The cool sea air was gradually beginning to be replaced by a warmer, drier one... The desert was near. The brunet noticed it very quickly.

From then, his insides tightened more and more, forming only a heavy knot in his lower abdomen. He was worried sick for his friend/crush, and it showed in his body language.

- (Little Amethyst...Calm down, everything will be fine...)

- I know, my dear. I know....But...I-I...I can't help it...! I-It's the first time my heart has raced so much in such a...Painful way.

He placed one of his hands over his cardiac muscle, which was pulsing so hard the boy thought it was about to burst out of his ribcage. The Ranger then made a face before wrapping his body with his arms, trying to reassure himself.

-...It hurts. It hurts so bad....Haha...Who knew love could be so painful...?

The teenager gasped softly out of breath. He was on the verge of tears, except he was desperately trying to hold them back and stay strong.

The Staraptor then stopped in mid-air, hovering. As she ignored her partner's surprise and confusion, soft chirps came out her throat.

- F-Fischl...?

- (Shh...~ It's alright, Kell, it's alright...You can let go now. It's only the two of us here.)

The teal-eyed one blinked softly in confusion.

- E-Excuse me...?

- (You can cry as much as you want to. It will do you good...)

- I'm fine...! I-I just need 2 minutes...

The bird shook her head gently, interrupting the young boy.

- (Kellyn. You said it yourself didn't you? "You cry because you stayed strong for too long"....Remember?)

- B-But-

- (No "But". I know what you're thinking, and no you're not a crybaby. You're just a sensitive kid growing up trying to deal with feelings he doesn't understand.)

The Flying-Type sighed slightly, reassured by the fact that the human was no longer trying to contradict her.

- (So let go for this time, okay? You have the right to cry too.)

It wasn't long before the brunet's body was shaking with erratic spasms. Fischl then felt her friend curl into a ball against her back, while he was trying somehow to contain the sounds coming out of his mouth.

The gray plumage began to become wet as the tears flowed... But the Staraptor didn't hold it against him, leaving the teenager to pour out his pain without any restraint.

Several long minutes passed like this, the silence only disturbed by the sobs of Kellyn, whose emotional stability returned slowly but surely.

-...Ha....Ha....

- (...You feel better?)

- Yeah....Thanks. And...Sorry again...

- ( For what? For being a living being with functional emotions?)

The boy instantly fell silent, looking away.

- (That's what I thought. Now stop apologizing for something normal, ok?)

-...Yes Mom.

The bird chuckled while giving a satisfied smile.

- ( Good boy.)

She felt the brunet rub his head against her neck, most likely very embarrassed. However, she knew he was feeling better and was smiling despite his embarrassment.

- (Well... How about we go get your Sun? We've been keeping him waiting for too long, right?)

The boy chuckled softly before straightening up, his gaze determined despite his emotional fatigue.

- Yeah...Let's go!

The bird grinned at her partner.

- (So, hang on!)

The two then quickly resumed their journey, flying at full speed through the pure blue sky....

- H-Hum...Is it normal for the sky to turn yellow like that....- P-Pouah! W-What is that?!

- (It's called a sandstorm. And to answer your question, no. It's even quite rare that this kind of phenomenon is strong enough to "color" the sky.)

While the Ranger tried to get rid of the sand he had accidentally "ate", the Staraptor scanned the surroundings with her scarlet pupils.

- (Tss...We can't go there by air, too dangerous. Sorry but we'll have to continue on foot, little Amethyst.)

- Except that even on the ground, it will still be complicated to travel....There should be a village normally, right? Let's wait there until the storm calm down.

- (Good idea. Not that we have much of a choice anyway.)

The duo then landed near a dock, where the weather was not too bad.

- Now I understand Sven's warning....You're okay, my dear?

- (I'll get by. But I must admit I was taken by surprise. I knew the weather here was unstable, but not to this extent!)

The boy nodded slowly as he stared at the sandy landscape. The strong wind was blowing the sand in every directions, proving how dangerous it was.

-...Haruba Village should not be far. Let's try to find it quickly, ok?

- ( I follow you.)

