Ruby's speciality was, of course, grapefruit. She grew the best and could make the most delicious dishes in all the Orange Islands. Not that she was one to toot her own horn, no sirree. She didn't want people swarming around for her precious grapefruit. She preferred the quiet life, that was for certain. In fact, the life of a grove tender on the quietest of the Seven Grapefruit Islands was the perfect life for a quiet yet tough girl like Ruby.
Part of her didn't want to go out on the Saturday that she met him. She'd been watching the news. It was the same old thing, really. Pokemon thieves in Unova, reported sightings of giant or legendary pokemon, which she would never believe, recent discoveries...and a large shipwreck off the coast of one of the other Grapefruit Islands. There had been a mass rescue effort over the night, however there was worry that not all the passengers had made it out alive and some may have even been washed away in the current of a storm that had taken hold late that afternoon. She didn't know anyone who had been on the cruise, but it still frightened her to think that such a storm could take the lives of so many people. The cruise ship could hold over 5000 passengers at one time in comfort, and Ruby couldn't help but doubt all had been recovered, especially since the captain had not yet told the actual amount of passengers. An accident of that magnitude was horrible to hear about, and something she hadn't heard of since the tragic events within the St Anne. At least everyone survived that one.
In the end, she got dressed, put the accident that didn't concern her out of her mind and went out to tend the grapefruit trees, unaware of the adventure she was about to have courtesy of one of those passengers.
~*~*~*~*~
His mind was a little blurry when he regained consciousness. He couldn't breathe without launching into a coughing fit as his body desperately tried to expel excess sea water. He vaguely remembered being on the cruise ship...he had won a prize of some sort. Three tickets on the cruise of a lifetime. He had managed to convince his friend to come, and to bring that girl he liked along for the ride. Though he often denied it, he was 100% sure Morty and Sabrina had something going on. Heck, he'd even started to think Sabrina might be carrying.
Hang on, where was he going with this? His head was pounding, stomach doing somersaults. His left leg was burning in agony. He just couldn't think straight. He had been heading off to bed on the ship, in high spirits. Something had jarred the ship just as he was drifting off. The boat had started to lean and he had stumbled out of bed. The steel girders creaked around him. He distinctly remembered being afraid. Seeing walls arch and windows break as the boat was submerged all too quickly. Water shooting into the hall, Morty reaching out to pull him on deck, a heavy wave crashing against them both...they had both hit their heads on safety rails. Still, his memory was mostly intact, he decided as he retched over the sand, finally getting rid of the water.
He remembered everything fine. He was Eusine, mystery man, researcher and expert on legendary beasts. Shakily, he tried to get to his feet, only to find his left leg refused to support him. Not to mention it hurt. A lot. Broken, definitely. Hopefully not severe, he thought as he moved away from the lapping waves. Briefly he wondered about Morty and Sabrina, but last he knew, Sabrina was well aware and under control of things. There was no doubt in his mind that they would be safe and sound. He would have to find them later. Although, all facts considered, anyone turning up would be preferable to sitting on a beach and freezing to death. A quick look confirmed nobody was nearby, so it looked like he would have to take matters into his own hands. Well hell.
Perhaps if he could pull himself over to one of those grapefruit trees and use it as a support so he didn't put any weight on his broken leg. It would be an awfully undignified way to travel, but it was still better than staying in place, he guessed.
~*~*~*~*~
Today was uneventful for Ruby. Just the usual thing. Tend the groves in the same old way. No pokemon, no thieves, just a distant thud that sounded somewhat like something hitting the bark of a tree. Wait, what?
