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The popular idol smiled and threw up a peace sign as his fan leaned in for a picture. The little girl was so excited she was nearly in tears and he gave her a hug before her mother took her hand and led her away. Kai waved goodbye to her before his next fan stepped forward, handing him a poster of himself and asking for his autograph. He grinned as he opened his pen, but paused when he spotted a familiar face in the line. She did the same thing he’d noticed her do at the last three concerts. The girl was about ten people back and she leaned out of the line to stare at him. When she saw that he was looking back, she seemed alarmed and she quickly got out of line and headed toward the exit. Kai watched her escape, feeling like he should follow her until he heard the sound of his manager clearing her throat behind him and he was reminded of where he was. He signed the poster and flashed a smile at his fan as she moved to take a picture with him. But he couldn’t get that girl out of his mind.
When the signing was over and he could finally retreat to his dressing room, he found a surprise guest waiting for him – his niece, Sophie. It was funny thinking of her that way when she was only three years younger than him, but his older brother and his older brother’s wife had had Soph when they were quite young. A smile lit up Kai’s face as he enveloped her in a hug. “Sooophie~ To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I just wanted to see yoooou~ I had this evening off and I wanted to see your concert since I never have the chance because of our schedules. Also dad wants to know if you’re planning on coming home to the lab,” she teased.
“Pssshh who wants to work in a stuffy lab when I can travel and perform on stage.” He suspected the reasons his niece had given were not her true motivation behind seeing him. She’d been keeping an eye on him – and it was not subtle – ever since a certain trip to the fair which had ended disappointingly. The idol let out a sigh as he collapsed onto a sofa. “I saw her again.”
“Saw who?” she asked, hurrying over to sit beside him.
Kai crossed his arms over his eyes as he rested his head against the back of the couch. “That blonde girl. She was almost up to me and then she got out of line and left.” He never got a good look at her face since she kept her distance, but she looked familiar. She looked like. . “My Valentine; that’s who she looks like,” he murmured.
Sophie’s eyes opened wide. “Val was here?”
“No, no. It must have just been someone who looked like her. There’s no way she would come to see me. She doesn’t like me, Soph.”
“But maybe it was her! Maybe she has something to tell you. She did look awfully upset that day at the fair. She said she’d messed up. You know I could find her and ask her and then we-“
Kai quickly interrupted with a firm, “No.” He uncovered his eyes and met Sophie’s gaze. “Don’t bother her about me; I promised her that I would leave her alone and I won’t go back on my word. You asking her about me is too close to breaking my word and I won’t have that.” The boy sighed and stretched out across the couch. Besides all that, he didn’t want to get his hopes up; there was no way it had been Val. His niece must have misunderstood whatever she’d heard her say.
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Valentine pulled off the short blonde wig and shook out her long, honey colored hair. She made a face when across the room her friend asked, “So you chickened out again?” Val flopped onto the bed, hiding her face.
“He was looking at me,” she grumbled.
Gillian let out a laugh. “He was looking at you? Were you planning on talking to his back when you got to him? You’re already resorting to going in disguise.” Her small Minun hopped off of her lap and dashed over to Val as though to comfort her. Her Wigglytuff seemed to have the same idea, but it was having a hard time climbing onto the bed with its round body and short arms. The brunette sat up and pulled the Pokémon up onto her lap. Wigglytuff was always the best at putting her at ease. Her Flaffy and Snubbull were curled up in the corner while her Sylveon was sprawled across the pillows where she’d have to move her from later. Minun was the only one of Gilly’s Pokémon in their room; the rest were in the pool that the Pokécenter provided for trainers with water Pokémon.
Valentine clutched Wigglytuff to herself while her friend’s Minun rubbed its cheek against hers, the static coming off of it causing her hair to stand up on one side. “That would be preferable,” she mumbled. “But he’ll recognize me if I get too close. I just. . . I don’t know how to face him after what happened. What if he kicks me out or something? He probably hates me after I just sat there and didn’t say anything. . . “She pressed her face against her Pokémon.