Not waiting another second, the Almia duo then began to carefully guide each other through the storm, taking care to shield their faces from the sand.

Fortunately for them, their destination was not far from the dock, allowing them to 1: have a landmark, and also potentially shelter and 2....Find out what was causing the bad weather.

- (....Kell. We agree that these Hippopotas are not in their normal state?)

- /Nope. And I think you hear it too. That familiar sound..../

- (Ah, and I thought I was losing my mind...)

Indeed, on the square of this adorable little village was, I'll give you three guesses... A Gigaremo. Hey, it's been a long time!

- Come closer, come closer! Come and taste our wonderful coffee!

A man and his son were busying themselves around the machine, promoting it's ability to make excellent caffeinated beverages....Excuse me?

- /...Coffee. They're taking this Devil's contraption for a coffee machine. Pinch me I'm dreaming!/

- (Unfortunately not, little Amethyst. I'm afraid this man has the IQ of an oyster....)

- / The one of a rotten oyster, rather!/

The duo then decided to approach, ready to disintegrate the machine. They caught the adult's attention.

- Oh? Would you like some coffee? I know it has an oily aftertaste but it's still excellent!

- / No wonder we have an oily aftertaste! This is NOT a coffee machine!/

Despite the cordial smile displayed by the Top Ranger, a somewhat observant soul could very easily see that he was actually furious.

- / Well...How are we going to do it though? Given the color, we need "Crush". Problem, I haven't seen a Pokemon with this ability around..../

- (Wait, did you say "Crush"?)

- / Yeah? Why?/

- (Let's just say I'm going to cheat a little. Back off.)

Before the boy could even ask her to explain herself, Fischl lifted off the ground. She positioned herself just above the Gigaremo before grabbing it with her talons, and flying high into the sky.

Once a certain height was reached, she made sure there was no one below her, then immediately dropped her load. The latter crashed with a great crash, effectively destroying it.

- /...That works too./

- AAAAAAHHHHH!!! MY MACHINE!!!

The teenager turned his attention again on the merchant who was screaming in panic and confusion. Suddenly, something inside him exploded and he began to scold the adult like never before.

Even if he didn't "talk" in a normal way, his body language easily let everyone know that he was serious. And that paralyzed the father.

When the brunet finally calmed down, he felt lighter and calmer than before. Except that when he saw that the oldest was no longer responding, guilt overwhelmed him. However, he didn't have time to apologize that the child, who was still there, raised his voice.

- I told you it was a bad idea Dad... And a Ranger tore a strip off you again! When will you learn?

Ah, it seems that the son is the voice of reason- Wait a minute.

- "Another Ranger passed by?"

- Yup! He had red, messy hair!

Teal eyes lit up with hope as he knelt beside the child.

- "Do you know where he is now?"

- Um...Probably at the Hippodown Temple. I remember he headed there anyway. It's located deep in the desert, to the north.

- "Oh, thank you very much, little one!"

The brunet ruffled the boy's hair, a big grateful smile on his lips before calling out to his Partner and setting off to explore the desert.

- (Hippodown Temple, huh? Hopefully finding it won't take too long!)

- More reason to speed up.

The bird chuckled softly, knowing.

- (Come on, little Amethyst!~ I know you want to see your Sun again, but rushing will only get you in trouble.)

The teenager blushed furiously, but remained silent. After all, there was no point contradicting her on this subject. So he decided to focus on what was happening in front of him. It would be dumb if he hurted himself stupidly!

Still, the duo crossed the desert the best they could, taking care to not get lost. They spent a good part of the afternoon trying to find the temple, luckily it was not so well hidden.

It was just in the deepest part of the desert, miles away from the village.

- (By Arceus! Finally we found it!)

The boy stared at the facade for a moment before turning his teal gaze skyward.

- Humhum... It's still early. I was afraid that we would arrive at nightfall. It would have been a real pain to explore in the dark...

- (The afternoon is already well advanced so don't expect it to be greeted by daylight once we're done.)

- I prefer traveling at night, than exploring, so...That's fine with me.

The two laughed at their stupidity, then got their seriousness back. By entering the temple, their mission was really going to begin and there was no way they would return without the duo of Fiore and the Yellow Gem.

