Evolution

Frost - Chapter 78

"What... what happened to you..." I whispered to myself, though his ears perked up as I spoke. He tried to shift to look at me, but he nearly screamed in pain as he did. "Wait, wait! Don't move, please! You're gonna hurt yourself!"

"W-what's happening..?" He whimpered, glancing over his side towards me.

"Your skin... do you think you can sit up? You need to see what happened..." He whimpered as he sat up, wincing as he stretched the skin covered in festering wounds. He eventually was able to sit up, though he was clearly in pain. "Xerneas... told me what happened. To you. I'm not mad, I understand why you didn't tell me... but I think you're gonna need me to help you with this." The look he gave me was empty and dull like the understanding had been drained from his eyes. I returned his gaze the only way I could, with both concern and hope. "Now please... look at yourself."

He turned his head around, then immediately gagged at what he saw. "Wha-what's happening to me?!"

"Zygarde... right? Xerneas said there was no way this would be good for you, so um... just be prepared, okay?" It was heartbreaking just to say the words, to have to be the one to tell him that he was going to have to suffer. But somehow, I knew it was best coming from me.

He slammed his paw against the bed, making me jump back a bit. "That damned snake!" He yelled though I tried my best to calm him. I understood why he was upset, and I was too, but I was still far too worried to let him put himself under any more stress like this. I needed to try and keep him as calm as I could for now.

As he sat there, my eyes drifted to his gentle features. His soft eyes, his fluffy ears, his shiny fur. Would I really lose all of that? Would this... this monster... really take all of that away, just to turn him into some scaley beast? It wasn't who he was, and it was never meant to be him. It just wasn't right. As I looked upon his now frail body, though, I felt the true horror of being able to do nothing but watch him rot.

Rot into someone, something I didn't know. I then froze at the thought. It was going to happen again. He could forget everything, go insane, lose himself, anything was possible... and the chances were, I'd have to flip a coin and try to get him to fall in love me with me... again. I couldn't do that. I couldn't hear him ask who I was again. I couldn't start from the very beginning and work my way up to where I was again. I just couldn't. I mean, maybe he wouldn't lose his memories this time? My mind loved to dwell on the thoughts that he would, but I supposed my best chance would simply be to wait out the situation and hope that he would still be... him when it was all over. Until then, though, I was going to spend as much time as I could with him just to be safe.

He hadn't moved at all, yet he was now deep in thought. He shook his head a bit to snap himself out of it and slowly turned to me, though, an almost child-like curiosity in his eyes. "You... did make me fall for you twice, didn't you..? Why? Why did you care enough to do that twice?"

I instinctively looked away to try to hide my smile like a shy girl, but I shook my head inwardly and turned back to face him. He needed smiles, he needed me to be strong right now. Something to take him away from this. Even if it was only beginning, I needed to start now, because I didn't know how long he'd even be able to talk before the pain would be unbearable again. I gave a small nod.

"Well... I don't know if I would've. Right before you lost your memories, I remember as if it was yesterday... you quietly whispered in my ear, 'Frost, I love you,' yet you were so nervous and had the cutest stutter as you were saying it..." I paused, realizing I was drifting off track. "We were both really in love before that, but neither of us had really had the confidence to tell each other I think. Once you had told me, though, I didn't want to give up on you. I was still in shock from you telling me, then you knew nothing, then all of the sudden I was back at the start again... but I wanted to hear those words again. It wasn't easy, but with enough work, I did. So thank you."