“Val. . ,” Gilly sighed. “I doubt that he hates you. I’m sure that he’d be happy to see you again; he did seem to like you a whole lot. Even if he does have a girlfriend, that doesn’t mean he won’t want to see you. I’m sure he’ll understand and accept your apology.” Both girls frowned at the word “girlfriend” for different reasons. Rumor had it that Kai had started dating the popular contest coordinator, Nova. Both girls had a problem with that particular couple for their own reasons.
“Next time for sure,” Val murmured, lying back on the bed. She’d only said that after every other attempt so far. But, how did you tell someone that you really did like them after you already rejected them and they started dating someone else? Well, maybe she could apologize without including that particular tidbit. He had another performance in a few days and she would make sure that she finally did things properly. It was hard for her to fall asleep that night, but when she finally did, it was with headphones in and a song that she had been given playing in her ears. She’d fallen asleep listening to it a lot of nights lately.
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“So do you think she’ll be there?” Sophie asked swinging her legs from her seat on the couch.
“Who are we talking about?” Kai responded, though he knew exactly who his niece was talking about. She hadn’t stopped talking about the girl since he’d mentioned that she reminded him of Valentine; it was making it very difficult for him to stop thinking about her.
“You know who, Uncle Kai. Stop being a butthead.” She seemed un-amused as she fed treats to his Talonflame that was resting on its perch before the show; the Pokémon was a crowd favorite and often flew around during concerts. “Do you think that girl that looks like Val will be here? Maybe I can watch from the sidelines and get a better look at her if she runs away from you again.” Unlike her uncle, she thought it was entirely possible that the girl could be Valentine despite her different appearance. She had seen how the girl looked at the fair after Kai had left and there had been something in her eyes.
Kai pulled a face. “Don’t go chasing after some random girl just because she sort of reminded me of my- of Valentine from a distance. Even if it is her. . I said I would leave her alone. Her looking like Val is even more reason not to pursue her.” He sighed, wringing his hands together. “I need to warm up before this gets started; do you mind giving me a little alone time?” Sophie nodded, but rushed to give him a quick hug before she made her exit.
Kai sat in silence for some time before humming to himself. It was the song he’d written for Val and at the sound of it his Talonflame flew over to the back of the couch. The boy quirked a brow at the Pokémon and gently pet his head. “You wanna see her too, don’t you?” he murmured. His Pokémon was the reason that he had even met Valentine; he’d clipped his wing on an overhead fixture after a contest when he was flying around. Val had found him and tended to his injury. And then Kai had found her. He sighed. “I said I would stay away, but I want to see her more than anyone. You could find her for me couldn’t you buddy?” The secret to how he’d always found her at contests was his Talonflame. The bird Pokémon’s vision was great and he could easily spot her in a crowd. But Kai had said he wouldn’t bother her and besides that, there was no way she was here.
It was hard getting himself pumped up and ready for the concert when he’d been so down lately, but he managed. Honestly though he’d been considering going on hiatus. It was hard to be his usual self when he was so unhappy and he didn’t think his fans deserved a half-baked performance if he couldn’t pull himself together. For now, though, he needed to put on a happy face and start the concert. The crowd went wild as he and his Pokémon took the stage. All was going well until he spotted her in the crowd. It didn’t seem possible in such a large concert hall, but he was certain it was her, just a few rows back from the front. And she still looked like Valentine. His eyes kept flickering to her as he sang even though he knew that he shouldn’t lose focus. But when he got to the song he’d written for Val he found his eyes looking for her again. To his surprise, he watched her cover her lower face with the back of her hand. It was the same way Valentine had reacted when he told her he was writing her a song; it was the same way she’d reacted on a number of occasions.
Kai stumbled on the lyrics for a moment before he caught himself. He was crazy, there was no way it was her, and yet if it was and she was here coming to see him. . At a gap in the song, he raised his arm for Talonflame to land. He held the Pokémon close and murmured, “Find Valentine.” The bird Pokémon took to the air sweeping over the crowd as Kai watched carefully. It swooped down a few rows back from the front.