- Ready Fischl?

The Staraptor cracked her neck slightly while shaking her plumage.

- ( Always.)

The brunet stared at the entrance for a moment before taking a deep breath. He then turned his gaze to his bracelet, and kissed it as usual.

-...Let's go.

And so began the exploration of the Hippodown Temple.

What struck them when they finally saw the inside of the building was the omnipresence of sand and traps of all kinds.

- Wow! It all looks dangerous to me!

- (...I wouldn't be so sure. Look carefully.)

Concentrating, the young Ranger understood what his partner was talking about.

-...They are disarmed. Probably Keith's work.

- (Most likely. In fact, it will probably be easier this time, if he's taken care of everything.)

- Humhum....I hope he's fine....

As the teenager muttered his last words, a familiar little cry was heard.

- { H-Help!!}

- Hmm...? Sapphire?

The boy reached for the Buizel, only for him to flee to the other end of the room.

- Sapphire...?

- { K-Keith...! Help...!!}

The Water-Type ran out of the room completely in a panic, going deeper into the temple. The 2 friends looked at each other, and of a common agreement started to chase the creature.

For a long time Keith's partner guided them through the depths of the building, only stopping to make sure he hadn't lost the duo. They were also able to see that indeed all the traps no longer posed any threat.

They ended up landing in the sanctuary through the huge hole that connected all the floors of the temple. Luckily for Kellyn, the Staraptor had carried him on her back, preventing him from risking his poor legs, as well as his life along the way.

- Sapphire!!! Where are you my dear!?

The brunet shouted the young Buizel's name, but got no response from him.

- But where is he...?

- (Probably in that room over there?)

The teal gaze followed the direction the Flying-type was pointing, the pupils landing on a large entrance leading most likely to the altar.

- Maybe. Let's go check.

The duo therefore headed cautiously towards the last room of the Hippodown Temple, on guard. Within it was, as they believed, the altar upon which lay the coveted Yellow Gem.

...But no trace of Keith or Sapphire.

- What the...?

No matter how much the boy looked around the room, there was nowhere Fiore's duo could hide.

-...Keith!!! Hey, Keith!!!! Where are you!? Answer me, Keith!!!!!!

Kellyn screamed with all his might, but nothing to do, the redhead didn't answer.

The young Ranger felt tears begin to well up in the corner of his eyes, but refused to let himself cry. Fischl then moved closer and gave him a gentle headbutt, her eyes chagrined but filled with hope.

- (It'll be okay Kell...We'll find him, I promise.)

The teenager said nothing, preferring to simply return the Staraptor's affections.

The 2 stayed there, motionless for a few minutes before a bright light called out to them.

- What-

The light grew brighter and brighter until it completely dazzled our duo. A majestic cry then resounded from the depths of this brilliance, making them shudder.

When at last their vision returned, they saw her: tall, majestic and graceful, shrouded in light: Cresselia.

The boy froze when he saw her, but not for the reasons we thought.

...Something was wrong.

- [ You who dare enter this sacred place. Prepare to go through my test. Show me your strength. Show me you're strong enough to survive.]

The brunet stared at the Guardian for a moment until his gaze softened. He slowly opened his arms, not taking his eyes off the creature.

-...Hey. It's okay, you can stop now. You don't have to fight anymore...

The Pokemon's sparkling gaze faltered for a microsecond.

- [....What are you saying, human?]

- You're exhausted. I see it clearly. You are struggling to even stay in the air...We don't want to fight, so please....Let's not fight.

It was true that the Psy-Type was barely keeping herself in the air, as if she was drawing on her last strength in order to keep the intruders away.

Cresselia studied the young Ranger for long minutes, then suddenly she collapsed, her last barriers falling apart.

The brunet immediately ran to the Guardian, his partner closely behind. Instinctively, he put her head on his knees.

- [...Argh....]

- Don't move, everything will be fine...! Everything's alright....

Kellyn then searched inside a medicine bag attached to the Staraptor, a bag whose presence had become mandatory after the accident at Almia Castle. He found a few berries there, which he carefully brought to Cresselia's face.