It didn't take long to locate the source of the sound. Someone in a somewhat ruffled sharp suit, sat beneath one of the trees and throwing rocks at one of the trees. If he was aiming to knock down one of the fruits to eat, he was missing badly. She stepped a little closer, frowning. He didn't notice her approaching, or at least she didn't think he did. He was too well-dressed to be homeless, but seemingly waterlogged and in a poor condition. Ruby watched him, not sure what to do. There was a strong instinct to help and protect him. Despite the odd cut and bruise and general bedraggled appearance, he had a nice face. Gorgeous. He was shivering ever so slightly. Ruby shrugged off her jacket and approached the man cautiously, as though afraid he might strike. The man looked up and watched her approach, but didn't get up to meet her. Perhaps he couldn't? She hesitantly moved to drape her jacket over his shoulders, but he moved away, pride taking over.
"Are...are you okay?" Ruby asked after a moment, trying again to give him her jacket. He stayed still this time, a grimace on his face. He'd hurt himself.
"To tell the truth, I have been better." He admitted with a slight smile.
"Looks like it. It looks like you just washed up on the shore." He offered no response. "My name's Ruby...are you hurt?"
He gave a slight nod in response to that question. "My name is Eusine."
"Where does it hurt, Eusine?"
"...My leg."
"This one?"
"Ah! Yes!" He pushed her away as she touched the broken bone and she apologised quickly.
"Sorry! I can get you something to help, I'm sure. Splints and painkillers, definitely. There's a doctor on the island, but not for a while. For now I can take you to my place and call the doctor over. I don't live that far." She moved to line his leg up with the wood in her hand. Eusine watched her uncertainly as she stood and wandered away to find something to tie off the splint. He had some time to think then. His next move...he had to find things. His pokemon weren't where they should have been. He had three pokeballs to track down, and he had to ensure Morty and Sabrina were okay considering it was his fault they'd been caught in the shipwreck to begin with. Then there was the fact that, injured as he was, he couldn't go far. If Ruby heard the predicament, it was unlikely she would let him go off with a broken leg tied to a growth guide pole. Still, he could try. After all, lives could be at stake.
Once the splint was tied, which predictably involved a lot of complaining, Ruby helped Eusine stand and walk. That was when he dug his heel in and told her he couldn't go to her house. A quick check told him what he needed to know. No Electrode, Jumpluff or Haunter. He explained the predicament quickly and in few words.
"You're one of the people from the Eight Great Islands Cruise!" She blurted before she could help herself. He gave her a strange look and she tried to recover. "I...I mean...I heard about it on the news this morning...good to see you're...you're all right..."
"I just hope the same can be said for those I was with..."
"I'm sure it'll be fine. Something small as a Pokeball would have washed up just a little further along so it won't take long to find your pokemon at all, I'm sure of it!"
"I admire your optimism, Ruby."
She offered him a kind smile. "I admire your drive to make sure your friends are okay. I think you should rest here while I search the beach. Your leg is in pretty bad shape."
She had pushed him against a tree before he could dare object and was already tearing off across the sand.
"Be careful!" Eusine called, hating to feel useless or a burden.
It seemed like he was waiting forever. Eventually, she came back into view. She was cradling something in crossed arms. Thank god! She'd found the pokeballs! That was a weight off his mind. "Do you know where the boat crashed?" He asked...well, blurted as she came close. She seemed taken aback by this but gave a nod in response.
"Just off the coast of the next island over. If your friends are going to be anywhere, that island and the hospital there are the best places to start, I'm sure of it."
"Right. How far would that be?"
"A six hour walk to the coast." She gave him a sheepish smile. "That's without breaks. We'll probably have to stop and rest when it gets dark, so maybe we should go back to my place and get some travelling stuff. Then a half-hour journey to the next island, although I can't guarantee sea travel will be allowed after such a huge accident, and we can hitch a ride to the hospital to get your leg looked at and ask for your friends. Martin and Selina, right?"
"Mortimer and Sabrina."
"Right, sorry."