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Valentine had splurged on a ticket closer to the front for the concert. This was the last one that she planned on attending and she wanted to see him well. She’d never given him much of a chance after he’d started pursuing her, but she’d been a fan of his before and had never had a chance to see him in concert. Watching him live as he lit up the stage was even better than she’d imagined when she’d listened to his cds. When he got to “her” song, however, she covered her face in embarrassment; she could swear that he was looking right at her as he sang even though she knew that was impossible. He wouldn’t be able to spot her in a crowd like this and even if he did, he wouldn’t recognize her. She tilted her head as he stumbled over the lyrics, but quickly caught himself. He sent his Talonflame out over the crowd and she wondered if it was a distraction.
Kai had her undivided attention, so she didn’t realize that the Pokémon had been circling over her. It swooped down low, not realizing it had swooped too low as its talons brushed against her hat. One of his claws caught for a moment and knocked loose not only her hat, but the blonde wig as well. Val let out a yelp of surprise and reached up in vain as her real hair went tumbling down. “Val!” The music continued, but the singing had stopped. Kai was looking right at her. He’d called her name. Others were turning to look at her as she clutched her wig and hat. As her heart rate rapidly accelerated, she did what she’d done the last four times; she ran. Pushing through people, she rushed to the quickest exit to make her escape. The sound of a mic dropping reached her ears, but she couldn’t bring herself to look back.
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It was Valentine! It was her! “Val!” he shouted when he should have been singing. But he couldn’t think about that when she was right in front of his eyes. She turned away from him and started pushing through the crowd toward the exit. His promise sounded in his thoughts, but she was the one that had come to him. She was running and the only thing on his mind was pursuing her. Kai had thought that he was going crazy; at the very least, he deserved an explanation. Letting the microphone fall from his hand, he rushed toward backstage. He knew where the nearest exit would bring her and maybe he could cut off her escape. He heard sounds of protest behind him, but she was all that mattered to him at the moment. Various crew members and his manager saw him run past and tried to stop him, but he dodged past them and burst into the hallway.
She was leaning against the wall trying to catch her breath. He approached her at a run. When she saw him, she appeared alarmed, but she didn’t make a break for it. Instead, her gaze fell to the floor. “Valentine. . . I thought I was going crazy; what are you doing here?” he asked as he gulped in air. “Why did you run away?”
He watched her face turn red as she glanced off to the side, refusing to meet his gaze. Kai thought he might have to face another long, awkward silence with her like he had before, but she opened her mouth to speak. “I- I had to see you. There’s something I have to tell you. I just got scared when I saw you.”
He didn’t even know what she had to tell him, but his heart soared at just the sound of her voice. “Well what is i-“ he started before the other doors in the hall began opening and he panicked. It would be bad for them to be caught out here like this. Cautiously he grabbed her hand and pulled her along after him. “C’mon, let’s go somewhere more private.” She didn’t protest, so he led her backstage quickly before anyone could see them. Back there he faced a host of new problems. Anger in every direction as the stage manager, the tech people, members of the crew, and, worst of all, his manager yelled at him about leaving the stage and urged him to go back on. He shoved through them with a very embarrassed looking Val. Kai pulled her inside his dressing room and locked it behind him. Inside it was much more quiet and calm.
She looked anxious and was still refusing to look at him. He sighed and sat on one side of the couch, wondering if she’d only come to torture him. “You can sit down if you’d like.” Part of him was nothing but elated at seeing her, but he tried to contain his excitement so that he wouldn’t end up disappointed.
Val settled onto the couch, trying to calm her nerves so she could say what she had come to say. She couldn’t run away anymore and she no longer had the excuse of being worried that he’d kick her out. She’d played out what she wanted to say a million times, but the words weren’t coming to her. As the awkward silence dragged on, she finally forced herself to speak and once she got started, she couldn’t seem to stop. “I’m so sorry for making you stop your show and everything. I should have just approached you after the first show I went to, but I got scared. And I didn’t want to cause any rumors when you have a girlfriend, but I had to see you. I had to apologize. I should have said something when you told me your feelings on the Ferris wheel, but I was so taken aback. That probably sounds stupid since you’d been saying you like me practically since the moment we met, but I thought you were joking. I had a lot of boys tease me like that when I was younger and I thought that you had been making fun of me when you’d flirt with me. I was only just beginning to realize how serious you were when you said that you would leave me alone and I didn’t know how to respond because I didn’t want you to leave, but I had been so mean to you. I was so embarrassed. You had been so sincere and you wrote that beautiful song that I haven’t stopped listening to since you gave it to me and you were nothing but kind, but I treated you so rudely because I just assumed you were messing with me. And I’m so so sorry for that. I’m sorry that I hurt you and I didn’t answer you at the time. The truth is. . .” She finally hesitated, wondering if she could tell him even after he had moved on. She had told herself she would though.