- Those are berries. They should be able to help you, at least slightly.

The creature hesitated for a moment, before starting to swallow the berries one by one, all under the benevolent gaze of the boy. The latter stroked her neck gently, as if to help her swallow.

- [...I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help.]

- Don't worry. Tell us rather... What happened to you that you ended up in such a state?

The Psy-Type looked away, ashamed.

- [....You are not the first one to come here. Another duo: a boy and a Buizel, entered this sanctuary some time ago...]

The teenager immediately understood, but refrained from pressuring the Pokemon.

- [...They wanted to go through my test. And for hours the battle raged...At the end of which, victory was mine.]

She paused to catch her breath. She took the opportunity to observe the teal gaze changing with surprise and concern.

- [ They had only lost because the boy saved the Buizel from an attack...However, my test was in no way to defeat me. They had to prove to me the strength of the bond that united them.]

Kellyn gasped silently, in no way preventing the proud smile that was beginning to appear on his lips.

- [You have already understood. They had succeeded. The victory was theirs.]

Cresselia was somewhat surprised to see what the boy's aura radiated. She felt something...Something very special. Something warm, pure and luminous at the same time...

- [....Eternal love....]

- Huh?

- [It's nothing....I was just thinking out loud.]

The Guardian chuckled at the confused look on the brunet's face, it also seemed to amuse his partner she observed. Her expression, however, darkened considerably.

- [...When I wanted to give them the Gem, that's when misfortune struck. An entire unit of henchmen had invaded the sanctuary, seeking to seize the jewel...]

A frustrated "Tss" escaped from the back of her throat.

- [...Instinctively I went to protect the artifact with all my might. Except that I realized far too late that it wasn't their main focus: the boy was.]

The young Ranger's face suddenly went pale, while his stomach twisted in many knots. The Pokemon felt a huge wave of guilt wash over her.

- [ Powerless, I witnessed his abduction. Unfortunately, he could not defend himself against them, and found himself taken away by force. I...I don't know where they are right now....]

She paused again, swallowing her inner rage.

- [...I am so sorry. I was unable to help him...May you ever forgive my failure...]

Cresselia glanced at the human's face, and her eyes widened when she saw him smiling. His smile, though sad, held no trace of mischief or anger. His teal pupils reflected nothing but forgiveness and tenderness.

- Don't worry. It's not your fault. No one could have predicted what was going to happen... It was logical to think that they had attacked to take advantage of your state of fatigue and seize the Gem. You only did your duty, and I'm sure Keith doesn't hold it against you.

His soft, calm voice gradually soothed the Lunar Pokemon's raw nerves. She carefully observed the teenager's expressions.

- [...Tell me. This boy...Keith. Is he that important to you?]

The brunet was taken aback by her question, plunging him into a pensive state for a few seconds.

-...Yes. Very important.

- [ More than anything?]

This time, he answered without any hesitation, a big tender smile on his lips:

- He's my world.

The creature gasped slightly in surprise, not expecting such a response from the Ranger. Except that by observing his pupils, she saw only truth and love, and that made her smile.

- [...I see.]

A soothing silence settled, allowing everyone to take in the new informations gained. A few minutes passed before the Guardian straightened up and flew towards the artifact she was supposed to protect.

-...Lady Cresselia...?

The Pokemon did not answer, contenting herself with breaking the barrier surrounding the Yellow Gem and making it float to Kellyn. He looked at the Psy-Type, somewhat hesitantly.

- Are you sure...?

The creature gave him a soft smile.

- [ More than ever.]

Before the boy could even add anything, the Lunar Pokemon disappeared in a burst of light. When the sight of the duo returned, they could only see that they were alone again.

-....Thank you for everything.

The teen cradled the jewel against his chest cautiously, careful not to drop it.

The Staraptor, who had remained in the background for all the interaction, approached her partner and gave him a little peck.

- (Kell...Are you alright?)

- Just...A little tired, surprisingly.

- ( Humhum... Well, we have 1 of our 2 objectives, at least. Now...)

- We need to find Keith and Sapphire.

The bird chuckled, a determined smile on her face.

- (I couldn't have said it better!)