~*~*~*~*~
Hours of travelling passed, the two of them discussing various things. At some point, the topic turned to legendary pokemon, something Eusine could talk someone's ears off on, especially Suicune. Though Ruby wasn't that interested, she listened politely. It reminded her of all those stories her mother had told her when she was little. She'd heard all about the burning tower and the creators of everything and the legendary birds with the three orbs and islands, but Eusine spoke of the Ho-oh and its legendary beasts with such passion she couldn't avoid being drawn into his tale. He even insisted he had encountered both Suicune and Raikou. She wasn't sure she believed him, but he seemed absolutely certain. It put a real light in his crystal-blue eyes that she adored.
It was getting dark when Eusine found he could no longer walk. It was awkward enough hobbling on a broken leg forced straight, not to mention painful, but eventually the rest of him had had enough and the shaking in his good leg was enough to bring him down. He lay on a roll-up futon and watched her set up camp, still trying to battle the exhaustion despite the circumstances. Ah, he had to admit, he loved the smell of camp fires and burning wood. A warm and calming smell. And the light flickering over that girl's face made her shine. It made her seem beautiful and powerful, like a mighty Moltres. He drifted off with that image in mind.
Ruby poked the fire, a scowl on her face. She wasn't even completely sure why she'd decided to walk all this way with this guy. She could have refused him and just taken him to the hospital, but for some reason she was now travelling with him, helping him find his friends. Maybe she felt sorry for him, or part of her had always wanted a tall, dark, handsome stranger to sweep her off her feet and make her life a little more interesting, and Eusine was the closest she would get. Besides, he was pretty good looking. She glanced around and decided to pick some of the surrounding grapefruit. She was pretty hungry, and she had no doubt that he was as well. The next morning they would have a hearty breakfast of grapefruit and rice crackers. Okay, so not the best breakfast, but better than nothing.
She found herself lying awake, unable to sleep. Her thoughts were wild and many as she found her gaze drawn to the man fast asleep beside her, tracing every feature carefully, reaching out to brush his cheek as she took note of every bruise she could see. When Ruby had been younger, whenever she had been hurt, her mother would kiss the cut, bruise or bump, calling it a charm to help her heal faster and feel better. Mother must have rubbed off on her, she realised as she found herself leaning forward to kiss one of the bruises on his cheek, wishing he could get better soon. Wishing this entire excursion would have a happy ending. There was always the chance his friends could be trapped in that boat still, floating in a watery grave and-
She slapped herself hard. Honestly, that kind of thinking was horrific.
Eventually, she managed to fall asleep. When she was up again, Eusine was still out like a light. She prepared breakfast and woke him gently, and they stayed there a little while, eating and speaking lightly of themselves. She learnt he was a researcher from Celadon City and friends with one of the Johto Gym Leaders. He learnt that, though young, she lived alone on the island, a little away from the mainland, tending large amounts of grapefruit with other islanders.
They were on a narrow rocky road and Ruby paused to take a breather. They were just a short way off the coast, and in high spirits. They just had to make it down this coastline cliffside and they'd be free to travel to the next island.
"The view is beautiful here." Ruby breathed, a wide smile on her face. Eusine nodded in agreement, although he wasn't really looking at the view. At first he was unfocused, but slowly he found himself focusing on the woman's blissful expression and calm stance before she disappeared from sight.
Eusine shot forward (ultimately ending up sprawled on his front due to his current unsteady condition) and grabbed Ruby's arm, not entirely sure what had just happened. She was dangling off the edge of the cliff, the remains of the floor she'd been standing on plunging into the sea below. Her hand reacted to his touch, gripping his arm tightly as he tried to muster the strength to pull her up. It appeared the path beneath her had been unsupported and had crumbled under the excess weight. Perhaps if he could reach back and get Jumpluff...
She began to slip from his grip and he grabbed her arm with his free hand. No pokemon then. He just had to focus on pulling her up. His strength wasn't doing him much good, and he couldn't shuffle himself back for any extra leverage. All in all pulling her up wasn't having much success and the ground was still very unstable. Bits and pieces seemed to be falling from the rock face all over and he was afraid any moment the ground below him might crumble too.
