"I'm an idiot..." Serena mentally scolded herself, staring down at her shoes as Calem was giving everyone in the group some tips for their journey. She was only half listening.

Half listening.

How could she be so stupid? She finally understood why she kept on lying to them and covering her sorry ass every time one of them got close to finding out that she was the rumored 'professor's assistant.'

She actually sort of...

...

...liked these people.

Even the thought made her want to gag. Somehow, when she wasn't paying attention, these four very eccentric people snuck up on her and earned a small place in her seemingly cold heart, even though she vowed to never love or care about another person ever again.

After she lost her father, the pain that Serena felt was absolutely unbearable.

It felt like every day she lived her life now was a living hell. She felt as if she was just drifting along in the cold wind, and even though her life stopped the day she heard her father had been shot and killed, the world did not stop spinning just for him. It was like she was walking around in a cruel world that meant nothing.

Her life meant nothing.

She loved her father so much, and then one day... He was gone. Just like that.

Even though it wasn't his fault, Serena knew from the start that she couldn't risk losing someone she loved ever again. It was just too painful, and she knew deep down inside she wasn't strong enough to handle that pain, that heartbreak... She wasn't even strong enough to handle it now.

And so, she vowed she would never love anyone ever again...

Until she met these four idiots.

They were sort of starting to grow on her. But that's all it was, they weren't anything to her! Nothing at all! It would be ridiculous for Serena to consider these people her friends after such a short time of knowing each other...

Trevor and his awkward, yet likable intelligent demeanor. Tierno's upbeat personality that kept the group smiling at all times. Shauna's weird charisma that was pretty fucking annoying, actually. And Calem, well...

What did Serena think of Calem? If she were to describe him to someone, what would she say...?

...

She didn't really know.

Now that she thought about it, she really didn't know the first thing about Calem, yet she always felt her tense shoulders relax a little when he was nearby. Calem was just so...honest. Yeah, that was the word to describe him: honest. Not in the sense of he always told the truth, (but she was sure he did that too), but Serena meant in the sense of what he was feeling. You could tell what Calem was thinking or feeling because it was always written on his face as clear as day. He just had an honest, open personality.

And he was a little arrogant too... She could already tell, not that he had done anything to make her think like that, though.

It was just the way he walked, talked, and naturally took over the group and lead them along. He was just a bit of...a know-it-all. But not in a bad way. It was actually kind of...admirable. He was so knowledgeable about Pokemon and what you have to do to be a successful Trainer, and yet he was just as much of a beginner as the rest of them. What was up with that? Oh... Didn't her mother mention that his parents were both successful Ace Trainers? That might have something to do with it...

He was a mystery to Serena. What was going on in that head of his? She didn't really know...

He had this charming, can-do and take charge sort of attitude that surrounded him. It seemed like he feared nothing at all, and he lived off of this intense desire to make something of himself.

Perhaps that was why Serena felt herself closer to Calem than the rest of them...

Because they were so similar.

...in their sense of purpose, of course. Their personalities were totally different.

Serena was cold, and appeared to be emotionally distant from others on the outside. In reality, she was actually a very caring, sensitive person, but not many people got to see that. She was a very strong woman, and was certainly not a child anymore. That was for sure. Those around her admired her strength and sense of purpose in life. She was sweet, kind, and thoughtful. Anyone who really knew her could tell you that. She was a treasure to behold, and once you earned her love, and her respect, she was a person you never wanted to lose. Serena was just so loyal and so kind-hearted, that over the years of neglect she endured from everyone around her, she hardened her shell so her heart would stop taking so many direct hits all the time... She looked strong on the outside, and in a way she was, but more than anything...

Serena was lonely.

Calem was...different. He was a little less uptight than Serena when it came to most things, unless it was training. He was a more dedicated Trainer than Serena was, although they both desired the position of Champion the same. He already knew from the moment he picked his starter that he would spend countless hours every day training his Pokemon team. Calem was smart, cool, and cunning, but he had a little touch of a humorous side to him. He was already beginning to enjoy teasing Serena and gauging her funny reactions, which only boosted his pride more.

They were polar opposites, and yet they couldn't be more the same.

"Serena?"

Serena's eyes widened sharply and she gasped from shock at the sight of Calem's blue-grey eyes staring at her from mere inches before her face. The blonde stumbled back a few steps as she let out a frosty breath that could be seen by anyone a mile away, and she clenched her fists that were covered by her black mittens.

Calem worriedly looked her over, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay? You spaced out for a little there..."

"Sorry." Serena's eyes darted to the snowy ground as his warm hand grasped her shoulder, her eyes flickering with the sadness hidden within them. "I was just thinking, I guess..."

Everyone but Calem seemed to be reassured by her statement, and Shauna suddenly began to jump up and down.

"Oooh, it's too cold out here!" The brunette vigorously bounced to warm herself up. "Can we pleeeeeease go to Santalune City now and get warmed up?"

