the mountain rested the prestigious, the original, the legendary Indigo Plateau. This sprawling complex had been the key of the entire world's Pokemon Leagues for years before each region developed their own league, complex and tournament, yet it still remained the best. It consisted of five small stadiums spread out in a pentagon around the complex, all of which were used during the Indigo League when trainers from all around Kanto came to test their skills. There were two Pokemon Centers in between these stadiums, though they were about three times the size of a normal center as they had to house all the trainers and spectators, heal their Pokemon and provide them with food.

But the main part of the complex was all in the very middle. One part of this was a low rising building that was a piece of state of the art architecture, decorated beautiful and the length of about two airport runways, the center of the Kanto Elite Four and registration offices for tournaments.

Than there was the stadium.

All five stadiums could fit into this one and there would still be some room left over: the height of a five storey building, with seating for ten thousand plus people, all looking down to the central battle field. This was where the Champion battled. This was where trainers came to see if it had all been worth, and for the Champion to see if they could still claim rights to their title. This was where wars were fought between trainers and their Pokemon, all building up to see if they had what it takes.

The strange modern house belonged to the Champion. They use to have a two storey house in the heart of the complex, but it was always getting damaged during the league tournaments and it was too public, allowing the press to harass the champion. The Indigo League Committee needed to do something about it, and decided to move the Champion's House to the mountains, with a complex security system that had to be passed through to gain access to it. Only a few people were allowed into this luxurious and highly secretive building, and those who made their way there were bound to be blown away…

"Oh… my… god…"

Red couldn't help but laugh as he closed the front door behind him. It had been two years since he moved into the Champion's House, but it was the first time Leaf had been allowed access to the building. It had taken a lot of arm pulling and long discussions to allow her, who most of the League Committee saw as irrelevant, access to the house, but after recent events overseas and being officially appointed gym leader of Viridian City, Leaf Oak had been allowed in, just in time for New Year's.

She now stood in the middle of the open first floor, spinning around and taking it all in. The house had everything and was constantly being updated to please the champion: a kitchen that sparkled with all the metal appliances and table tops it had, oak cupboard doors that matched the dining table big enough to sit about thirty people, cluttered desks covered with papers and computers, a Pinball machine in the corner, and three leather couches pointed towards a plasma TV. The walls were painted a blue grey and the floors were dark wood. It had the air of being very modern and flash, and Leaf couldn't help but spin around in delight.

"This house is so awesome!" She cried, turning to face Red and dumping a travelling bag and handbag on one of the couches. "I can't believe you get to live here! Though," Leaf added, pausing in her excitement, "you haven't done much decorating though, have you?" Red laughed again as he walked forwards and flopped down on a couch.

"That's why I've got you, isn't it?" He teased. Leaf was in a bit of a designing mode after changing things around at the Viridian Gym, and had been bothering Professor Oak, her grandfather, for weeks about redecorating his lab. Red's walls were very bare though, and he had been meaning to get decorating done but hadn't quite gotten around to it.

"Can I see the rest of the house?" Leaf asked excitedly, moving into the kitchen and opening the fridge and cupboards. "And maybe we should go shopping as well…"

"There isn't much to see," Red said, repositioning himself in order to face her. "There is a bathroom down the hall here and a room I haven't really found a use for yet, than there is the training facility on the next floor up, a recreational area below us, and than my room and bathroom, two other rooms and another bathroom are on the top floor."

"Is there a staircase?" Leaf asked, but Red shook his head. In order to simply get through the front door, the two had to go down a secret staircase accessed from his office at the Champion's Stadium, move along a long, empty tunnel, go up a staircase and then enter the lift that moved around the house. It was better than a staircase, as someone would notice if someone was trying to break in and the power could easily be cut. Leaf, however, found it all a nuisance.

"My legs hurt after all that walking!" She moaned. "I thought all the time spent walking had stopped!" Red laughed again as Leaf wandered over, taking off her long lime green winter coat as she walked, revealing a slight change in her usual outfit: a long blue sweater that kept her body warm and a longer red dress that wasn't much warmer but still made her look stylish. Red kept her red and white jacket on, but moved aside so Leaf could sit down.

In an instant their jovial mood disappeared, being replaced by a heavy dollop of awkwardness. Things had been tense between the two for some time. There was obvious affection between them, and they had kissed several times over the course of their journeying together, but they had never gotten a chance to build up from it. The press had labelled Leaf 'the Champion's first love' within the first fortnight of his reign, which hadn't helped things along, and neither had the sudden death of Leaf's cousin and Red's best friend Blue, which had driven them apart for some time. But sitting here together, so close on the same couch, was something different. Neither of them quite knew what to say or what to do, and they sat there in silence, hands resting awkwardly at their sides.

"So…. this New Year's festival, how's that going?" Leaf asked, trying to break the tension. Red had arranged a special festival throughout the Indigo League Complex, complete with stalls, food, a battle tournament and, of course, fireworks.

"Oh that! Yeah, it's going really well, I think it'll be a hit," Red said, coming across as a bit over enthusiastic as a smile spread across his face.

"That's really great! It could even become annual," Leaf added with equal enthusiasm.

"Yeah, totally…," Red said, still smiling and nodding, though he wasn't quite sure what for. The conversation was effectively killed, and the two went back to being awkward tense, listening to a clock, the only thing Red had hanging on his walls, tick loudly behind them.

"Maybe I should move my bag to a room and then we can check things out?" Leaf suggested, and Red nodded, leaping to his feet a bit too quickly and grabbed her stuff.

"I know the way," he blurted in an attempt to cover up, and Leaf simply nodded, getting to her feet and following behind as they headed back to the lift. Both of them wanted to move on and see where their relationship could take them, but they had put it off for so long that neither of them knew really how to move things along without seeming forced or stuffing things up. They smiled at each other as the lift doors opened, but as both of them stepped in, they couldn't help but wonder where things would take them.

Sorry if this part seemed a little rush, but the next chapters will expand on their individual feelings much better.