An idea struck him like a mallet and he looked at the terrified, slightly hysterical girl putting her life in his hands. "Ruby, I'm going to do something that might seem crazy at first, but believe me, it will get us out of this alive!"
"If it's crazy, don't do it! Just save me!"
"I'm going to save you, I promise!" He went to let go of her arm with one hand and she screamed. "Ruby, do you trust me?"
"Please..."
"Do you trust me?"
She looked up at him, blinking away the tears from her initial panic and taking a deep breath. With firm eyes and voice, she nodded. "I trust you."
He took away one hand, using it to push himself off the cliff before he could let go of her. By the time he was in midair, his hands had already gone to his pokeballs containing Jumpluff and Haunter. Immediately, one caught him, and the slightest gesture was enough to have the other catch Ruby. He breathed a deep sigh of relief, that selfsame sense being enough to drown out her furious complaints about how stupid that had been and how she could have died. The good news was, since they were already over the water, they might as well fly the rest of the way to the next island along.
That moment on the rocks had caused some minor damage to the splint. Ruby was no longer helping to support Eusine, something that he didn't mind all that much. She was stressed and uneasy after all, and though it was a bit sore and he was unsteady, he could just about walk, even on this unsteady terrain. It should have remained strong, but maybe it was old and worn by rot. It actually took Ruby a moment or so to realise she had left Eusine behind, and when she turned, she found him on the ground, gritting his teeth in pain, but staying silent. With a sigh, Ruby made her way back to him.
"Sorry...that shouldn't have happened...the good news is it's just a 15 minute walk left. I can carry you the rest of the way with no problem. I'm pretty strong."
He pulled a face, but she didn't take no for an answer and lifted him, carrying him on her back despite his various objections about his dignity. Dignity was nothing if it got him in that much trouble. Even so, he tried to insist he at least went into the hospital in a dignified manner.
The hospital was predictably overcrowded. Eusine was okay to sit and wait as long as he could inquire as to the states of Morty and Sabrina. They were quickly told neither remained at the hospital and had been helping out with the rescue efforts. Naturally, while Eusine had been concerned about them, they had been concerned about him (or at least Morty had...and no doubt Sabrina's telekinetic prowess would be of use to the authorities) and had done their best to help find not only him, but the rest of the missing people. At least one person could definitely be scratched off the list.
~*~*~*~*~
The worst Morty had was a concussion. While Eusine recovered from his injuries, made more substantial thanks to being washed away in the first place, he spent some of his time around his friends, and some of his time around Ruby. He liked the woman. She was tough, strong, determined and pretty, and she took a genuine interest in what he had to say. It reminded him of when he was younger, when he'd first befriended Morty, except...well...different. There was something more drawing him in, but he wasn't sure what. When he was better and the three of them were ready to leave the Grapefruit Islands, Ruby was there to bid them goodbye.
Eusine took her hands, thanking her warmly for her hospitality, ensuring she understood what a pleasure she had been. He lent in and planted a kiss on her cheek before hesitantly stepping back. Slowly but surely, their hands parted, and he turned to his friends, ready to leave.
"Eusine, wait!" He was jerked back as Ruby grabbed his arm in both hands.
"What is it?"
"You...you...I..." She tried to draw up an excuse in the blur that was her mind. She wasn't sure what the truth was anyway. It had been a long time until something as interesting as this had happened to her, and she loved being around Eusine. She'd never trained pokemon before and had never traveled, but maybe it was time she began. "You said you did research on the legendary pokemon...that you look for them, that you've even seen two of them..." If she could make him believe she shared his passion, maybe he would let her travel with him. "Ever since I was little, I've always wanted to see Entei and Ho-oh! I heard the stories, and fire types fascinate me so much. All that heat and power and passion excites me! You're searching for the legendaries of Johto...I want to come with you. I want to see them too and I want to travel by your side. Please? Please take me with you?"
And Eusine could never explain what made him say yes for a long time, not until many more yesses to that selfsame woman and the future they secured.
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