The brunet returned her smile, before standing up. He stretched to rouse his numbed muscles, then finally left the room, closely followed by Fischl.

- Let's go exploring the tem-

The boy was abruptly interrupted by the sound of an approaching helicopter. The duo quickly went off the way, wanting to avoid ending up under the vehicle, while it landed peacefully.

Instinctively, the bird positioned herself in front of the human, her wings spread and her gaze sharp, ready to protect him. Kellyn almost felt like she had doubled in size along the way.

When the vehicle was finally in a stable position, it's door opened, revealing a blond and hefty man. The look of the latter was to say the least...Strange. And that made the teenager even more suspicious than usual.

- So here you are! Me waited you for very long time!

The brunet winced at his bad way of speaking, but still remained silent as death.

- Not talkative, huh? Meh, no important! You fallen into trap! Good imitation of Keith, by good old Heath, huh?

- / No. It was even awful. Speaking of him...GIVE ME BACK, YOU ASSSHOLE!!!!!/

Kellyn's murderous aura returned immediately, but this time a little more mastered. He wasn't going to risk his crush's life after all.

- (Calm down Kellyn. If you start threatening him, who knows what will happen.)

- / I know. I know...!!!/

The teen was barely holding back his rage as he clung to the redhead's image, but that was enough to fool Heath.

- You know, me want one thing...Yellow Stone. Me seeing Ranger kid, thinking "Lucky Day!", him getting stone and me stealing from him! But, him failing to capture Pokemon...

The boy bit his lips, realizing he was referring to the battle between Fiore's duo and Cresselia.

- But, but, but! Me remember very gifted Ranger named Kellyn! And me have plan: using defeated Ranger to attract other Ranger!

The last member of the SinisTrio was making grand gestures with such self-confidence that the youngest would almost forget his monstrous syntax...

- You be here now. And I want stone. Simple exchange! But, don't worry! Me give you something else...Friend Keith!

With a sharp gesture, he pulled the poor 12th Top Ranger who was hidden in the bottom of the helicopter. He was tied, very tightly, to the point that he was struggling to breathe properly. He also emitted a high-pitched complaint when the man grabbed him by the hair.

-....! / Keith! Keith!!/

The young Ranger instinctively took a step towards his friend, but stopped just as abruptly when the adult tugged the red hair even more in return.

- K-K-Kellyn...! D-Don't give him the gem! It's going to be fine...! For pity's sake...!!!

The poor thing looked like he was about to cry, but he stayed strong. This sight enraged the boy as much as possible.

- So? Stone against blueface Kei-

The SinisTrio member didn't have time to finish his sentence when he found himself with the Gem presented to him. The brunet hadn't waited for the other to initiate the exchange, and that surprised both Heath and his hostage.

- Oh, that easy!

The man immediately grabbed the jewel, before smirking at the Ranger who glared at him.

- Me accept exchange: you have friend. Catch!

He then violently threw the crimson-eyed one out of the helicopter, and was quickly caught by his comrade. The latter instantly passed an arm behind his back while the other rested in his hair, more exactly at the exact spot where Heath had manhandled him. And he rubbed the spot tenderly, surely trying to soothe the pain.

- I've got you. I've got you...

The teal-eyed one slowly whispered his words into his friend's ears, wanting to reassure him. Said friend, who gasped in both surprise and relief. However, their attention quickly turned toward the older one.

- Me be in a good mood, so me give you a gift!

He tapped on a Miniremo, most likely also hidden in the back of the device, and immediately a metallic cry rang out: a Magnezone's.

- Good luck!

The vehicle's door slammed shut as it climbed higher and higher, almost knocking the teenagers off balance. The brunet seethed with rage upon seeing Heath escape but abruptly refocused on Keith when the latter emitted a cry of distress.

- S-Sapphire!!!

The boy turned around, immediately understanding the problem; the Steel-Type Pokemon, under hypnosis, was "holding" the poor Buizel who had clearly been manhandled. Now the Ranger understood why he was missing when he and his partner had reached the bottom of the temple!

- Oh no...! Fischl!

- ( No need to say more!)