“The truth is I was just starting to realize that you’re compliments and kindness were genuine. I was just beginning to think that if you really weren’t making fun of me, then I. . . I might really like you. It was just too embarrassing to say that after you said that you wouldn’t bother me anymore and I realized what a jerk I’d been. If I had only given you the benefit of the doubt sooner, I wouldn’t have hurt you. I know it’s too late for anything, but I wanted you to know how I felt and I wanted to apologize.” Valentine drew in a deep breath after she’d said what she had to say and stared at the ground. Her face felt flushed and her stomach was twisting uncomfortably, but she felt a small sense of relief that she’d finally apologized. Silence crept up on her, however, and she grew anxious. Val supposed she deserved this awkward silence after she’d made him endure the same. Soon it became too much, though, and she stood up. “I knew I shouldn’t have come. I should go.”
Kai was slowly processing everything that she said, making sure that he wasn’t misunderstanding anything or being guilty of only hearing what he wanted to hear as he was so often guilty of doing. He was carefully replaying everything she’d said and was only interrupted from his task when she stood to leave. He shot up off the couch and blocked her escape. “Wait. I don’t want to misunderstand. After realizing my feelings were genuine, how did you feel about me?” He watched her face turn a deeper shade of red as she glanced off to the side.
“That day. . . I thought to myself if you were serious, then I might really like you,” she murmured. Val was so embarrassed saying it when he was already seeing someone, but he had told her his true feelings and she felt obligated to return the gesture. As soon as she said it, though, she found herself enveloped in a hug. “Wh-What are you doing?” she exclaimed, shoving him away. The bright smile on his face stunned her into stillness.
Kai couldn’t contain his joy. All this time he’d acted like he’d given up, but he had held onto the smallest sliver of hope that he would see Valentine again. He’d hoped for a friendship if nothing else. But she had just said that she liked him. His Valentine liked him! “I’m giving you a hug, darling~ You wouldn’t believe how happy I am right now!” A laugh escaped him and he tried to pull her close again.
Val wiggled out of his arms, her mouth twisting into a frown. “You can’t call me that, Kai! You have a girlfriend! Just- Just because I like you doesn’t mean that I’m going to ruin someone’s relationship!” She could put her own feelings aside; she wasn’t the type of person to steal someone who was already in a relationship. It didn’t matter how happy his words made her or how his smile directed at her warmed her heart.
Kai made a face at her escape and then tilted his head in confusion at her explanation. He crossed his arms. “That’s right. . .” Val’s gut twisted, worried what his next words would be. “You said that earlier. Why do you think I have a girlfriend?”
“What do you mean? Aren’t you dating Nova?”
“Nova? Where did you get that idea, Val? I’m not dating anyone. . . Did you really think I could move on from you so soon? My feelings aren’t so easily changed,” he answered, stepping closer again.
Valentine flopped back onto the couch at this new information. She didn’t think that she could possibly get any more embarrassed, but her face felt warmer than ever. He still liked her and she had just admitted to liking him. “I read it in a magazine. . . I though it made sense since you two are both in contests and she does shoots with Sophie pretty often. . . It made sense that you two would see each other often and could like each other. I-I’m not that special for you to keep chasing after me after I hurt you.”
“You’re special to me,” he responded, sitting down beside her. “You’re beautiful and you’re kind – maybe not to me,” he laughed, “But, you took care of my Talonflame when you found him. And I know you didn’t just fall for my pretty face, or I would have had you from the start.” Kai had never been around a girl like her. One who gently cared for his Pokémon’s injury and then punched him in the face a few weeks later when he surprised her after she woke up from a nap. One who didn’t bat an eye at his usual charm. One who’d wear a disguise because she thought that would make it easier to face him. One he couldn’t get out of his head. “So.”
