The best stories are the ones you write about yourself…

Mentions of HeartSoulShipping, ComfortShipping, RedemptionShipping, AlexandrianShipping, and BlamikaShipping, but mostly SoulSilverShipping.

Broken

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Lyra is Broken. And if she can't fix herself, she'll never be able to fix anyone else…

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Lyra meets Ethan first. It takes them awhile to become friends but when they do, they click quickly. They are pretty close, and Lyra isn't sure why they had never become friends earlier.

But then…she falls in love with him.

It is a little unexpected. Lyra had her small crushes on a few Gym Leaders and whatnot, typical for a girl her age. But actual feelings for a friend? It startles her.

But she likes it.

Some time later, she shares her feelings with him. Ethan isn't too sure how to react. He does like Lyra, but not entirely the way she likes him. Not wanting to upset her, he agrees to go out with her.

But it doesn't last long. Ethan admits later on that he doesn't feel the same way and that he just wants to stay friends. Lyra is a little heartbroken, but she values her friendship with Ethan and doesn't want to ruin that. She smiles at him.

But she is Broken, and she can't let him go because she loves him too much.

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Before Lyra met Ethan, Ethan was friends with Gym Leader Whitney. Whitney met Ethan on his travels and became infatuated with him. Ethan hadn't noticed the attention, but they became close friends and hung out a lot.

Everyone knows that Whitney is crushing hard on Ethan, but Ethan is completely oblivious. When questioned about it, Whitney completely denies it.

Ethan never pays any attention. Whitney is obnoxious.

But Ethan is Broken, and his mind will not let him accept that Whitney likes him.

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Lyra had heard of Whitney and Ethan's friendship, but never bothers questioning it. What is there to question? They are just friends.

But when Lyra challenges Whitney at her Gym, she tells Lyra about her conversations with Ethan.

"He's told me before that he thinks you're annoying."

Lyra doesn't understand why Ethan would ever say anything like that. She is Ethan's best friend!

Lyra is scared. Is that what Ethan truly thinks about her?

When she confronts him about it, Ethan admits that that was how he first viewed her, but then realized that she wasn't annoying at all once he got to know her. Lyra smiles, glad that he told her the truth and that they are good friends.

But…why had Whitney told her that?

Lyra hears rumors. Rumors that Whitney has a huge crush on Ethan, and that she is jealous of Lyra's friendship with him.

Lyra isn't sure what to think of this. Ethan hasn't seemed to show an interest in Whitney, but that isn't the main problem. From what Whitney told Lyra about Ethan thinking the brunette was annoying, Whitney had seemed to be trying to sabotage their relationship.

Is she really that jealous?

Lyra decides to ask Ethan about what he thinks about Whitney liking him, and what he tells her surprises her.

"Whitney? Oh man, you've got to be joking. She doesn't like me and even if she did, I wouldn't date her!"

And so Lyra doesn't worry about Whitney. What she tried to say to ruin Lyra and Ethan's relationship didn't work, and Lyra continues about her life. Girls would be girls, Lyra supposes.

But she is Broken, and finding out about Whitney's jealousy of her really bothered her.

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Ethan is a mysterious boy. Many times, Lyra walks up to him and asks him if something is wrong. She is special, in that she can read into people very well. She knows when someone chuckles at a joke they don't really think is that funny. She knows when someone is hiding their anger at the world with a smile. She knows when someone is quiet that they really just want someone to notice they are there but don't know how to stand out.

And with Ethan…she knows something is always wrong with him. But he hides it so well, she can never figure it out.

One day, Ethan sits her down and talks to her about how he had once been suicidal. He is pretty closed off, even from his very closest friends. Lyra didn't really expected to learn that deep down, Ethan is actually not the happy child she assumes he is. Sure, he cares about his friends and has a loving family, but even that can't prevent him from feeling the saddest of emotions.

She knows there is more to it, but he never really tells her. He never really tells anyone, and keeps it locked tightly within him.

Because he is Broken, and he is too scared to admit it.

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Lyra really likes Ethan. She wishes many times that they could just be more than friends.

She can't understand why she can't just leave it at them just being friends. Life is simpler that way, right?