The Staraptor charged at her opponent, ramming it head-on. The latter lost their concentration, and as a result let go of the orange otter which ended up around the neck of the bird. The latter immediately went off the way, allowing Kellyn to capture it with impressive speed and precision.

Meanwhile, the redhead was speechless. He had just witnessed the powerful duo of Kellyn and Fischl, and couldn't help but admire the scene.

A quick capture later...

- Yosh~ You can go now.

- [ THANKZZZZ A LOT ZZZ!]

As the Pokemon was leaving, the brunet joined his friend before helping him to get rid of the rope which hindered him. When he was finally free, he coughed violently from the sudden arrival of oxygen.

- *cough* *cough*...!!...Thanks Kell...*cough*!

The teen gently rubbed the red-haired boy's back to help calm his cough. Once it stopped, his gaze fell on his partner.

- Sapp....

The older one cautiously picked up the Water-Type in his arms, careful not to shake him too much. The otter subsequently painfully opened his eyes, clearly in a world of pain.

- Oh, I'm so sorry Sapph...So sorry...I caused you a lot of trouble.

- { Don't say...Argh...S-Such idiocy! It's not y-your fault!}

The young Buizel then moved, curling himself as best as he could against the Top Ranger's neck.

- {Come now, great clumsy oaf, it's alright...It's alright...}

Keith bit his lips as he curled himself slightly. Tears pooled in the corners of his eyes, but refused to fall. He then felt a pair of hands land gently on his shoulders, making him look up.

He thus saw his friend, who gave him a soft tender smile.

- You can let go Keith....It's just the 4 of us here...

....A tear fell. Then another. And another one. Until a cascade of tears started rolling down the cheeks of the other teenager who collapsed on the ground.

- I-I...! I'm s-sorry...! S-So, so sorry...!

The redhead was crying his eyes out, completely cracking. He hugged his partner against him, while mumbling things more or less understandable. Almost immediately, he found himself hugged by his comrade who had sat across from him.

The embrace was warm, protective and soft...

- Shh...~ It's gonna be okay...It's gonna be okay....~ Shh...~ It's over now, it's over....Shh...~

- K-Kellyn...! *hic* S-Sorry...Sorrysorrysorry....! Y-You...You shouldn't have given him the G-Gem...! *hic* *hic*...It's my fault...A-All my fault...!

The oldest was seized with enormous guilt, and it showed in his words interrupted by his sobs. He was ashamed of what happened, of putting the whole group in danger, and the world itself in the process.

Slowly, his head was lifted by a slender but warm hand that was caressing his wet cheek affectionately. His crimson gaze was thus plunged into his friend's teal one.

- Eh... If I had to do it again, I would do it again without hesitation. No matter the trade, I'll always choose you. You are much more important...

A few seconds passed before Keith's cries redoubled in intensity. He then began to hug the brunet with all his might, forgetting his partner who luckily had been picked up by the Staraptor along the way. The 11th Top Ranger returned the hug with strength and love, cradling his friend against him.

- I-I...-

- Shh....~ Don't say anything Keith. Don't say anything....Shh...~ Shh...~

For several minutes the two remained in this position, one crying his pain while the other listened and comforted him. Finally, the redhead managed to calm down, certainly because he didn't have the strength to cry anymore.

-....Kell...T-Thank you...

- You're welcome, Scarlet...Let's take care of your injuries, ok?

The two parted reluctantly as Kellyn began searching inside his medecine bag. Before that, he checked the state of Sapphire who was eating a berry given by Fischl. It seemed that she had taken care of him while her partner comforted the crimson-eyed one....That's a relief.

He then looked for bandages as well as balms, because upon examining his friend more closely, he had noticed bruises as well as slight burns due to the friction of the rope.

- Can you hold out your arms for me please?

The other complied in silence, leaving his comrade to do as he wished. The latter carefully and delicately applied the medicine before wrapping the "burnt" parts in bandages.

-...Sorry. I...I failed. I couldn't complete the mission...

- What do you mean you failed? You have by no means failed. You even won.

The oldest looked surprised.

- H-Huh?