“So?” Val asked a little anxiously, wondering what he was going to say next. Her heart was already going crazy from the news that he was single and he still liked her, even though she wasn’t sure about acting on her feelings.
“So does this mean that I can break that promise I made? I don’t have to leave you alone and I can come see you?” Kai could see how nervous and flustered she looked. And while he was nothing short of ecstatic at the moment, he didn’t want to scare her away now that he had her back. Especially since she had said that she liked him.
She was relieved that it was such a tame request and she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She finally managed to meet his gaze as her lips turned up in a small smile. “I wouldn’t mind that. I was really starting to miss seeing you around all the time.” Val let her gaze fall to the side at the admission and her eyes landed on her bag. “Oh! Oh, I forgot.” As she reached into her bag, Kai leaned in closer, curious. “I. . . Well, I made you something as an apology. I mean it’s nothing compared to your gift, but I wanted to somehow try to do the same.”
Kai was eager to take it as she handed him a small gift box, carefully tied with a bow. He resisted the urge to tear into it and opened it slowly. His eyes widened in surprise as he pulled out a small, crocheted Wigglytuff attached to a keychain. He dangled it on his finger, admiring it. “You made this? For me?”
Val nodded, feeling a little proud that he appeared to like it. “My mom makes them as a hobby and she taught me how. I tried to make Talonflame for you, but it wasn’t coming out right so I made the one I’m best at. Your song made me really happy. I know this isn’t as great, but I was hoping it would make you happy too.”
“I love it!” Kai held it close, already planning on taking it with him everywhere. She might not think it was great, but he knew she must have spent a lot of time on it and she had made it just for him. Unable to resist, he scooted closer to her on the couch and embraced her. “I’ll wear it for good luck and I’ll think of you whenever I see it.” The hug was cut short when she wiggled out of his arms and stood up again.
“W-well that was all I wanted to say. I should probably be going now.”
“Already? You could stay a little long-“
“Kyle.” She easily silenced him with the use of his real name. He was still a bit peeved that Sophie had told it to her. “You’re in the middle of a concert. I think I’ve um interrupted that long enough.”
In all of his excitement, he’d completely forgotten that he’d left all of his fans in the middle of the song. His face warmed slightly as he quickly stood up. He knew he should get back, but he was afraid if he let her go, then he wouldn’t see her again. “Are you going to stay for the end of the concert at least? We could talk some more after the signing. You could wait backstage, you could even wait here.”
Val could hear the worry in his tone and she seriously considered taking him up on his offer because, despite herself, she wanted to stay with him a little longer as well. But, she shook her head. “I think it’s best if I leave so I don’t cause any more trouble. There’s a contest in a few days though, isn’t there? Gilly and I will see you there?”
He smiled. “You can count on it. You won’t run away from me again?” he teased.
“Shut up; go calm the masses before you cause a riot with your disappearance.”
“Only if I can have one more of these.” He quickly pulled her into another hug and held her tight for a few moments before releasing her. After the funk he’d been in the last few weeks, he finally felt completely recharged and ready to give a good show. Knowing that he could see her again in a few days was all the motivation he needed. “I’ll have someone guide you outside from backstage so you don’t have to run into anyone.” Val nodded and he finally unlocked his door.
As soon as it opened, they were accosted by a crowd of people. Kai was immediately dragged away by his manager and most of the crew followed them or returned to their places. A familiar face stayed with Val; Sophie was more than happy to do more than just show her out. She took her home while begging for details the entire way. Val ended up inviting her inside so she didn’t have to explain herself twice – Gilly would want to know everything as well. Kai continued his concert after apologizing to his fans. With his renewed energy, he put on a better concert than he had in weeks and he hoped the crowd could feel his enthusiasm. All he could think about was his Valentine and what she’d told him. When he finally made it home to sleep that night, all he could think about was planning something big to finally ask her to go out with him. “I might really like you.” Now that he knew, he couldn’t hold himself back any longer. Kai couldn’t wait to see her at the contest in a few days.