But Lyra knows of heartache, in many different ways that she does not understand at this point in time. And she just wants Ethan to tell her he loves her.

She always says it to him.

She tells him she loves him.

And he never says it back.

But it makes sense to her that maybe it will always be this way, so she doesn't entirely fight it.

Deep down, though, she hopes that maybe one day, he will.

Because she is Broken, and she just wants to hear those words from someone she really cares about.

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One day, he says it.

She tells him she loves him.

"…I love you, too."

And before Lyra can really process it, Ethan speeds off down the road.

She smiles. She can't really understand why he chooses now to say it, but she can't be happier. She knows they are closer. Maybe there is hope for her.

But he is Broken, and it only rolled off of his tongue; he didn't really mean it.

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Somewhere, they begin to fall apart.

As Lyra attempts to grow closer to Ethan, he grows more distant. What is going on?

She hears Whitney whispering things to him in the distance. Lyra can't understand what is being said, so she ignores it. She isn't going to let Whitney hurt her.

Lyra tries to question Ethan about his growing distant from her. It scares her. She doesn't want him to leave her side.

"I'm done with you, Lyra."

And with that, he is gone.

Lyra is scared. Ethan has left her side.

Whitney celebrates.

And because she is Broken, she couldn't cope with her feelings, and locked herself in her room forgetting about her Pokémon journey for three months.

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Lyra's mom finally tells her it is time to get out. She is tired of looking at her.

So Lyra goes back out into the Pokémon World, hoping to find Ethan and rekindle her friendship with him. He is still in the Johto region, so she has some time.

But Whitney is still here, too. Lyra ignores her.

Lyra encounters Ethan once more in Mahogany Town. And while he tries his best to forget about her, she can't let him go.

Once Ethan realizes that his friendship with Lyra means a lot to her, he decides to try again.

Because she is Broken, and he can't understand why she's still around.

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They are both at the end of their journey through Johto. It is time for both of them to venture elsewhere. Lyra is to go Kanto, but Ethan has his sights on the Hoenn region.

Even though they will be apart, they will always be friends. At least, Lyra hopes. She still likes him very much, she hates to admit, and she will miss him very much.

But Ethan has been acting differently toward her again. What is up this time?

"I only agreed to be your friend again because I thought we could work things out. But it seems I was wrong."

Lyra blinks at him, her brown eyes beginning to fill with tears. What has she done wrong this time?

She won't find out until later that many of Ethan's friends find his relationship with Lyra to be…off. Is it wrong that Lyra likes Ethan? Does that mean that they can't be friends?

She can never understand why he listens to Whitney. Whitney has always hated that Ethan was closer to Lyra than she is. And somehow, she convinces him to understand that something is very wrong with Lyra and that he shouldn't be friends with such a crazy person.

And with that, Ethan is gone for good, off to the Hoenn region, never to call her again.

And he is Broken, and she will never be able to ask him what's wrong ever again, because he will not tell her and he will not tell anyone else. He is always bound to be like this, and she can't fix him.

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She begins her journey through the Kanto region by herself. She misses Ethan, but for the most part she has moved on.

Lyra meets Silver second. She swears that she has encountered him before, but she doesn't remember.

He is a little closed off, but he seems okay. He doesn't smile much, but he's not mean to her. They become friends.

And she falls for him. She can't help herself.

And she is Broken, and nothing good can come from this.

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She hears that Silver is actually a good friend of Jasmine, who Lyra is pretty close with.

One phone call to her from Lyra, and she can't help but tell her about her feelings for Silver.

That is when Jasmine tells her to be careful for two reasons. The first reason shocks Lyra.

"Silver is best friends with Ethan. They have been for years."

Lyra never knew this. Ethan never mentioned a boy named Silver. Apparently, they are childhood friends.

But Lyra has moved on from Ethan. Silver is her new focus, and he seems like a nice enough guy.

Then Jasmine tells her the second reason.

Silver is Broken, and he has a very indecisive nature that could tear her apart.

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She never confesses her feelings, but Silver figures it out on his own.

Lyra wants to get closer to him. She doesn't know much about him, but she wants to find out everything she can about this boy.