- Cresselia...We didn't fight her. She collapsed just before. Seems like you really exhausted her, haha! But seriously, you say you lost but you didn't. Despite your defeat in this battle, she intended to give you the Gem after all.

-...Seriously...?

- Yeah. She wasn't testing your fighting abilities, but your bond with Sapphire. And the fact that you chose to save him instead of completing your capture convinced her.

The redhead remained there, amazed by what the youngest had just revealed to him. The latter took the opportunity to finish what he was doing, and let him register all this informations at his own pace.

-...I...I can't believe it...

- Yet it's the truth, right my dear?

The bird nodded with a small cry that made the creature lying on her growl.

- { Stop moving, you filthy sparrow...}

- (Oops...Sorry Sapph.)

She gently rubbed her beak against the Buizel's cheek in order to be forgiven, although he seemed more grumpy than anything else. This made the brunet laugh.

- Aw...How adorable.

He then turned toward Keith who was also observing their partners before standing up, thus attracting his attention. He held out his hand to him, a soft smile on his face.

The redhead stared at the outstretched hand for half a second then took it with his own, using it to stand up. His legs shook from the effort, but he held on.

The Staraptor, understanding that the hour of departure was approaching, straightened up, waking up at the same time her patient who let his displeasure be known. Keith went to take him in his arms, allowing him to find a comfortable position.

- Is it better this way, Sapph?

- { Humhum...}

- Hey....We should go back, right? It's getting late...

Kellyn's soft voice made the crimson-eyed one refocus on him. He had put a hand on his shoulder, his face still a little worried.

-...You're probably right...

The other boy gave him a small smile and hastened to move the medicine bag a little so that his friend could position himself correctly on the back of the bird.

- Oh, you can stop Kell.

- Huh?

The teen turned around, staring at his comrade, in disbelief. The latter had a sad look on his face.

- I......I don't intend to return immediately. I...I need some time alone.

-...Are you sure?

- Humhum...Don't worry. I'll be back before night falls. But... I have to sort out my thoughts a bit.

The two stared at each other for a moment, straight in the eye, before the younger sighed softly, defeated.

-...All right. I trust you. If you don't feel good, contact me ok?

- I promise. Be careful.

- Humhum.

The teenager then began to prepare for the return trip, and to leave the older one behind. He had a small heartache, but he understood the redhead's point of view.

- (Ready little Amethyst?)

-...

- (...Kellyn?)

Suddenly, the brunet walked towards the 12th Top Ranger, causing his partner to panic and let out a cry. This alerted the Fiore duo who snapped their attention back to the boy.

- Kell? Something's wron-

Keith was interrupted when soft, warm lips pressed against his, instantly petrifying him.

...Kellyn was kissing him. Kellyn. Was. Kissing. Him.

The latter had even placed his hands against the cheeks of his friend, in an effort to make the gesture more...Assured? Tender?

The kiss was completely awkward, shy, and hesitant at times, but still enjoyable. At least, for the youngest. Because the one with the crimson eyes did not return his comrade's affection.

This one parted rather hastily from his friend, and bit his lips, realizing what he had just done. He was just a pathetic moron!

-....I'm sorry.

The boy hurried to his feathered beast, not seeing the older boy reach for him. He climbed quickly onto the bird's back, his gaze downcast.

-....Fischl. Home, please.

The Staraptor didn't try to understand and flew away immediately, realizing that her partner had... A bad experience. The redhead, who had just recovered from the shock, noticed it very quickly.

- K-Kellyn...! Wait-

Fiore's duo could only watch helplessly until only the two of them were left in the sanctuary.

-...Kellyn....

The boy stared at the sky, saddened before starting to caress his lips with his fingertips. His expression changed and he lost himself in thought, all under Sapphire's half-surprised, half-angry gaze.

...Oh? Why were there little hearts flying everywhere?

---------------------------------------

Heath: So me be good Keith right- *get attacked by a pretty furious Kellyn*

Fischl: Go go sweetie! And don't worry about the blood, I'm taking care of it!

----------------------

Kellyn: I-Im so sorry for kissing you! P-Please forget about this! *run away, completely embarrassed*

Keith:..........*Keith.exe stopped working, please try again later*