"I agree with Shaunee on this one." Tierno patted her head with an awkward grin on his face. "If we stay out here any longer, we might catch a cold..."

Calem turned to look at the other three standing a little ways behind himself and Serena, and he nodded his head. "You guys go ahead. We'll catch up."

Trevor shot Calem a worried glance. "Are you sure? We could just as easily wait for you---"

Tierno grabbed the back of both Shauna and Trevor's coat collars, grinning as he turned around with the two younger kids in his hands as he dragged them along. "Come on, guys! Let's go get some hot chocolate or something!"

"Ack---Tierno! Let go of me!"

"DID YOU SAY HOT CHOCOLATE!?"

Calem shut his eyes as he attempted to keep himself from laughing aloud at the chatter coming from his friends as they were walking away. Within seconds, they were out of ear shot, and Calem snapped his eyes open to look at Serena. "Okay, what's up? You were hardly listening at all when I was giving everyone adventure tips earlier."

Serena awkwardly shoved her hands in her pockets as she gave the floor a heavy, guilty look. "I'm sorry... It's just, I..."

"What is it?" Calem moved closer to her, trying to get the blonde to open up.

This was not an easy thing to do.

Serena looked up from the floor and stared at Calem intensely, gathering her courage to be brave and tackle this fear head on. "Why do you want to be friends with me?"

Calem was a little astonished by her question, and also a bit caught off guard. "...what?"

"You heard me..." Serena stared down at the floor once again, dejected. "I won't say it again..."

Calem eyed her curiously as a wistful smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I don't know. You're just different, I guess. I like that about you."

Now it was Serena's turn to say 'what.' "What...?" The blonde almost glared at him from how completely and utterly shocked she was. "Why!?"

Calem just laughed at how much this was upsetting her. "I don't know!" His smile was very charming as he threw his shoulders back and stuffed his hands into his pockets to keep warm. "I just think you're a pretty interesting girl, neighbor." He leaned in towards her closely, only keeping a small proximity between them. "Why are you asking?"

Serena's cheeks flushed bright red at how close his face was to hers, painfully aware of this as she tore her gaze from him. "Because..."

"Because...?" Calem impatiently drew out his sentence, trying to get her to finish her thought.

Serena clenched her fists as she threw them down to her sides, having a miniature outburst as she squinted her eyes shut tightly. "Because no one has ever wanted to be my friend before!"

Calem's playful attitude immediately dropped, and the look he was giving her grew very, very sad. "Oh..."

"...what?" Serena crossed her arms, shooting him a bitter glance from her turned position.

"Nothing." Calem shook his head with a smile. "I guess that just explains a lot."

Serena stared down at the floor, unsure of what to say. "I just...wanted to know why."

Calem looked at the vulnerable side to Serena with a curious smile on his face, unsure of why exactly the untrusting girl before him that he barely knew was letting him see this side of her.

He didn't know why she seemed to show him, and only him these different sides of her, but thinking about it just made him want to smile.

"Hey." Calem reached out and awkwardly patted Serena's head, trying to console her. "I don't really have a good answer for you other than I think it would be fun for us to be friends, and it would be nice to be near someone that's a worthy challenge for a change..." Calem's speech drifted off into the cold wind momentarily before he refocused his point and continued. "But all you really need to know, Serena, is that I do really want to be your friend."

Serena flinched as she stared as hard as she could into his eyes, wondering if any of that was true. His words didn't sound like a lie, and his eyes most certainly weren't lying, so...

Calem gasped from shock when Serena suddenly leapt into his arms and hugged him tightly around the neck, burying her face into his shoulder. He subconsciously wrapped his arms around her petite waist and held her close as he listened to her sharp breathing and fluttering heartbeat.

"Thank you..." Serena mumbled into his shoulder loud enough for her thanks to reach Calem's ears.

"No prob." Calem rested his head on hers, involuntarily smiling at her sudden change in attitude and behavior.

So there was more to the 'ice queen' than he originally thought.

"Ah...ACHOO!"

Calem flinched when he felt Serena suddenly pull back and sneeze really hard into her mitten. He laughed at how red her cheeks were, which clearly showed him just exactly how embarrassed she was.

Calem opened up his coat and pulled Serena over to his side, pulling it around her to keep her warm as he walked her along the path to Santalune City. "Tierno was right. At this rate, you'll catch a cold if you stay out here any longer."

Serena didn't protest to his sudden action, and instead she snuggled up to Calem as he guided her along. "You're probably right..."

"...did you just agree with me?"

"I said probably!"

"Haha... Whatever you say, Serena."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*is about to explode from Kalos-shippy fluff*

AGHHHHHHHH that was so cute and shippy that I want to barf. Bleh. Romance. It's cute, but at the same time---bleh.

XD so, I was in the mood to write, so I thought, "why not work on next year's Watty award entry some more?"

...so I did.

XD I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Read, comment, vote, and enjoy~!