And before she knows it, Silver holds her hand. She blushes.

And they spend a day enjoying the view in a secret area that they discover in Mt. Moon. As the Clefairy come out to greet them and together, they witness the sight of a shooting star. It was a magical night for Lyra, and she is for certain that this is the moment she has been waiting for all her life.

They separate for a time, only to meet up again a few days later in Vermilion City.

And it is there that Silver tells her that he is devoted to someone else and that she shouldn't bother to pursue him.

And she is Broken, torn apart by the thought of being so close to him and letting him fall out of her grip.

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Kris. That is her name.

Lyra knows nothing of this girl, but she finds out that Silver is good friends with her.

Jasmine tells Lyra that she is positive that Kris likes Silver. And if Silver likes her back…

Lyra doesn't let her finish her sentence. She knows exactly what this means. There is no hope for her.

But why has Silver sent her such mixed signals? Is he just toying with her? Maybe he really isn't her friend.

Lyra is determined to get to the bottom of it. She is too close to let him go now.

She is Broken, and she can't see that it is this mistake that she will come to regret.

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Lyra spends a lot of time with Silver after this. It is hard for her to be next to him, knowing that he is with someone else.

She is very hurt, and she feels that Silver could care less. She tries not to cry in front of him, but she expresses her feelings openly.

She is angry. She is sad. She is confused. She is too many different emotions to really know what to do next.

And before she knows it, Silver cries. He breaks down and tells her that he isn't really with Kris and that he could never tell her how he feels.

She wipes his tears and holds him until he stops.

He is Broken, and it is here that she realizes that she has done something that will repeat many more times than she can count.

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That night, Lyra and Silver are invited to board the S.S. Anne for an exclusive party onboard. They go together, Lyra hoping that she can help Silver feel better.

There is a special performance going on in the main room and they sit next to each other and watch the play, smiling and chuckling at all of the silly jokes the performers put on.

And without even thinking about it, Lyra connects her hand with his, and he gives her hand a squeeze. She is not confused by the gesture and just smiles. They remain that way until the performance is over.

And when it is, they decide to walk out to the deck and observe the dark water under the starry sky.

It is there that they share their first kiss, an experience that throws Lyra for a loop and she almost passes out. She asks if it is real and he nods.

She is Broken, and she will not realize that this memory starts something that will not stop, not until it's too late.

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They are together now. Jasmine smiles and is happy for them.

Lyra asks about Jasmine's relationship with Volkner. They only started going out recently, but she says that it is going well.

Lyra doesn't know much about Volkner, but she assumes that he is a pretty nice guy. Jasmine is a very sweet and caring girl. Lyra wishes her the best with Volkner, and Jasmine returns those same wishes with her and Silver.

Lyra can't be any happier. She now has someone that she cares about very much caring for her as well. She is not sure why, but it is something she has always wanted.

But she is Broken, and she forgets the name Kris for a moment.

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Silver begins to act strangely. Lyra isn't sure why, so she questions him about it. He won't tell her. As long as it keeps bothering him, it will bother her as well.

Lyra's next destination is Celadon City. The city is so big, there is no way that she can visit all of the sights and battle the Gym Leader in one day!

So they book a room together at the Celadon Hotel. There are two beds in the room, but they only need one.

It is the first night that Lyra gets to sleep next to someone she truly loves. When she turns the lights off and hops in the bed, she snuggles warmly into his arms. Not used to lying in someone's arms, it takes her awhile to get to sleep but she manages. She is too happy to care.

Then she whispers to him that she loves him.

And he whispers back.

"I love you, too."

He kisses her, and she is positive that she has died and gone to heaven.

But she is Broken, and she will later think that she has died and gone to hell.

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Kris calls him. Lyra doesn't panic, but she wonders what they will talk about.

Lyra and Silver separate for the day to do their own thing. Lyra spends a few hours at the department store, while Silver struggles to enter Erika's Gym since they apparently only allow women in.

Lyra returns to the hotel late by herself, not sure when Silver will return. And when he does, he looks exhausted.

Lyra offers to hug him, but he backs away in a panic. She is confused by the gesture, and he cries.

And he admits that he still has feelings for Kris. And he now knows for sure that Kris likes him back.

He is Broken, and she begins to remember Jasmine's warning.

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Silver tries to break up with Lyra. He has chosen Kris over her.

Lyra doesn't take to this well. Silver chose Kris first, so it is obvious that he doesn't want Lyra.

When Lyra questions Silver, he admits that he isn't really sure if he was ever in love with Lyra in the first place.

Lyra begins to cry, but the emotion she is feeling is pure anger. So Silver was just toying with her all along.

She pulls out a knife from the cabinet. She threatens to hurt herself with it, because it is not Silver she is mad at but herself for falling for his trick. Silver dives to take the knife out of her hand, but misses. Lyra threatens to stab Silver with it if he doesn't leave.

But Silver is not going to leave her all alone to hurt herself. He cares about her too much, but Lyra doesn't realize this.

Lyra just can't stand to be heartbroken again. No one can ever love someone like her. And just when she thinks she has found someone who loves her the same, she discovers she is wrong.

Silver finds an opening when she is distracted and kicks the knife out of her hand. It lands onto the floor and before Lyra can rush to pick it up, Silver grabs her and throws her onto the bed. Lyra struggles to get up, but Silver is holding her tightly. He can't bear to let her go, to watch as she hurts herself and knowing it was all his fault. He doesn't want to hurt her feelings and he tells her that whether he loves her as his boyfriend or not, he will always love her in the way that he cares very deeply for her. He refuses to let her go, and is willing to fall asleep holding her like this if he has to.

Lyra cries, and she cries so much she grows weary and falls asleep in his arms. Silver is relieved and finally closes his tired eyes as well, still not releasing her from his grip.

He is Broken, and he knows what it feels like to be in her position, to love someone that doesn't love you back.

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Silver admits to Kris that he has broken up with Lyra, but she is troubled by his relationship with Lyra. Kris doesn't actually believe that Silver is over Lyra.

Silver tells her that he never truly loved her in the first place and Kris gets upset.

"Why did you go out with her then?"

And Silver stops. He knows why he did it. And when Kris hangs up the phone angrily on him, he admits the truth to Lyra.

He fell in love with Jasmine awhile back, but she could never return his feelings. Silver couldn't turn away from her until very recently when she began dating Volkner. Once that happened, Silver had given up on her and realized his feelings for a girl who had liked him all along. Kris.

But then he met Lyra, and she fell for him. And she had the courage to admit her feelings for him when he and Kris couldn't tell one another.

Silver was stuck. He didn't want to make Lyra hurt like he had. So he agreed to stay with her.

And it was at this cost that he now lost Kris. She couldn't possibly understand Silver's decision to do this, and now she was mad at him.

Lyra stares in complete shock at him. He had done all of this…for her? And now that he has done this…

Silver says it would be completely understandable if he lost Lyra, too. Because in the end, he had ended up hurting her anyway.

But Lyra doesn't turn away. She doesn't hate Silver and she isn't even angry. Instead, she just hugs him. She tells him she won't leave him.

And he promises her the same.

"I love you, Lyra."

And she sadly believes it.

Because she is Broken, and she feels that she needs him.

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Lyra knows that Silver is troubled.

He hides it very well, but she can see a side of him that not even his closest of friends know about.

Silver knows that Lyra is troubled as well, and this shocks her.

"Are we similar?"

Lyra blinks at his question.

He begins to explain that his father is never pleased by anything he does. He can do everything right, but his father will always find something to degrade him for. His father never seems happy with him.

Lyra learns that he is very troubled, but he is a caring person. He gave up his own happiness for her, because he feels that the happiness of others are more important than his own.

Lyra admires his caring nature. He treats her very kindly and cares very deeply for her.

But he is…what was the word?

Lyra opens her mouth and begins telling her story.

He is Broken, and she is surprised to find similarities.

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Lyra's mother raised her, but she didn't bat much of an eye at Lyra.

Lyra had always tried to please her, but her mother never paid much attention to it. Up until leaving for her journey, she didn't give up.

It never worked.

Once she left her house for her journey through Johto, it took Lyra until Violet City to realize that her mother had never called her once to ask how she was doing. Lyra acted like she didn't care, but deep down it had really upset her.

When Lyra reached Goldenrod City several weeks later, her mother sent her a text asking her what was going on. When Lyra happily responded that she was in Goldenrod City, she wondered if her mother was going to ask her to buy something for her from the department store.

She never replied back.

Lyra acted like she wasn't hurt by it. She allowed herself to make as many friends as possible on her journey, and console in them when she needed to. Besides Whitney and Clair, she had gotten close with each of the Gym Leaders and even that mysterious Eusine man.

But deep down, she just wanted to be accepted by her mother.

It took until Pryce to sadly tell her that her mother would probably always be that way and that Lyra was probably never going to get approval from her.

She is Broken, and he realizes that she really needs him because she has no one else.

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Winter approaches and Lyra has just obtained her fifth badge from Janine.

Her and Silver have spent everyday together, Silver never wanting to leave her side. He loves seeing her happy and she has admitted that Silver practically is her happiness. She loves the fact that she has someone to journey with and is glad she never has to be alone again.

They take their time with their trip from Fuchsia City to Saffron City. Winter passes and they reach Lavender Town again in early Spring.

Silver's father calls. He wonders what his son is doing and when he explains that he is venturing with Lyra, his father is disappointed. He orders him to come home immediately.

So Silver leaves, with the promise of returning to Lyra as soon as possible. He tells her to take the trip to Saffron without him.

She is Broken, and she never noticed that this was when things would begin to fall apart.

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She makes it to Saffron in less than a day.

She takes no time making her way through Sabrina's Gym and when she approached Sabrina, Sabrina tells her something that she won't understand until maybe it is too late to realize.

"You have a troubling past and until you fix it, you shall continue to have a troubling future."

Lyra can't get those words out of her mind, even after defeating Sabrina. She spends the next day roaming the streets of Saffron City, finding various shops and restaurants and even a strange man who gives her the Technical Machine for Psychic.

It is then that she runs into Silver on the street. She gasps, not understanding why he is here. When she approaches him she wants to be glad to see him, but he just looks so…sad.

"I'm sorry, Lyra, but…we just can't be together anymore."

And with that, he walks away and she is sure he walks into the biggest building in all of Saffron City and maybe even the entire Kanto region. But Lyra can't bother to follow him. Instead, she falls to her knees in the middle of the road and lets the tears run freely down her cheeks.

And she is Broken, so this nearly destroys her.

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Lyra obtains her seventh badge from Blaine.

It has been a few weeks since she has seen Silver. She almost can't bear to make it to the last and final Gym without being able to celebrate with him. It is heartbreaking; she cries many times and contemplates other things…

But she sees him again in Viridian City. He is gazing at the Gym and turns around when he hears Lyra call his name.

"Lyra."

He speaks in a sad tone and Lyra flinches. Her eyes begin to water, but she does her best to hold them back. He continues.

"You hurt me, Lyra."

This doesn't make sense to her. She…hurt him? How? Why? What is he talking about?

"I can't do this anymore. It's time for us to end this for good."

Lyra can see everything begin to fall apart before her. Her friendship with Silver, her relationship with Silver, everything about Silver, all going to waste.

Lyra bugs him to tell her why he has chosen to do this.

"Because many people have proven to me what you have done."

What? Lyra begins to get angry. This has already happened before; it was called Her Friendship with Ethan. She clenches her fists and does her best not to yell at him.

"And you tore Kris and I apart."

This is when Lyra's blood begins to boil. He really has the nerve to being her name up again. And since when was it Lyra's fault? Is everything just her fault?

"Goodbye, Lyra."

She lets him walk away again, because she knows that if he says anything else, she will potentially hurt him.

Lyra glances at the Gym and chooses not to challenge the Leader.

And she is Broken, and she's not going to let him get away.

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For months that she can hardly keep track of, she thinks up the best argument possible against Silver. She knows that the wrong people got to him and she is not going to let him slip away like Ethan had.

In the meantime, she neglects her journey and refuses to challenge the last Gym until she can get Silver back.

And she finally meets him again in Vermilion City. He doesn't want to talk to her, but she chases after him and finally blocks his path.

"Lyra, I said I was done with—"

She yells at him as loud as she can, not letting him say anything else. She asks him what his deal is and why he has chosen to just end their friendship/relationship like it was nothing.

And it is an answer she hadn't been prepared for.

"Because I never really loved you, Lyra. And I just want this to be over with."

As he begins to tear up, Lyra can't possibly find anything to say. She is angry and has been for months. This has all built up over time and now that she is here, she is determined to get to the bottom of everything.

But with Silver crying in front of her, the only thing she wants to do is hug him. Her hands twitch, but she doesn't dare reach out for him.

She can't.

Silver says one last thing before turning around and walking off.

"Can't we just leave it in the past?"

Lyra stands there feeling ashamed and hurt. Everything that she had wanted to yell at him for stopped the second Silver began to cry. Lyra can't believe she just didn't let him have it. He has hurt her, but she couldn't do anything back. For the first time since she had last seen Silver, she cries. Cries and cries and cries and cries, just wishing she could fall into a black hole and end everything.

Because she is Broken, and she hates to admit that she still loves him.

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It has been a month she last spoke to him.

Today is the one-year anniversary of when their relationship had started. She sits atop Mt. Moon. The Clefairy aren't normally out on this day, but they sit around her as she gazes at the moon.

Lyra hasn't cried since that day. She keeps her feelings locked tight in the vault of her heart. She wants to say that she is strong, but she can't move on. She still hasn't challenged Green for her last Gym badge. And who knows when she will.

She thinks of Silver and Ethan and Whitney and Kris and Jasmine and Volkner and Eusine and Morty and Erika and Bugsy and Misty and anyone else she has ever met that she has been close to. She debates what she should do next, but her mind still goes back to Silver. She swings her legs on the large stump she is sitting on while the Clefairy dance around. She thinks that they know she is sad and chuckles at the thought of them just trying to make her feel better.

Lyra sits there for hours, just thinking. About everything. All of it, from when she first met Ethan to when she last spoke to Silver. She begins to notice many similarities. But also many differences between both situations.

But there is one similarity that sticks out more than anything else, not in the situations per se, but the people involved.

Lyra is Broken. Ethan is Broken. Silver is Broken.

Maybe from the beginning all the relationships were doomed to fail. Lyra didn't realize this before, because she only wants to be happy. She had grown up in a broken home, which shaped the kind of person she is today. She knows that Ethan and Silver have very good lives, but for some reason they both appear to think very poorly about themselves and focus on making others happy over themselves.

Lyra knows this fact. She has known that from the start and she has always wanted to be the person to fix them, to let them know that they are better than that. But Ethan never talked and Silver was convinced that Lyra was hurting him on purpose just so she could try to repair him.

Lyra hops off of the stump and decides to lay down in the meadow, the bright light of the moon shining down on her. She notices the Clefairy crowding next to her and laying down beside her. She closes her eyes and sees Silver behind her eyelids.

She reaches out to him, but he is turning around and walking away until the darkness finally envelops him. She opens her eyes, tears streaming down. She quickly wipes them away, but they just keep coming.

She is not sure if Ethan will ever come back, but she has hope in Silver. She knows that Ethan can stand on his own if he wants to, but knows that Silver is always in need of someone in order to feel important. She thinks that if she can let him know that all of this is a misunderstanding, maybe he will come back.

Lyra closes her eyes again and turns on her side, letting herself fall asleep. She dreams of Silver coming back to her and holding her, telling her he is sorry for all that he has done to her. Lyra doesn't smile, because she knows that she is dreaming and that when she wakes up he won't really be there.

But she is determined to get him back.

And while Lyra and Silver are Broken, she will probably not give up and he will probably not stop running from her. Maybe they are bound to be stuck in this mess forever, but only the two of them can determine that. They are two mentally disturbed people who thought that at one point they could save one another, but that has failed miserably. Maybe she can reach out to him and maybe he'll listen, but only time will tell.

But as long as Lyra and Silver are Broken, if they can't fix themselves, they'll never be able to fix anyone else…